Director, Strategic Partnerships

Job Description Butler/Till is a results-driven marketing agency offering deeply collaborative client experiences, proprietary technology, and world-class partnerships. At Butler/Till, we take immense pride in our independent, women-owned and led status, our unwavering commitment to a purpose-driven approach, and our unique structure as a 100% employee-owned company (ESOP). SUMMARY The Director, Strategic Partnerships builds and activates a high-impact ecosystem of ad tech, publisher, data, and technology partners to strengthen Butler/Till’s capabilities and competitive position. This role identifies market opportunities and translates them into scalable capabilities and partnership strategies that advance innovation, go-to-market efforts, and enterprise growth. The Director also serves as a key external ambassador and internal strategic leader, guiding cross-functional initiatives and influencing priorities across the agency. KEY OUTCOMES & RESPONSIBILITIES Key Outcome: Build, maintain, and operationalize a high-impact partner portfolio that strengthens capabilities and delivers measurable enterprise impact Key Responsibilities: Lead the development, growth, and management of strategic partnerships across platforms, publishers, and data and technology partners to expand and enhance Butler/Till’s capabilities Own senior partner relationships, identifying growth opportunities, addressing gaps, and ensuring long-term mutual value Lead negotiation of enterprise-level agreements, aligning commercial structures to performance, innovation, and strategic priorities Evaluate partnership performance and ROI, making clear decisions to scale, optimize, or sunset relationships Establish and implement partnership frameworks and governance models that promote consistency and accountability, including Joint Business Plans, Quarterly Business Reviews, and preferred-partner structures Key Outcome: Translate market trends and client needs into scalable capabilities that strengthen Butler/Till’s offerings and market differentiation Key Responsibilities: Autonomously own and advance designated partnership pillar(s), setting direction and driving measurable progress Secure differentiated partner access, including first-mover opportunities, early betas, and exclusive programs Align cross-functional teams around emerging client needs and market trends, define the capabilities required to address them, and prioritize partnerships that support development and scale Drive cross-functional efforts to test, scale, and embed high-impact innovations into core agency offerings Lead the development of proprietary and partner-enabled solutions, collaborating with external partners and internal stakeholders to create differentiated offerings Define and lead go-to-market strategies for key capabilities and partnership-driven offerings, ensuring clear positioning, scalability, and alignment across teams Key Outcome: Elevate Butler/Till’s presence, credibility, and influence in the marketplace through strategic storytelling and industry engagement Key Responsibilities: Lead and activate market-facing narratives that support go-to-market strategies, partnering with Marketing & Growth to showcase Butler/Till’s capabilities, partnerships, and innovations Represent Butler/Till externally through conferences, speaking engagements, and industry forums Develop and lead thought leadership and industry content, including POVs, white papers, trend reports, and contributions to trade publications Lead the creation of case studies and proof points that demonstrate the impact of Butler/Till’s partnerships, innovation, and capabilities Support new business success by translating market trends, innovation, and partnership strategy into clear, compelling narratives tied to differentiated client outcomes Build and maintain a strong external network to expand Butler/Till’s reach, influence, and access to opportunities Key Outcome: Build agency-wide fluency in priority partnerships, emerging capabilities, and market developments so teams can apply them effectively in client work and go-to-market efforts Key Responsibilities: Lead organizational understanding of priority partnerships, their value, and how they’re applied in practice Partner with client-facing teams to bring forward trends, innovations, and partner capabilities to clients through POVs, presentations, and workshops Design and lead sessions that expose teams to emerging trends, insights, and innovations Design and deliver overviews for new and evolving capabilities, ensuring teams understand how to apply practice, including the partners and solutions that support them Act as a central connector across teams and leaders, driving ongoing alignment on partnership strategy, capability development, and go-to-market priorities Other Responsibilities: Support select client-facing strategic engagements as needed Demonstrate proficiency in digital marketing strategy Model professionalism, adaptability, and resilience, setting a high standard for the team to follow Proactively address issues or bottlenecks in workflows, ensuring solutions are implemented promptly and effectively Demonstrated ability to operationalize emerging technologies (e.g., AI) within agency environments Additional accountabilities and tasks may be assigned by leader/management, to contribute to overall team and agency success QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or equivalent work experience 10+ years of experience in the digital marketing, advertising, and/or media field Experience advancing strategic partnership initiatives at enterprise level (e.g., contract/deal negotiations, new offering rollout) Strong financial acumen and ability to assess ideal investment frameworks, incentives, and ROI of strategic partnerships Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives across planning, activation, analytics, and product Grasp new technology and product changes quickly, and identify application to current work Self-starter able to seek new opportunities or projects, and lead from start to finish Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with a proven ability to influence senior stakeholders CORE COMPETENCIES CUSTOMER FOCUS/CLIENT INTIMACY: Seeking to understand client business challenges/needs and delivering continuous value to our clients COLLABORATIVE: Working with teams and across the organization with ease OWNER AGILITY: Able to continuously learn and quickly adapt to changing circumstance RESULTS DRIVEN: Accepts accountability to deliver business outcomes, even under changing circumstances. Delivers on commitments DISCIPLINED: Thinks, plans, and prioritizes work on an ongoing basis, plans and aligns with key team members before acting TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS All employees, regardless of role or geographic location, are required to attend in person for onboarding during their first week of employment and annually for the Shareholder’s Summit held in June. Additional travel will be expected, to include quarterly leadership development training, key/critical meetings & events, and regular visitation to the Agency headquarters. WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS The work environment and physical demands characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job, typically in an office setting or in a home office. An employee in this role may be in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods and using office equipment and computers. The noise level in the office environment is usually moderate. (I.e., business office with computers and printers, light foot traffic, etc.). Reasonable accommodation may be requested to enable individuals to perform the essential functions. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is a cornerstone of our culture. We believe that the diversity and inclusivity of our workforce are sources of strength. As you become part of our community, you'll discover that we are dedicated to creating a positive impact, not only for our clients but also for the communities where we live and work. EEO DISCLAIMER Butler/Till is an Equal Opportunity Employer to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. COMPENSATION Butler/Till is committed to providing pay transparency of our compensation philosophy and ensuring equitable pay practices for our employee owners. The compensation range for this position is $85,000 - $134,000 and represents the annual salary range in Rochester, NY. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including location, skills, and experience. This is just one component of Butler/Till’s total compensation package for employee owners. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including ESOP (employee stock ownership plan), an annual bonus, in addition to a full benefits package, and paid time off benefits, including 100% paid parental leave. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.