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Salary: USD 110,000 - 130,000 / annual
Team Liquid seeks a Director of Sales & Partnerships for North America to lead the Sales & Partnerships function, driving partnership revenue, developing strategic relationships, and ensuring successful execution of partnership commitments. This is a hybrid role requiring at least three days per week onsite in Los Angeles.
You will set sales and partnership strategy, lead and develop the team (including a Senior Manager of Sales & Partnerships), manage key partner relationships and negotiations, and collaborate across the organization to maximize commercial growth and long-term partner value.
Key Responsibilities:
Team Leadership: Lead and oversee the Sales & Partnerships team, supporting their growth and development. Manage, coach, and develop direct reports through goal-setting, one-on-ones, and performance reviews. Allocate account and pipeline responsibility clearly. Review work before it reaches partners and raise standards of proposals, reporting, and communication. Contribute to departmental processes and best practices. Provide updates to management on deal flow, deliverable execution, campaign reporting, and relationship development. Lead major strategic initiatives advancing the Partnerships department and supporting organizational goals.
Strategic Account Management: Oversee ongoing management and execution of all partnership projects and deliverables, ensuring high-quality execution and timely delivery. Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key client stakeholders from brand and product marketing through senior leadership. Lead the full lifecycle of partnership deliverables—activation planning, product integration, content, live events, training facilities, and team naming rights. Build and pursue structured upsell plans including new titles, territories, inventory, product co-development, player and creator rights, and cross-business-unit opportunities. Plan, forecast, and execute renewals ahead of term with performance-based business cases. Own reporting to partners on campaign performance, KPIs, audience, and media value on a predictable cadence. Monitor and manage COGS on accounts, maintaining margin standards and flagging variance early. Serve as primary point of contact for high-level partnership discussions and negotiations. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop and execute partnership strategies. Travel as needed to execute partner deliverables, occasionally working outside normal business hours and weekends.
New Business and Pipeline: Lead development and execution of sales strategy for Team Liquid's partnership portfolio in North America, aligned with organizational goals. Carry a personal new-business target and direct sales teams in setting and achieving ambitious revenue targets. Maintain an accurate, weekly-updated pipeline view. Represent Team Liquid at industry events and build networks feeding the pipeline. Develop customized proposals aligned to partner objectives in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Oversee negotiation of high-value partnership agreements ensuring terms align with organizational goals while maximizing value. Drive revenue growth by identifying new business opportunities and expanding existing partnerships. Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders including C-suite executives and decision-makers. Stay current on industry trends and market developments.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Work with Brand, Marketing & Content, Talent Management, Athletics, Finance, Operations, and Legal to ensure deliverability of sold offerings. Support the SVP on departmental and organizational priorities as needed.
Requirements:
- 8+ years of experience in sales, partnerships, business development, sponsorships, or related commercial function, ideally within gaming, esports, sports, media, entertainment, or related industry
- Proven experience leading and developing high-performing sales and/or partnerships teams, including coaching, mentorship, and performance management
- Demonstrated success developing and executing sales and partnership strategies that drive revenue growth and achieve commercial targets
- Strong track record of managing, growing, and renewing complex, high-value strategic partnerships
- Experience leading complex partnership negotiations and building relationships with senior executives and key decision-makers
- Strong commercial acumen with ability to identify new business opportunities, expand existing partnerships, and maximize long-term partner value
- Experience overseeing partnership campaigns and deliverables across multiple internal teams and stakeholders
- Strong strategic thinking with ability to translate organizational goals, market trends, and commercial insights into actionable strategies
- Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership and cross-functional teams
- AI fluency with demonstrated ability to effectively use tools such as Gemini and Claude to enhance sales and partnership workflows, including research, analysis, strategic planning, presentations, and operational efficiency
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and make sound decisions in a fast-paced, evolving environment
- Willingness and ability to travel as needed and occasionally work outside standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, based on partner and event requirements
Bonus Qualifications:
- Experience within gaming, esports, sports, media, entertainment, or other sponsorship-driven industries
- Existing network of relationships with brands, agencies, and/or industry decision-makers
- Experience developing global or multi-market partnerships and working across international teams
- Experience with integrated partnerships spanning digital, social, content, events, creators, and other brand activations
- Familiarity with CRM, sales pipeline management, reporting, and forecasting tools
- Strong understanding of the gaming and esports ecosystem, including relevant market trends, audiences, brands, and commercial opportunities
