Sponsorship Director, Americas

SailGP•New York, NY

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

SailGP is racing redefined. The world’s most exciting racing on-water, SailGP was established in 2018 and is headquartered in London. The annual, global championship Races for a Better Future accelerating change in everything it does. The fan-centric, in-shore racing takes place among the sport’s top athletes in some of the most iconic waterfront destinations around the world and offers the sport’s largest monetary prize. Rival national teams battle it out in identical supercharged F50 catamarans, engineered for intense racing at electrifying speeds exceeding 60 mph/100 kph. The Sponsorship Director, Americas is a senior commercial leader responsible for driving partnership revenue and expanding SailGP's commercial footprint across North America, Latin America, and Canada. Reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer based in the NYC SailGP office, this role is the primary driver of new business across the Americas, owning the full sales cycle from prospecting through to closing on sponsorship, partnership, and licensing opportunities.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in sports commercial, partnership sales, or business development, with a proven track record of closing complex, high-value deals
Must be available for extensive travel; time in-person with senior leadership at industry events, regional HQ presentations, and SailGP strategic cities (including but not limited to NYC, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Toronto, etc.)
Deep knowledge of the North American sports and sponsorship landscape
Existing relationships with senior brand and agency contacts across the Americas
Strong presentation, negotiation, and communication skills
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, global organization
Bachelor's degree required

Nice To Haves

Passion for sailing or premium/international sports a plus
MBA or equivalent a plus

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive sponsorship sales strategy across the Americas region to meet and exceed annual revenue targets
Identify, prospect, and close sponsorship and partnership sales across a range of categories including tiered deals across the League and Events
Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners, leveraging CRM tools (Monday.com) to track activity and forecast accurately
Develop compelling, tailored sales proposals and presentations that articulate SailGP's unique value proposition to brands and agencies
Leverage SailGP strategic agency relationships to drive sponsorship sales across Events, League and Team partners
Cultivate senior-level relationships with brand marketers, agency partners, and C-suite decision makers across key verticals including financial services, automotive, technology, luxury, and CPG
Identify and structure innovative partnership frameworks beyond traditional sponsorship, including supplier integration, licensing, content partnerships, hospitality, and experiential activations
Collaborate with the global commercial team and external agencies to ensure regional strategy aligns with overall league objectives
Conduct ongoing market analysis to identify emerging opportunities, category whitespace, and competitive dynamics across the Americas
Represent SailGP at industry events, conferences, and networking forums to build brand awareness and generate leads
Work closely with the events and host city teams to support commercial integration around Americas-based race events
Collaborate closely with peer Sponsorship Directors to drive a unified, consistent, and cohesive sales strategy.
Partner with the partnership activation and marketing teams to ensure seamless transition from sale to delivery, maintaining high partner satisfaction and renewal rates
Work with Finance team to develop sound margin outlook for partner deals
Collaborate with the global media and content teams to develop commercially compelling storytelling tools for the sales process
Provide regular reporting on pipeline, revenue performance, and market insights to senior leadership