The Houston Texans are in a season of growth and are seeking an individual for the position of Senior Director, Partnership Marketing.
Our Texans Teammate Habits:
Dedication to the team
Be adaptable
Passion for work
Win with integrity
Own the outcome
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Senior Director, Partnership Marketing leads the Partnership Marketing team and drives world-class account management, partner strategy, renewal readiness, and organic growth across a portfolio spanning the Houston Texans, LOVB Houston, LSSE, and the Toro District.
The Senior Director will lead and develop a team of partnership marketing professionals, set the standard for strategic account management, and ensure the Club consistently delivers against partner objectives while proactively identifying opportunities to deepen and grow each relationship. This individual may also directly manage a select number of significant, complex corporate partnerships and serve as a senior escalation point for key partners.
This role reports to the Chief Revenue Officer and works closely with Partnership Sales, Commercial Development, Strategy & Operations, Marketing, Digital & Social, Finance, and other cross-functional leaders to deliver exceptional partner value and business results.
BASIC FUNCTION
Lead the Partnership Marketing team’s account management, renewal readiness, and account growth across the corporate partnership portfolio of the Houston Texans and its affiliated properties. As needed, directly manage a select number of significant, complex partnerships, and deliver against annual revenue, renewal, and partner-satisfaction targets.
OUR CHARGE
At the Houston Texans, we take tremendous pride in being Champions in Every Way by Cultivating Excellence and Fearlessly Evolving. Our CHARGE habits define how we show up, and this leader is expected to model them at every level, setting the tone for the team they lead:
- As a Leader: Inspire Others · Think Strategically · Lead Change · Identify Talent · Be Authentic
- As a Manager: Get Better Mindset · Make Informed Decisions · Develop Talent · Build Relationships · Drive Results
- As a Teammate: Dedicated to the Team · Be Adaptable · Passion for the Work · Win with Integrity · Own the Outcome
We hire and promote leaders who raise the standard and make everyone around them better.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Servicing Contracts / Account Management
- As needed, serve as senior relationship lead for a select portfolio of significant and complex corporate partnerships across the Texans, LOVB Houston, LSSE, the Toro District, and our broader ecosystem of properties and venues.
- Build trusted relationships with senior partner and agency stakeholders and develop a deep understanding of partners' businesses, marketing priorities, and evolving objectives.
- Lead strategic account planning for assigned partners, establishing clear objectives, stakeholder strategies, activation priorities, measurement plans, and opportunities for growth.
- Ensure partnership programs and activations deliver against contractual commitments while advancing partners' broader business and marketing objectives.
- Lead strategic business reviews that move beyond fulfillment reporting to communicate results, insights, recommendations, and future opportunities.
- Serve as a senior escalation point for complex partner issues and work across the organization to develop solutions that protect and strengthen partner relationships.
- Maintain a forward-looking view of partner needs and business priorities to proactively recommend new ideas and opportunities.
Renewal Readiness & Account Growth
- Establish and lead a disciplined renewal-readiness process across the Partnership Marketing portfolio, beginning strategic planning well in advance of contract expiration.
- Work with account leads to assess relationship health, partner objectives, performance, stakeholder alignment, competitive threats, and opportunities for future growth.
- Lead regular account-growth and whitespace reviews to identify opportunities for incremental partner investment.
- Coach Partnership Marketing team members to recognize commercial opportunities emerging from partner conversations and translate those insights into actionable plans that drive revenue growth.
- Lead renewals for designated accounts, with Partnership Marketing team members owning renewal strategy, proposal development, negotiation, and contract execution in coordination with Partnership Sales and the Chief Revenue Officer.
- Partner closely with Partnership Sales on sales-led renewals and organic-growth opportunities, providing the intelligence and strategic foundation needed for successful commercial conversations.
- Collaborate with Insights to incorporate performance data, fan insights, and market intelligence into renewal and growth strategies.
- Engage internal teams when new platforms or strategic partnership concepts are required to address identified partner opportunities.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach, and develop the Partnership Marketing team, establishing clear expectations for strategic account management, partner service, and commercial awareness.
- Set priorities, allocate account portfolios, and manage team capacity to ensure appropriate resources are aligned against partner needs.
- Regularly review account strategies and challenge team members to move beyond contractual fulfillment toward proactive, insight-led partner management.
- Coach team members on strategic planning, executive relationship management, business reviews, renewal preparation and negotiation, problem solving, and identification of organic-growth opportunities.
- Establish consistent standards and best practices for account plans, partner business reviews, renewal readiness, and relationship management.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, proactive communication, and continuous improvement.
- Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer on talent development, performance management, succession planning, staffing, and organizational needs.
- Identify capability gaps across the team and implement appropriate training, coaching, and development programs.
Partnership Strategy & Activation Excellence
- Align activation strategies with partner objectives to deliver measurable business and marketing value.
