Director, Partnership Strategy - University of Southern California

Learfield Sports Properties • Los Angeles, CA

1d • $110,000 - $130,000

About The Position

Learfield is seeking a Director of Partnership Strategy to oversee the activation and fulfillment of corporate sponsorships at one of our largest university properties. This individual is responsible for leading a high-performing activation team, managing partner relationships, and serving as a key liaison with university leadership. The Director plays a critical role in shaping the property’s partnership experience, ensuring that every campaign reflects our standards of excellence, innovation, and impact. In this role, you’ll manage the full partnership lifecycle across a wide-ranging portfolio—ensuring high-quality execution across digital, social, in-venue, broadcast, and experiential channels. You’ll lead and coach a team of activation professionals while working closely with the General Manager and Sales leadership to drive renewal strategy, upsell opportunities, and long-term client retention. This is a senior leadership role ideal for someone who excels at both building relationships and operationalizing strategy through people, process, and collaboration.

Requirements

• Significant experience in sponsorship activation, partnership marketing, client service, or a related field (typically 8–10 years), preferably within sports, media, or entertainment.
• Proven experience managing teams, with a demonstrated ability to lead through others and drive performance.
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to translate big-picture goals into operational execution.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a track record of building strong relationships with clients and institutional partners.
• Experience executing integrated campaigns across digital, in-venue, and experiential channels.
• Skilled in project management, time management, and managing competing priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and project/CRM tools.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends for game days, events, and partner engagements as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field.
• Experience working with or within a large collegiate athletics department.
• Familiarity with the multimedia rights and collegiate sponsorship landscape.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full activation strategy for a large and diverse partnership portfolio, ensuring flawless execution across all assets and platforms.
• Directly supervises and manages activation staff including managers, coordinators, and support personnel.
• Cultivate strong relationships and serve as a key point of contact for university leadership, ensuring strong alignment between property initiatives and institutional goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with partners, contributing to retention and growth strategies.
• Own key processes for campaign execution, asset delivery, and contract fulfillment; ensure scalability and consistency.
• Collaborate with the General Manager and Sales team to identify upsell opportunities, improve renewal planning, and maximize partner value.
• Direct the development of partner recaps, data analysis, and post-campaign reporting; ensure quality and storytelling align with brand standards.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the activation team.
• Represent Learfield at key partner events, university meetings, and game day activations.
• Ensure all activity is compliant with Learfield policies, university guidelines, and contractual obligations.

Benefits

• Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (minimum 10+ days annually), including Parental Leave, 20 Paid Holidays, 401(k) + Match, and Short/Long Term Disability.
• Leave benefits are consistent with state and local laws, including the Colorado Health Families and Workplaces Act.
• Learfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director