Associate Director of Partnerships & Events

Discover Durham & Durham Sports Commission • Durham, NC

7d • $75,000 - $85,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Discover Durham is Durham, North Carolina’s marketing and sales agency, generating economic impact by drawing 12+ million leisure, business, and sports visitors to our vibrant community. Discover Durham also operates the Durham Sports Commission (DSC), a 501(c)3 whose mission is to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support and promote sporting events at every level. And Durham Next, a 501(c)3 created to lead the research, planning and implementation of initiatives put forth in the Destination Master Plan that advance Durham as the best place to live, work and visit. We are seeking an Associate Director of Partnerships and Events who will be a senior, strategic role responsible for designing, leading and scaling Discover Durham’s partnerships and events ecosystem. The position shifts the organization towards more of a proactive, tiered and impact-driven partnerships and festivals program that strengthens Discover Durham’s destination brand, supports local businesses and event producers and enhances the visitor experience. This role serves as a program architect and relationship leader – developing long-term partnership strategies, negotiating high-value agreements with top points of interest, building new models of support for festival and events and launch new initiatives that position Discover Durham as a convener, collaborator and community leader.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in hospitality, tourism, business, public administration, communications or related field preferred
• 6-8+ years of experience in partnerships, destination marketing, event strategy, economic development or community engagement.
• Proven ability to design and scale programs, not just manage tasks and respond to requests.
• Strong negotiation, relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with festivals, cultural events or large-scale public activations.
• Comfort navigating public-private partnerships and community-based work.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Partnerships Strategy and Program Leadership Design and lead a reimagined partnerships program, clearly defining the program’s purpose, communications, value proposition and expectations for engagement.
• Develop active brand ambassadors and economic drivers through clearer articulation of tourism and Discover Durham’s value, accountability and opportunity.
• Oversee adoption and effective use of the partner extranet, dashboards and CRM tools to improve data quality, communication frequency and partner participation.
• Develop and manage tiered partnership offerings, which may include preferred or recommended vendor programs, co-op marketing opportunities (in-market and out-of-market), partner education and training access, priority access to media, sales and activation opportunities.
• Negotiate and manage strategic partnerships agreements and MOUs with high-impact partners, such as major attractions and venues, locally-owned businesses, event planners, sporting events, small businesses, transportation partners, institutional anchors, non-traditional and value-aligned brands.
• Work with hoteliers and lodging partners in a more marketing-forward capacity that might include installing digital kiosks, surprise-and-delight programs and enhanced in-room or on-site visitor engagement.
• Festivals and Events Strategy Lead and design implementation of service and support models for festivals and events that drive visitation, aligning Discover Durham’s resources with event scale, impact, readiness and strategic value.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to festival and event organizations including event planning, capacity-building and sustainability, marketing, market readiness and visitor experience quality.
• Develop an event-planning blueprint for organizers looking to host or expand an event in Durham covering topics such as marketing and audience development, operations and logistics, preferred vendors, as well as accessibility, inclusion and hospitality standards that align with the destination brand.
• Coordinate a pilot support program in partnership with Discover Durham leadership, Durham Next and other stakeholders.
• Ensure coordination and internal alignment across Discover Durham, Durham Next and the Durham Sports Commission teams, to deliver consistent event support.
• Partner Engagement, Education & Equity Launch and oversee partner onboarding and orientation programs for new businesses.
• Lead Discover Durham campaigns and initiatives that center or rely on heavy partner participation, including Love Durham, the Bull City Beer Challenge, media missions and others as developed.
• Increase partner awareness of Discover Durham’s purpose and vision as well as tourism’s impact within our community.
• Increase adoption and distribution of Discover Durham’s resources, implementing a proactive strategy for content pieces and leisure marketing campaigns to drive more referral traffic.
• Develop a partner-only education series covering topics such as marketing trends, inclusive hospitality, customer service excellence, business development and growth.
• Design frontline training programs for hospitality workers, potential certifications and other initiatives that incentivize participation and implementation and increase awareness of Durham’s destination offerings and brand.
• Create tailored opportunities for small, multicultural and underrepresented businesses, ensuring equitable access to visibility, resources and marketing opportunities.
• Coordinate low-cost, high-impact engagement and impactful networking opportunities for hospitality businesses, festival/event planners and tourism suppliers amongst each other and with Discover Durham, Durham Sports Commission and Durham Next staff.
• Establish ambassadors to support Durham Next’s work and messaging, supporting coalitions that understand the positive impact and value of projects put forth in the Destination Master Plan.
• Support Short-term Rental (STR) engagement by strengthening relationships with operators and developing more engagement opportunities, feedback loops and ambassador programs.
• Oversee a productive system for Discover Durham, Durham Next and Durham Sports Commission staff and volunteers to remain knowledgeable of the destination.
• Hospitality Workforce Development Evaluate and position Discover Durham’s role in hospitality workforce development as a strategic priority tied to partner programs and the Destination Master Plan implementation.
• Serve as a connector between industry partners and education/workforce entities including OEWD, NCCU, Durham Tech, DPS and others.
• Support initiatives such as job expos, career awareness programming and hospitality-focused skill-building, depending on organizational capacity and direction.
• Represent Discover Durham on relevant workforce or education advisory boards, as appropriate.
• Data, Insights & Accountability Ensure partnerships and event programs generate meaningful data and insights, including partner participation and engagement, visitor feedback and satisfaction, economic and marketing impact, and emerging trends and operational challenges.
• Collaborate with internal research, visitor experience and marketing teams to tell clearer ROI stories and inform future strategies.
• Management Supervise, support and grow the Partnerships Manager.
• Manage related budget lines and other financial processes related to the work described.
• Contribute and collaborate cross-departmentally as well as the immediate Strategic Initiatives team.

Benefits

• Discover Durham offers exceptional benefits, including employer-paid insurance premiums for staff and employer contributions to HSA, generous retirement contributions to the NC pension program, a flexible hybrid work schedule, an enviable vacation and holiday allowance, paid parental leave, a wellness stipend, a monthly mobile device stipend, paid downtown parking, and a great team of coworkers.
• It is a hybrid work environment, with employees expected to be in the office at least three days a week.
• Plus, you’ll work in a prime location on Main Street in the heart of downtown Durham.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level