Director, Partnerships

dentsu•New York, NY

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

Amplifi is dentsu’s commercial innovation arm, focused on building growth solutions that drive effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for clients. The Partnerships & Platform division within Amplifi is responsible for all strategic partnerships for the dentsu Media practice in the US. This team operates at the intersection of dentsu’s media agencies, clients, investment and activation communities, and Amplifi. Their role is to translate client business needs, dentsu’s strategic and commercial imperatives, and industry trends into strategic, value-driven partnerships. They also shape the strategic agenda for partnerships within dentsu and in the marketplace. The Director, Partnerships will be a subject-matter expert in evaluating, developing, and executing partnership opportunities, with a specific focus on Sports & Entertainment media, platforms, and ecosystems. Reporting to the SVP, Partnerships, this role will support the creation and execution of partnership strategy across sports leagues, teams, talent, live events, content owners, and entertainment platforms, ensuring excellence in deal structure, delivery, and value realization. Collaboration across media channels, environments, and disciplines, as well as with internal teams, is key to ensuring partnerships meet objectives of strategic alignment, innovation, and measurable value. The Director will partner with the SVP to ensure Sports & Entertainment partnerships contribute to dentsu’s broader partnership vision. The role involves working across media investment, activation, planning, trading, and technology, leading cross-functional collaboration to benefit clients, partners, and internal teams. The Director will also contribute to future-proofing the business by building and scaling innovative partnerships with leading Sports & Entertainment media owners and vendors.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in the digital media industry, with experience across sports and entertainment partnerships, investment, or media strategy.
3+ years of people management experience.
Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize effectively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with experience presenting data and performance insights to senior leaders.
Professional, collaborative approach when navigating complex negotiations and stakeholder relationships.
Demonstrated passion for problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration.
Ability to translate complex partnership structures and media concepts into clear, actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

Build and guide senior-level relationships with Sports & Entertainment partners, including leagues, teams, talent networks, streaming platforms, content owners, and live event properties; share relevant insights and updates with dentsu stakeholders.
Support the SVP, Partnerships in executing Sports & Entertainment partnership strategy by identifying opportunities aligned to client needs, media trends, and evolving fan behaviors.
Act as a recognized leader and subject-matter expert in Sports & Entertainment partnerships, representing dentsu internally and externally.
Partner closely with Investment & Activation teams and Amplifi to ensure partnership approaches drive client value, innovation, and effective media integration.
Manage day-to-day deal structures, negotiations, and partner communications to ensure best-in-class execution across agreements.
Educate Investment & Activation teams on partner deal terms while identifying new testing, sponsorship, and media value opportunities.
Support the creation and execution of dentsu and client Joint Business Plans, ensuring all negotiated Sports & Entertainment value is tracked and fully activated.
Serve as an integrator and problem solver, aligning internal teams and external partners to maintain momentum and on-time delivery across complex, multi-party engagements.
Help develop key Sports & Entertainment partnership narratives and themes, supporting external communications such as industry panels, PR, and thought-leadership content.
Maintain clear, organized documentation of partnership agreements to ensure accurate distribution of commercial details and ongoing deal progression.
Support client-specific needs by developing custom partnership plans and providing expertise on the evolving partner landscape.
Participate in new business efforts as a Sports & Entertainment partnerships expert, contributing to value propositions and partnership strategy for prospective clients.