Director, Team Partnerships

XFL Properties DBA United Football League•Washington, DC

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Help build the future of football by creating game-changing partnerships that connect brands with passionate fans. The Director, Team Partnerships is a results-driven sales professional responsible for generating corporate partnership revenue through the development and sale of customized sponsorship programs. This role focuses on identifying, cultivating, and closing new business with local and national brands while supporting the team’s revenue and fan engagement goals. Working closely with the Head of Business Operations (Team) and league partnership leadership, the Director will build long-term partner relationships, collaborate across departments to deliver best-in-class sponsorship activations, and identify opportunities to elevate regional brands for league-wide partnerships. This role requires an entrepreneurial and challenger mindset, exceptional communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment where creativity, collaboration, and accountability drive success. This individual brings a proven track record in sports and/or entertainment partnership sales, combining strategic thinking with a consultative sales approach to create customized marketing solutions that deliver measurable value for partners and meaningful experiences for fans.

Requirements

Minimum of 7 years working within the sports industry or with sports brands, including experience in sponsorship sales and activation, negotiation, research, analytics and media.
Bachelor’s degree required; equivalent experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales, business development, or a related sports/entertainment field will be considered.
Ability to leverage insights and analytics to inform partnership strategies and solutions.
A strong understanding of the local team market, including key business contacts and influencers to best leverage local partnerships
Strong brand marketer with understanding of partner categories, business, and the sports/entertainment industry.
Have a client service mentality to support the development of long-term partner relationships.
Capacity for creative and innovative thinking.
Excellent sales, presentation, and communication skills.
Leader and self-starter with the ability to multi-task.
Team player with strong cross-functional skills.
Experience working in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and bring to market sponsorship proposals, build and manage potential partner pipelines and oversee end-to-end sales process for all partnerships.
Create local partnership strategy and activation plans that commercialize team assets and platforms.
Create compelling, insight-driven proposals that articulate clear value propositions for prospective partners.
Leverage market intelligence and internal data to inform targeting, positioning, and partner outreach strategies.
Assist in the development and management of team sponsorship inventory, including updating all inventory, and adding new inventory when applicable.
Identify new ways of generating incremental revenue/minimizing expenses for the organization.
Strategize and collaborate with sponsors, agencies, and internal stakeholders to create fully integrated UFL themed marketing programs, keeping partner goals and key League initiatives top of mind.
Assist the client services team in management of multiple client relationships, including corporate sponsors, multiple agencies, and marketing teams.
Maintain day-to-day relationships between partners, internal departments, and outside Service partner relationships 365 days a year, ensuring consistent, high-quality support beyond the season.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date pipeline and CRM data.
Accountability and influence in renewals and revenue development.
Assure UFL revenue goals are met on an annual basis.