Account Manager, Event Sponsorships

Job Description

About Us

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Software 3.0 (owner of AI Engineer events and community) is focused on building a global network of flagship and regional events, complemented by year-round community engagement opportunities. Our mission is to empower and unite the global AI engineering community by delivering transformative events, knowledge exchange, and collaborative experiences that accelerate practical AI progress.

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As the industry's only vendor-neutral event, AI Engineer is uniquely positioned to become as indispensable to the AI ecosystem as SXSW, CES, E3, and GDC are in their fields.

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We have experienced remarkable success with our U.S. event series, including the AI Engineer Summit, AI Engineer Worlds Fair 2024, AI Engineer Summit NYC 2025, and AI Engineer Worlds Fair 2025. Attendance has grown approximately 400% over two years, and we plan to expand the series and grow the community at this pace. By 2030, the AI Engineer World's Fair annual event is projected to attract over 10,000 attendees, establishing it as a leading global gathering in AI and technology.

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To support our ambitious growth plans, we are seeking to expand our rapidly growing team with a highly qualified, self-motivated Account Manager with 5+ years of proven success in account management, sponsorship sales, partnerships, customer success, or enterprise sales.

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Position Overview

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This role sits within the Business Development organization and serves as the secondary commercial owner of sponsor relationships. The Account Manager is responsible for growing sponsorship revenue, retaining and expanding existing accounts, securing new sponsor partnerships, and ensuring sponsors achieve measurable ROI from their investment in AI Engineer.

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Success in this role requires executive-level relationship management, strong commercial judgment, and disciplined pipeline management. The ideal candidate understands how to align sponsorship opportunities with a sponsor's marketing, brand, recruiting, and business objectives - not simply sell inventory.

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This role operates in close partnership with the Sponsor Manager within the Operations organization. While the Strategic Account Manager owns revenue, relationships, renewals, and account growth, the Sponsor Manager owns sponsor delivery, logistics, and execution. Together, both roles share responsibility for sponsor satisfaction and long-term partner success.

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Mission

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Own sponsor revenue and strategic relationships across the AI Engineer event portfolio by growing new business, increasing renewals, expanding sponsor investment, and ensuring sponsors receive the value and ROI that make renewal conversations easy.

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Key Responsibilities

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• Serve as the secondary relationship owner for sponsors across the event portfolio.
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• Develop a deep understanding of sponsor objectives, business priorities, target audiences, and success metrics.
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• Build trusted advisor relationships with marketing leaders, developer relations teams, founders, and executive stakeholders.
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• Conduct account reviews and strategic planning discussions to maximize sponsor value and retention.
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• Maintain regular touchpoints with key accounts before, during, and after events.
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• Create and track account plans designed to increase sponsor investment and partnership longevity.
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Revenue Growth & Sponsorship Sales

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• Own revenue growth across assigned accounts and prospects.
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• Identify opportunities for renewals, expansions, upgrades, and multi-event partnerships.
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• Develop customized sponsorship packages aligned with sponsor goals in collaboration with the Sponsor Manager.
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• Present proposals, sponsorship recommendations, and strategic partnership opportunities.
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• Collaborate with leadership on premium partnership opportunities and custom sponsorship activations.
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• Drive new logo acquisition through outbound prospecting, referrals, networking, and industry relationships.
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Consultative Sponsorship Strategy

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• Understand sponsor marketing, recruiting, developer engagement, and pipeline-generation objectives.
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• Recommend sponsorship strategies that deliver measurable ROI.
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• Translate sponsor requirements into tailored partnership recommendations.
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• Act as a strategic advisor rather than a transactional salesperson.
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• Help sponsors identify opportunities to maximize visibility, engagement, lead generation, and thought leadership.
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• Pipeline Management & Forecasting
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• Maintain accurate opportunity records, forecasts, and account data within HubSpot.
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• Manage opportunities through the full sales lifecycle from discovery through contract execution.
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• Maintain disciplined pipeline management and stage accuracy.
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• Produce reliable revenue forecasts and account status updates.
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• Track account performance, renewals, and expansion opportunities.
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Sponsor Handoff & Internal Coordination

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• Own the transition from closed deal to sponsor delivery.
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• Ensure all sponsor commitments, custom agreements, and expectations are clearly documented.
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• Conduct structured handoff meetings with Sponsor Manager and internal stakeholders.
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• Partner with Operations, Production, Marketing, and Content teams to ensure sponsor objectives are understood.
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• Maintain alignment between commercial commitments and operational execution.
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• Eliminate ambiguity regarding sponsor expectations and contractual obligations.
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Executive Relationship Management

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• Engage confidently with senior decision-makers
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• Represent AI Engineer professionally across all sponsor interactions.
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• Lead strategic discussions regarding sponsorship planning and long-term partnerships.
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• Build relationships that extend beyond a single event and evolve into multi-year partnerships.
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Required Skills & Attributes

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• Exceptional consultative selling and relationship management skills.
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• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation capabilities.
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• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive engagement skills.
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• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
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• Ability to manage multiple accounts and complex stakeholder relationships simultaneously.
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• Strong forecasting, CRM management, and pipeline discipline.
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• Operational credibility and understanding of how sponsorship delivery impacts customer satisfaction.
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• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
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• Passion for technology, AI, and developer communities.
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Experience

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• 5+ years of experience in account management, sponsorship sales, partnerships, enterprise sales, customer success, or related client-facing roles.
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• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
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• Experience managing strategic client relationships and renewals.
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• Experience working with senior marketing, developer relations, or executive stakeholders.
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• Experience within conferences, events, technology companies, SaaS, media, or professional communities strongly preferred.
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• Hands-on experience with CRM platforms such as HubSpot.
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• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field preferred.
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Salary $90k - $110k dependent on location and experience

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