- Guide account teams in developing integrated activation plans that effectively leverage assets, platforms, and organizational capabilities.
- Evaluate significant activation concepts and provide strategic guidance to ensure programs are differentiated, executable, and aligned with partner and organizational objectives.
- Maintain strong knowledge of sponsorship, marketing, and consumer trends, and incorporate relevant best practices into partner strategy and team development.
- Hold account teams accountable for measurement, using performance results and insights to optimize programs throughout the relationship.
- Identify recurring execution challenges and partner with the Chief Revenue Officer to improve processes and cross-functional ways of working.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Serve as a senior representative of Partnership Marketing across the organization and build strong working relationships with key internal stakeholders.
- Collaborate with Partnership Strategy to bring enterprise intelligence, strategic thinking, and new commercial opportunities into partner relationships.
- Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer to escalate and resolve significant cross-functional issues affecting partner delivery or organizational effectiveness.
Administrative / Business Management
- Manage the Partnership Marketing budget and ensure appropriate stewardship of departmental resources.
- Maintain visibility into key account risks, partner issues, team capacity, and upcoming priorities, and communicate them proactively to the Chief Revenue Officer and Partnership leadership.
- Ensure accurate, timely completion of required account planning, contractual tracking, performance measurement, and departmental reporting.
- Partner with Partnership Operations to ensure account, inventory, and contractual information is accurately maintained in relevant systems.
- Lead Partnership Marketing's annual planning and support other departmental initiatives as required.
QUALIFICATIONS — EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Sports Management, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Minimum ten (10) years of relevant experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorship, account management, brand marketing, agency services, or related fields.
- Significant experience managing complex, integrated corporate partnerships and senior-level client relationships.
- Experience operating within a multi-venue, multi-sport property portfolio.
- Track record of launching transformational new assets, such as sports teams, venues, and mixed-use developments.
- Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
- Process-driven leader who thrives in an operating environment defined by structure, rigor, data, and speed.
- Proven ability to develop strategic account plans and lead executive-level business reviews.
- Demonstrated commercial acumen, including experience driving renewals and identifying organic-growth opportunities.
- Team, league, venue, brand, or agency experience within sports, entertainment, media, or experiential marketing strongly preferred.
- Valid U.S. driver's license and access to a motor vehicle required.
SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
- Culture carrier who models our CHARGE habits as a leader, manager, and teammate — leads change, develops talent, and raises the standard for everyone around them.
- Competitive, results-driven leader with a strong desire to win, balanced by humility, a team-first attitude, and an uncompromising work ethic.
- Service-first mindset and a reputation for integrity and trust across the industry, prior organizations, and partner portfolio.
- Exceptional strategic account-management and relationship-development skills, with the ability to build credibility with senior executives and partner stakeholders.
- Proactive, entrepreneurial commercial instincts with a track record of identifying opportunities to deepen and grow partner relationships.
- Demonstrated ability to coach and develop teams and raise the strategic capabilities of others.
- Excellent executive communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
- Strategic thinker who translates partner business objectives into actionable partnership strategies and stays ahead of activation innovation, industry trends, and evolving brand objectives.
- Proven ability to lead through influence and collaborate across complex, cross-functional organizations, balancing partner needs, organizational priorities, and commercial objectives.
- Sound judgment and the ability to manage difficult conversations, partner challenges, and intra-organizational dynamics with candor and professionalism.
- Analytical, data-informed problem solver who turns performance insights into timely recommendations and action.
- Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple significant priorities in a fast-paced, high-energy environment.
- Proficiency with AI tools, KORE, SponsorCX, CRM platforms, Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and other industry-leading applications.
- Ability to maintain confidential and/or proprietary information.
SUPERVISORY DUTIES
Effectively perform all assigned supervisory duties. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, hiring, assigning and prioritizing workload, managing day-to-day responsibilities, providing guidance, performance management, and termination.
TRAVEL & WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Travel: Occasional local, domestic & international travel as required for client meetings, client hospitality, and company events and games / matches.
- Work environment: This position requires routine face-to-face interaction with Club personnel and must be performed in the Club offices (non-telecommuting). Work is primarily sedentary (lifting up to 10 lbs) in an office setting, with regular gameday and event presence requiring standing/walking for extended periods and availability on evenings, weekends, and holidays as dictated by the event calendar.
- Required license or certification: None.
Title: Senior Director, Partnership Marketing
FLSA Status: Exempt
Department: Corporate Partnerships
Reports to: Chief Revenue Officer
Please note that while resumes of all candidates will be considered, as a way for the Texans organization to acknowledge and reciprocate the tremendous support given the Team by local fans and the local community in general, qualified candidates with permanent addresses in the Houston metropolitan and surrounding areas will be given first consideration whenever possible.
If your skills and experience match our available position requirements, a Human Resources representative will contact you directly. Due to the volume of resumes received by the Houston Texans, we are unable to provide updates on the status of individual applications.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.