Head of Partnerships & Brand Sponsorships

Contrarian Thinking • Austin, TX

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Contrarian Thinking is a media, advisory, and investment firm focused on Main Street businesses. The Head of Partnerships & Sponsorships will own brand, sponsorship, and partnership revenue across Contrarian Thinking and Codie Sanchez media assets, including podcasts, YouTube, newsletters, social media, live events, and community. The goal is to build an 8-figure partnerships and sponsorships business through strategic packaging, category partnerships, and story-driven, multi-touch campaigns that serve both brands and the audience.

The role will develop sponsorship strategy, pricing, inventory, and brand-safety guidelines; personally pitch, negotiate, and close deals; and manage partnerships from contract through delivery, reporting, and renewal. It will also oversee affiliate and community partnerships, build the CRM and reporting systems, and hire and lead a partnerships team as revenue grows. The position works closely with Media & Content, Events & Community, Marketing, Finance, and leadership, and reports weekly to the President. It begins as a player-coach role, with the hire expected to close initial deals before building the team.

The role is based full-time in the Austin, Texas office. Applicants must live within a one-hour drive of Austin or be willing to relocate.

Requirements

• 8–10+ years of experience in brand partnerships, sponsorship sales, or business development at a creator-led media company, publisher, agency, or events business, including leading a sponsorship revenue function at scale.
• A track record of personally closing 7-figure brand deals and owning 8-figure partnership revenue; category partnerships are preferred over one-off deals.
• Existing relationships with brand-side marketing leaders and agencies.
• Experience building a sponsorship function from scratch, including packaging, pricing, processes, and team.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to diplomatically uphold company standards with brands.
• Comfort with CRM systems, platform analytics, and partner reporting.
• Clear, concise writing skills for pitches and briefs.
• Low ego, high standards, and a bias toward action.
• Must live within a one-hour drive of Austin, Texas, or be willing to relocate.

Nice To Haves

• Experience selling across podcast, YouTube, newsletter, and live events in one package.
• Experience hiring and leading a partnerships or sales team.
• Use of AI tools for research, pitching, and reporting.
• Interest in small business, acquisitions, and entrepreneurship.

Responsibilities

• Define how sponsorships are packaged and sold across Contrarian Thinking and Codie Sanchez media assets.
• Build the sponsorship packaging, rate card, inventory calendar, and brand-safety guardrails.
• Own the plan and annual targets for building an 8-figure partnerships and sponsorships business.
• Build and manage a pipeline of category partners, pitch creative concepts, negotiate, and close deals.
• Sell partnership ideas internally before presenting them to brands.
• Manage deals from signed contract through campaign delivery, reporting, and renewal.
• Protect creative integrity and the company’s voice during partner review cycles while maintaining partner relationships.
• Report partnership ROI to partners and leadership.
• Vet and manage partners that offer value to the Buyers and Builders communities.
• Grow affiliate and referral programs that align with the company’s mission.
• Build the CRM pipeline, contracts process, and dashboards for pipeline, booked versus delivered revenue, partner ROI, and renewal rate.
• Hire and lead the partnerships team as revenue grows.
• Report weekly to the President on pipeline, booked revenue, and delivery.
• Coordinate with Content, Events, and Finance to ensure sponsorship inventory and delivery are managed reliably.

Benefits

• 100% company-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for full-time Crew Members, with an option to add dependents.
• Unlimited PTO with approval from the Direct Support.
• Eight paid U.S. holidays.
• On-time direct deposit pay twice per month.
• Option to enroll in a 401(k) plan via Vestwell with competitive match options.
• Free access to company courses and the flagship Contrarian Community.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed