Sports Partnerships Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

The V Foundation is seeking a visionary and commercially minded Vice President, Strategic Partnerships to build, lead, and scale transformational corporate partnerships that expand national visibility, deepen audience engagement, and generate significant philanthropic investment in cancer research.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships is a pivotal leadership role that will serve as the key architect and connective tissue between the V Foundation’s commercial ambitions and its broader mission, establishing frameworks, processes, and relationships needed to deliver exceptional partner experiences and build long-term revenue growth for the organization. This leader will develop and lead the strategy to position the V Foundation at the intersection of sports, entertainment, media, healthcare, technology, and purpose-driven brands. These partnerships will fuel the V Foundation’s goal to double revenue and grantmaking over the next five years to fund groundbreaking cancer research and elevate the brand.

Key Responsibilities and Activities

70% Business Partnership Development

• Achieve ambitious annual and multi-year revenue targets through acquisition, expansion, and retention of strategic partnerships.
• Drive partner ideation and co-creation, shaping joint partnership efforts that align brand objectives with the V Foundation’s mission.
• Cultivate a robust and diverse pipeline of new business and sports partnerships, and convert pipeline to revenue through creative and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with senior executives, CMOs, CSR leaders, team owners, league executives, agency leaders, and philanthropic stakeholders.
• Set department strategy and goals for new business development and revenue growth.
• Utilize market intelligence, audience insights, sponsorship valuation methodologies, and performance analytics to inform partnership strategy and maximize partner ROI.
• Develop and test innovative revenue models, scalable campaign platforms, and new business concepts that diversify organizational funding streams and expand market relevance.
• Provide regular, accurate, and updated periodic reporting of activities and pipeline status against identified goals.

15% Business Relations and Stewardship

• Oversee the stewardship and upsell of existing partnerships.
• Build and institutionalize a scalable partner briefing and collaboration process to streamline partnership workflows and elevate co-creation outcomes.
• Identify and develop new partner opportunities that elevate the V Foundation’s commercial proposition and presence in the marketplace.
• Represent the V Foundation’s partnership vision in external forums, partner summits, and strategic planning sessions.

15% Team Management

• Lead a team of four direct reports and ten total staff with a two-fold focus: business development (actively selling and cultivating national corporate partnerships in support of our regional and local events) and account management (stewarding and scaling business plans for existing partners to ensure we meet and exceed our joint business goals around reach, revenue, cause-related marketing, and employee engagement).
• Foster cross-functional collaboration to ensure partner activations are integrated, impactful, and aligned with organizational priorities.
• Plan, manage, strengthen, and formalize business development processes and operations to drive performance, efficiency, and organizational awareness.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, marketing, media, or a related field or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in partnership acquisition or commercial development within sports, entertainment, or a related industry.
• 5+ years leading teams and managing staff performance to achieve record-breaking results.
• Track record of building seven-figure integrated partnerships.
• Deep expertise in brand, media/consumer engagement, and cause-related marketing strategies.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with a history of delivering value to commercial partners.
• Background in launching new partner platforms or go-to-market frameworks.
• Ability to build capabilities from the ground up by designing structures, talent models, and processes that scale and endure.
• Proven ability to negotiate a variety of complex agreements and cross-functional projects calmly and simultaneously.
• Proactive self-starter with strong creative, analytical, planning, and project management skills.
• Quantitative fluency and comfort using data, tracking, and performance analytics to set strategy, allocate budget, and demonstrate ROI.
• Experience in translating a strategic plan, business plans, and revenue objectives into cultivation and solicitation strategies with external audiences.
• Disrupts conventions, questions assumptions, and pursues breakthrough ideas while maintaining the discipline to execute against the mission.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, change, and rapid growth with steadiness.
• A belief in the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and action that demonstrates this commitment.