About the job

Position: Director of Strategic Partnerships

Location: Andretti Autosport, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Department: Business Development

Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer

Background:

Led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in INDYCAR, INDY NXT, IMSA and Formula E; and has collaborations in Extreme E as Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, Mexico Super Copa series as Andretti Jourdain Autosport and Australia Supercars as Walkinshaw Andretti United.

The global racing enterprise boasts over 250 race wins, four INDYCAR Series championships, five INDY NXT titles, one Indy Pro 2000 and one USF2000 championship, a Silver Class GT4 championship and has captured victory five times at the famed Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. The team also holds two X Games Gold Medals and five U.S. rallycross championships.

Overview:

The Director of Strategic Partnerships is responsible for generating new business revenue across Andretti’s portfolio of racing programs through the formation of partnerships with local, regional, national and international companies. This position is responsible for building relationships and meaningful dialogue with senior-level corporate executives across industries and seeking out new business opportunities. This role requires the ability to successfully generate leads, call on senior executives, develop customized proposals to specific business objectives and negotiate major sponsorships.

In this role, you will:

• Contribute to the success of the organization through the development of team partnerships that are bespoke and beneficial to partners’ business goals.
• Show resourcefulness and persistence through the research of new leads, and subsequent outreach and follow up.
• Secure meetings with senior-level decision makers, incorporating a clear understanding of the prospect’s marketing and business objectives.
• Exhibit confidence by cultivating relationships with senior business leaders.
• Create and present sponsorship proposals customized to client objectives, program timelines and supporting budgets.
• Represent the team professionally and with integrity in all interactions.
• Work effectively within the strategic partnerships team in pursuit of revenue targets and overall commercial goals for the organization.
• Work closely with the account management, marketing and communication teams in delivering excellent customer service and partnership activation support.
• Credibly manage complex negotiations working cross functionally within the team and the prospective client.
• Exhibit consistency and resilience in maintaining call and meeting activity required in a low volume deal environment.
• Assist with renewals, including the evaluation of client needs and identification of growth opportunities through the development of unique value propositions.
• Actively support and facilitate b2b opportunities and networking across the team’s portfolio of partners.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of sponsorship categories, industry trends, and sponsorship activation best practices.
• Work comfortably with technology in performance of the job, logging activity and communication with prospective clients.
• Willing to work in live sports and entertainment environment, where the hours can include evenings, multiple time zones, weekends and moderate to heavy travel.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sports Management/Marketing or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field preferred.
• 5+ years’ business development experience with preference for sports property rights holder (league/sanctioning body/teams) or brand marketing, activation or experiential agency working in live sports.
• Proven track record of success working within strategic partnership sales.
• Strong business acumen and sports marketing industry knowledge along with an understanding of and interest in the commercial dynamics of motorsports.
• Must demonstrate leadership, strategic thinking, independence, proactiveness and ownership; embracing both big picture objectives and follow through on details in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to initiate and generate new business leads from cold calling, personal research and industry networking; must be a self-starter.
• Confident, articulate and passionate; capable of presenting partnership proposals and their benefits to senior-level executives.
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Customer-focused and empathetic with track record of building and maintaining relationships.
• Results-oriented. Proven ability to solve practical problems and make timely decisions by analyzing a variety of variables against desired outcomes.
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently and collaboratively.
• Demonstrated professional, positive, and approachable attitude/demeanor.
• Ability to maintain strong professional working relationships with prospects and sponsors while keeping a certain professional distance.
• Expert computer skills including Microsoft Office suite of software, including PowerPoint.
• High degree of integrity and the ability to operate with discretion, confidentiality, and poise under pressure.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to carry, push and/or pull objects and materials of moderate weight, 25-35 lbs.
• Frequent travel within the US and occasional international travel.
• This position often requires attention outside of ‘normal’ business hours, while also respecting a work and life balance for yourself and your teammates by being forward thinking and planning ahead.