Ad Sales & Sponsorship Associate

Print & Digital Sales & Sponsorship Director

The Ad Sales & Sponsorship is a senior, revenue-first sales leader responsible for driving print and digital advertising and sponsorship revenue across STNDRDS magazines, websites, newsletters, social channels, and special publications. This is primarily a sales and sponsorship role. The Director owns the full sales cycle, builds an advertiser and sponsor pipeline, and converts an established network into immediate and recurring revenue.

Events and supporting marketing execution are currently handled through external vendors. The Director oversees and coordinates those vendor relationships so event and marketing activity supports sales and sponsorship goals, and helps bring selected functions in-house as the business scales.

The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven media or advertising seller with a strong book of business and a proven record closing print and digital advertising and sponsorship deals in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. Familiarity with luxury, lifestyle, media, and publishing audiences is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

Print & Digital Advertising Sales (Primary Focus)

• Lead all sales efforts for print and digital advertising across magazines, websites, newsletters, social media, sponsored content, and special publications.
• Identify, pursue, and close new advertising and sponsorship revenue streams.
• Leverage an existing network and book of business to generate immediate revenue and long-term partnerships.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with advertisers, agencies, luxury brands, hospitality groups, regional businesses, and strategic partners.
• Manage the full sales cycle, including prospecting, presentations, proposal development, negotiation, contracts, and account management.
• Maintain sales pipelines, revenue forecasts, and client reporting.

Sponsorship Development

• Build integrated sponsorship packages that combine print, digital, social, and event exposure.
• Identify and secure sponsorship revenue tied to STNDRDS publications, campaigns, and events.
• Develop long-term sponsor relationships that support recurring revenue.

Vendor & Partner Coordination

• Oversee external events and marketing vendors so their work supports sales and sponsorship goals.
• Coordinate vendor deliverables, timelines, budgets, and sponsor commitments for events and campaigns.
• Manage vendor relationships until selected functions are ready to move in-house, then support that transition.

Sales Performance & Reporting

• Track advertising and sponsorship revenue, pipeline health, and ROI.
• Use data-driven insights to refine targeting, pricing, and sales strategy.
• Provide regular revenue reporting, forecasts, and recommendations to executive leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with editorial, creative, and production teams so advertising and sponsorship integrations meet brand standards.
• Work with leadership on revenue planning and long-term growth strategy.
• Adopt CRM systems and AI-powered tools to improve sales efficiency, reporting, and forecasting.

Qualifications & Requirements

• 5 to 7+ years selling print and digital advertising, sponsorships, or integrated media, ideally within publishing or media.
• Proven success closing advertising and sponsorship revenue and consistently meeting sales targets.
• Existing book of business and established industry relationships strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of the luxury, lifestyle, hospitality, entertainment, publishing, and media industries.
• Working knowledge of CRM systems, sales analytics, and marketing automation tools.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience considered.

Preferred Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with a proactive, solutions-oriented approach.
• Strong executive presence and confidence working with clients, sponsors, and leadership teams.
• Comfortable coordinating external vendors while keeping revenue as the priority.
• Deep familiarity with luxury audiences, premium brands, and high-end consumer markets.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $55,000 to $60,000

Commission: 20 percent commission

Quarterly bonus: $1,250 at 100 percent of goal; $3,000 at 125 percent of goal; $5,000 at 150 percent of goal.