Director, Event Sponsorships

The Paley Center for Media•New York, NY

4d•$125,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Paley Center for Media is seeking a Director, Sponsorships to secure corporate support for its events, programs, and initiatives. This hands-on sales role connects brands with opportunities across media, entertainment, sports, gaming, and culture, while growing corporate membership and developing lasting relationships with sponsors and members. Reporting to the Vice President, Development, the Director leads sponsorship sales from prospecting and presentations through negotiation, closing, and partner engagement. The role requires an entrepreneurial approach, a strong sales mindset, and the organization to convert prospects into revenue while providing responsive service to sponsors and members. The Director secures sponsorships and corporate members across Paley’s program portfolio, including PaleyFest in New York and Los Angeles, PaleyFest Fall TV Previews, PaleyLive and celebrity panel discussions, Paley Honors galas and luncheon, exhibits, member events, PaleyDialogues, the Next Big Thing Series, the Paley International Council Summit, and PaleyImpact programs. The position also represents Paley at industry events, supports organizational initiatives, and works collaboratively with Development, Creative Services, Marketing, IT, legal counsel, and executive leadership.

Requirements

At least 5 years of event sales experience; sponsorship and development experience are a plus.
Proven success prospecting, developing, and closing sales, including six- and seven-figure deals.
Established relationships with senior executives who have sponsorship decision-making authority, including chief marketing officers at national or regional brands and corporate social responsibility or philanthropy officers.
Ability to build strong peer relationships and make the most of introductions.
Understanding of event marketing, sponsorship sales, and the sponsorship activation process.
Comfort with technology, including understanding AI and current applications and systems.
Understanding of media and advertising buys and ability to explain sponsorship value compared with a pure media buy.
Strategic, action-oriented approach and ability to create proposals that meet and exceed prospective corporate partners’ needs.
Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, respond promptly and professionally to stakeholders, take initiative, and remain receptive to direction.
Executive presence, discretion, sound judgment, and a polished, personable approach; ability to work well with colleagues at every level.
Excellent communication, listening, and business writing skills.
Strong time management and self-management skills, with comfort in a fast-paced, energetic, entrepreneurial environment.
Strong technical proficiency.
Ability to travel as needed and work weekends, early mornings, and evenings when necessary to support events and programs.
Strong work ethic and preference for working in person as part of a cohesive, collaborative, energetic office team.
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Highly organized, able to meet deadlines and budgets, manage competing priorities, and maintain attention to detail.
Energetic, motivated, and results-driven, with a strong sales mindset.
Relationship-building skills and understanding of the value of trust and sustained engagement.
Accountability and ability to take ownership of multiple tasks at once.
Confident verbal communication and strong business writing skills.
Positive, professional, friendly demeanor and excellent interpersonal, administrative, and managerial skills.
Resourcefulness, creativity, strong research skills, and problem-solving ability.

Nice To Haves

Sponsorship and development experience.
Proficiency with Airtable and Microsoft Dynamics 365 is strongly preferred.
Bilingual fluency in Spanish.

Responsibilities

Research industries, sponsorship trends, categories, and companies to identify prospects for Paley events, programs, and initiatives.
Present Paley’s mission and programs to attract and secure corporate sponsors, funders, and members.
Build and maintain relationships with senior brand decision makers and advertising agencies, developing new prospects and using existing connections.
Arrange and lead face-to-face meetings and presentations with key decision makers.
Pitch, negotiate, and close sponsorships, working with legal counsel through contract execution.
Meet sponsorship revenue targets within established deadlines.
Partner with Development, Creative Services, and Marketing to create sponsorship presentations, marketing materials, and collateral for programs and corporate memberships.
Work with the Vice President, Development to deliver and manage sponsor and corporate member benefits and provide excellent client service.
Grow corporate membership and maintain relationships throughout the year to support retention and renewals.
Create and deliver cultivation opportunities and events to deepen sponsor and member engagement.
Use sound business and financial judgment in sponsorship models and control activation costs to maximize Paley’s net contribution.
Maintain an active prospect pipeline and prepare weekly executive status reports for the Vice President, Development and CFO.
Work with IT to capture key data in Paley’s CRM and use the system to improve sales efficiency and effectiveness.
Standardize processes, implement best practices, and create reusable templates.
Represent Paley at industry conferences and events to recruit sponsors and corporate members.
Share Paley social media posts within professional networks to expand reach and encourage community engagement.
Participate in other projects assigned by the Paley executive team.
Travel as needed and work weekends, early mornings, and evenings when necessary to support Paley events and programs.