Director, Sponsor Relations

XPRIZE Overview 

XPRIZE is an established global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. As a 501(c)3, our unique model democratizes innovation by incentivizing crowd-sourced, scientifically viable solutions to create a more equitable and abundant future for all.  Since our founding in 1994, we’ve awarded over $300M in prize purses, inspired thousands of global innovators, and collaborated with the most forward-thinking changemakers of our time. We operate across 7 areas of impact, including:

• Climate & Energy 
• Biodiversity & Conservation 
• Food, Water & Waste 
• Quantum & Deep Tech 
• Space & Exploration 
• Learning, Innovation & Society 
• Health 

Join XPRIZE to help empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs and architect a more equitable and abundant future for all.


Position Description

The Director of Sponsor Relations serves as a key strategic lead in managing and growing XPRIZE’s sponsor portfolio which includes some of the world’s most prominent leaders and philanthropists. The Director is responsible for building and executing an organizational strategy to create a best-in-class sponsor journey that drives clarity and mutual value. The Director will communicate with key external stakeholders to ensure XPRIZE’s 30X impact is articulated and understood in the context of sponsorship. This person will be a leader in building key relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful fundraising. They are directly responsible for ensuring that not only are contractual obligations met but also that expectations are exceeded and sponsors and partners are delighted and become active promoters of the XPRIZE Foundation.


Responsibilities:

• Responsible for overseeing the total portfolio of past and current sponsors and their experiences with XPRIZE.
• Maintains strong working relationships with Domain Leads and Advancement Leads, with understanding of strategic priorities of the organization and each Domain.
• Convenes and leads regular sponsor working group meetings with appropriate stakeholders including Advancement, Domains, Marketing, Legal, Finance, etc. 
• Establishes, champions, and coaches sponsor-centric best practices; builds templates, tools and resources needed to put sponsor-centric behavior into practice throughout the organization (e.g., sponsor guidelines, rules of engagement, reporting templates that are sponsor-friendly, etc.).
• Demonstrates mastery of the relational and technical aspects of sponsorships (e.g., relationship building, soft skills, delivery of assets and benefits); maintains strong relationship with Legal Compliance Coordinator to balance relational/technical elements.
• Regularly and proactively assembles sponsor working groups to review and assess health of current sponsor relationships.
• Adheres to best practices and established processes in CRM; leverages data for insights and decision-making.
• Develops and executes a strategic plan to acknowledge partners/sponsors and supporting organizations. Seeks out opportunities for partners/sponsors to be properly recognized at events, through XPRIZE’s online channels and through other mediums.
• Follows the negotiation process, in partnership with Advancement, Business Affairs and other internal stakeholders, to understand sponsor/partner expectations. 
• Works closely with the Domain Lead and Prize Director to keep up to date on prize/project status and support sponsor communications as needed.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Impact Departments to regularly evolve prize impact materials for distribution.
• Proactively identifies risks and coordinates with internal partners to develop and implement mitigation strategies. 
  Works closely with Advancement leadership to identify and close opportunities while also expanding and maturing existing relationships.

Qualifications

• 8+ years proven track record of account management or relationship management
• Experience in philanthropy, partnerships, sponsorships, B2B or other related field
• Experience with contract management, business negotiations (sponsor fulfillment a plus)
• Experience as a customer service representative or similar is a plus
• Impeccable presentation skills, sophistication and outstanding communication skills essential for interactions with sponsors and partners at the C level
• Fluency in using Salesforce.com to manage accounts and opportunities
• Advanced knowledge of MS Outlook, MS Exchange, and MS Office Suite, especially MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint
• Travel requirement 40%+

The anticipated base salary for this position is $120,000 to $140,000 and may also qualify for an annual incentive. This role is eligible for our extensive benefits package and generous paid time off including vacation, sick, and holidays. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors including the qualifications of the individual applicant, years of relevant experience for the role, level of education attained, and certifications and/or other licenses held. XPRIZE is a remote-first environment.

The XPRIZE FOUNDATION is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate in employment. Equal access to employment, services, and programs is available to all persons. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the organization. 

Please note: Though submitting a resume to the XPRIZE FOUNDATION implies that you are interested in a position(s), it does not imply that you are an applicant. You are not considered an applicant until you have been contacted directly by a Talent Acquisitions representative requesting that you begin the designated application process, which may involve phone and/or in-person interview(s), job-related testing, and background checks.