Strategic Partnerships Manager (Remote)

About Us

The Athletic is a digital sports media company that brings true sports fans closer to the athletes, teams and leagues that captivate their attention. We serve a multi-faceted audience that craves a richer connection and understanding with immersive storytelling and a like-minded community of fans. Founded in 2016 and with major operational hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Melbourne, we empower a truly global team of more than 600 creators and cover more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams across the United States, Canada and the UK. Our newsroom has produced thousands of in-depth reports along with more than 120 podcasts and other forms of premium content. Put simply, The Athletic is at the center of a sports fan’s universe.

About This Role

We are looking for a Strategic Partnerships Manager to apply their skills in business operations and partner management - supporting senior leadership and working across all functions to maximize the business impact of The Athletic’s large and growing commercial organization. Our ideal candidate will be experienced in partner and account management, business development, cross-platform advertising programs, and business operations within the consumer media industry and have familiarity with managing large and complex strategic partnerships.

Partnership management is a team sport, and you will be an expert collaborator responsible for executing innovative, integrated partnership programs in collaboration with Strategy, Planning, Legal, Finance, Audio, Editorial, Social, Product, Marketing, and PR teams to execute compelling, strategic cross-platform programs for our strategic partners that drive company revenue across all sports verticals. 

This role is remote to the US and Canada only.

Responsibilities

• Support the Business Development team within the larger commercial organization.
• Manage the day to day relationships with some of The Athletic’s largest, strategic partners that touch all parts of the business.
• Develop strong client relationships, through effectively communicating complex ideas and proposals, leading meetings, crafting partner correspondence, driving campaign production and evaluating partnership success.
• Work closely with the broader Business Development team on large, comprehensive strategic partnerships and to grow commercial revenue. 
• Serve as the primary point of contact between internal cross-functional teams including legal, finance, product, editorial, design and marketing to ensure all deliverables are on message, on track, and within scope. 
• Internally advocate for the client to ensure obligations are met.
• Build and maintain project delivery trackers and create proof of delivery documents/recaps. 
• Create and manage project plans for various partnership executions.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree with 4 years of relevant business development or partnership management experience.
• Experience in managing large-scale, multi-vertical partnerships.
• Proficiency in developing project plans, process maps, and project tracking.
• Experience managing advertising production workflows and teams while also direct client exposure.
• High level of professionalism; driven and motivated with excellent follow-up.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Extremely organized.
• Creative and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with colleagues based in New York, San Francisco, around North America, and internationally.
• Represent The Athletic brand well.

The annual base salary range for this role is $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location. It may also include non-cash rewards and benefits. The base salary range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

The Athletic offers unique perks and benefits to all full-time employees based on their country of residence. Our comprehensive US benefits package includes:

- Highly competitive, employer-contributed medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance plans.

- Savings accounts for medical, wellness, and childcare expenses.

- 401k retirement savings plan and employer match.

- Paid time off including paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 15 days of accrued vacation to start, and up to 20 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.

For international candidates: Our global benefits packages offer similar benefits and perks, competitive to the local market.

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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