Events, festivals and summits are an important way in which we extend the influence of The Times and connect with our readers. We create powerful live expressions of our journalism by putting our best journalists on stage together with top figures from the fields of business, politics, entertainment, arts and culture.
NYTLive is an entrepreneurial cross-functional team building events that are a powerful expression and extension of our brand, an amplification of our best journalism and a way to recruit and retain subscribers. This is an exciting time to be part of our NYTLive team, as we are retooling the team to focus on showing people what makes Times journalism and specific properties of The Times special.
The Director of Sponsorships will be part of the NYTLive leadership team with responsibility for delivering annual sponsorship and advertising revenue targets.
Key traits will differentiate the top candidate:
a relentless ability to drive sales
the ability to think creatively and resourcefully, not only building on existing sponsorship models but also developing new ones that involve cross-platform elements and creative solutions
excellent interpersonal skills to enable the Director to liaise closely with the broader New York Times sales teams, with the Times editors who are programming the events, and the broader live events team. This role is strategic to the development of the business and requires an experienced and dynamic candidate with a proven track record of selling at the highest levels within companies across multiple sectors.
Passion for and ability to run a team of account managers with a passion for building and developing long term client relationships, excellence in sponsorship servicing and razor focused on delivering ROI
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Plan, manage and execute sales strategy for sponsorship revenue across the events portfolio, increasing sponsorships for existing events and initiating revenue for new events
Work closely with team to develop sponsorship strategies that integrate with and capitalize on key audiences, industries and topics – including developing activations and pricing strategies that maximize revenue for each event
Work closely with clients to develop an understanding of their business needs and provide consultative solutions to build strong relationships
Resourcefully drive new revenue by seeking out potential sponsors that are not current or potential NYT advertisers and seek out new budgets within current clients’ organizations
Ensure that a plan for continued client management and follow-up is in place to increase renewals and new business opportunities
Management of account managers in-order to deliver on client objectives and create a seamless sales cycle
Develop and manage an accurate database of all sponsors and prospects
Provide regular activity/contact reports and revenue pipeline estimates
Liaise with NYT’s worldwide advertising sales team to ensure sponsorship sales are developed in all markets
Collaborate with advertising sales counterparts on accounts that present integrated revenue opportunities
Work with the with the sales and marketing teams to expand the range of marketing and branding benefits available to event sponsors
Continuously update information on sponsorship opportunities and make available for dissemination to sales team, reps and clients
Contribute ideas, market insights and client feedback to the business development and product development process
QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree
10+ years of recent and relevant sales, business and brand development experience; experience with large scale festivals or arts events preferred
Keen knowledge of sponsorship sales, with experience pitching complex promotions and sponsorships that incorporate video, social media, and advertising opportunities
Experience in selling direct to clients at the highest level within major organizations
Creative, extremely proactive, detailed, responsible and able to work well with a team
Demonstrated expertise and knowledge of a variety of industry verticals to include financial, professional, corporate and luxury services
Proven sales track record, preferably with international experience
Experience working with strong, high-end audiences and, ideally, editors and editorial content
Interested in current affairs with a good understanding of domestic and international business and markets
Excellent communication and presentation skills
Able to demonstrate the highest level of professional sales standards and to be comfortable networking with business professionals at the highest level
Enjoys travelling and able to travel as needed
