Director of Business Development (Epikkos)

San Francisco Giants•San Francisco, CA

53d•Hybrid

About The Position

The position will play a critical leadership role in scaling Epikkos’ business globally. The individual will be responsible for the development of the business by identifying, structuring, and executing new revenue opportunities across sports, entertainment, live events, and premium travel experiences. All the while supporting, Epikkos’ position as a trusted partner to existing and prospective clients. In addition to driving growth and partnerships, this role provides executive oversight, in coordination with Epikkos’ co-founders, of the operational performance of all procured experiences, ensuring offerings are scalable, operationally sound, margin-accretive, and delivered at a consistently premium standard. The individual will work closely with operations, marketing, finance, and legal teams to establish execution standards, optimize fulfillment workflows, and align commercial strategy with disciplined delivery. This role requires a strategic dealmaker with strong commercial instincts, financial acumen, and operational understanding, combined with a proven ability to build long-term, high-value relationships and deliver complex, high-touch experiences.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in business development within the sports & entertainment and/or travel trade industries
Demonstrated success in closing complex, high-value partnerships and commercial deals
Deep understanding of the travel trade ecosystem, including distribution models, resellers, and destination partnerships, to inform strategy and drive scalable growth
Proven background in luxury travel and premium experience procurement
High level of financial literacy, including forecasting, modeling, and performance analysis
Exceptional executive communication and negotiation skills
Track record of building long-term, trust-based relationships
Strong operational mindset, with the ability to scale offerings sustainably
Experience managing multiple stakeholders and competing priorities in a fast-growing environment
Creative thinker with the ability to design differentiated, market-leading experiences
Comfort leveraging data, analytics, and AI-driven tools to inform decisions and scale impact
Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale events or premium, high-touch experience
Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder operational execution, including vendors, venues, and partners
Strong understanding of experience fulfillment economics, including cost drivers, margins, and scalability
Track record of balancing creative vision with operational discipline in live or experiential environments

Responsibilities

Lead overall business development strategy for Epikkos’ next phase of growth across sports, entertainment, music, culinary, and experiential travel opportunities
Identify, evaluate, and execute new partnerships, experiences, and revenue streams, from concept through launch
Build and manage a robust business development pipeline, including lead generation, prioritization, negotiation, and deal closure
Develop financial models and ROI analyses to support investment decisions, pricing strategies, and partnership structures
Present clear, compelling data-driven narratives to executive leadership and stakeholders to support strategic initiatives
Work cross-functionally with marketing, operations, finance and legal teams to ensure scalable execution
Oversee procurement of high-end luxury experiences, ensuring quality, differentiation, and margin discipline
Leverage AI tools and automation to scale lead generation, operational efficiency, and internal resources
Build and maintain strong relationships with destination marketing organizations, tourism organizations and travel trade partners
Develop and deepen relationships with sports, entertainment, hospitality, and business leaders to drive local and national growth
Travel as needed to cultivate strategic partnerships, oversee premium experiences, and drive business growth initiatives
Establish operational standards, KPIs, and playbooks in partnership with operations and finance to optimize execution and efficiency
Lead vendor and supplier strategy for premium experiences, including selection, performance management, and cost optimization
Provide executive oversight for large-scale, high-touch experience execution, serving as escalation point to ensure flawless delivery