Director of Community & Corporate Partnerships

Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships

Location: Hybrid, Tampa Bay, FL

Position Summary: The Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships plays a key role in advancing the growth and sustainability of the Times and its affiliates by securing sponsorships, monetizing initiatives, advancing new product innovation, and building strategic business and community partnerships. This position focuses on identifying and engaging corporate partners to support philanthropic fundraising, special projects and events that strengthen our mission and community impact. The role designs and executes development strategies aligned with organizational goals, increasing visibility and fostering long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with sponsors. The Director leads organizational sponsorship and events strategy and supervises a dedicated events team, the Newspaper in Education (NIE) program and organizational grants, while continually identifying new and innovative revenue opportunities. Through thoughtful business development, sponsorship acquisition and strategic partnerships, this role contributes meaningfully to the organization's financial strength, public profile, and ability to serve the community.

Responsibilities:

• Identify, approach and secure sponsorship opportunities from corporations and other partners to support philanthropic fundraising, product and content monetization, new initiatives, and special events.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective sponsors and funders to secure revenue ‑ generating partnerships, ensuring ongoing engagement and satisfaction.
• Set and manage annual sponsorship, grant, NIE and event revenue goals, ensuring cross ‑ functional teams are aligned to achieve them.
• Collaborate closely with events, philanthropy, news, and marketing teams to identify cross ‑ departmental opportunities and align sponsorship packages and partnership deliverables with organizational priorities.
• Plan and execute event marketing strategies for corporate, philanthropic, and special events and campaigns, ensuring alignment with sponsor objectives and organizational goals.
• Monitor and report on sponsorship performance metrics, providing actionable insights and recommendations to senior management.
• Provide strategic leadership and input on new and innovative revenue opportunities, including new products, services, and partnerships.
• Represent the organization externally at industry events, meetings and speaking opportunities.
• Oversee and support a dedicated events team, ensuring excellence in execution, promotions, partner experience, and community engagement.
• Support the growth and sustainability of the Newspaper in Education program as well as organizational grant funding.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in sponsorship sales, strategic partnerships, business development, or related fields.
• Proven experience in sponsorship acquisition, business development or marketing within the media or events industry.
• Strong understanding of the media industry, particularly daily newspapers, and their advertising dynamics.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with community and philanthropic events.
• Familiarity with event marketing and corporate event management.
• Established network within the media and corporate sectors.
• Advanced skills in CRM software and marketing analytics tools.
• Additional certifications in fundraising or nonprofit management.