Corporate Partnerships Strategy Manager

Job Description:

The Manager of Strategy will be an essential part of the St. Louis Cardinals Corporate Partnerships team supporting both Business Development and Account Services ideating and developing proposals related to new business, renewals and other strategic projects that build impactful partnerships driving revenue for the club. The position will serve as a thought leader for the department with solutions-oriented ideas that tell a story to drive KPIs for our partners and for our prospective new partners. The ideal candidate would find it fulfilling getting to work with various brands that have different goals and objectives as well as constantly innovating to grow Corporate Partnerships strategy initiatives.

Job Duties:

Proposal Development

• Collaborate with the Business Development team to understand the business objectives of prospective clients to offer a consultative partnership plan.
• Produce category specific materials that support the Business Development team in establishing interest in becoming a partner of the club.
• Consult the Account Services team with data informed partnership recaps that prove the value of deliverables and ultimately impact the return on investment of our partners.
• Contribute to the planning and development process with partners to propose new opportunities that drive additional revenue for the club.
• Take an innovative approach to partnership proposals resetting the industry standard and building best-in-class proposals using KPI focused concepts going above and beyond traditional sponsorship packages.
• Partner with internal stakeholders (Marketing, Stadium Operations, Stadium Entertainment, Cardinals Care, etc.) to ideate new revenue generating concepts for the Corporate Partnerships team.
• Work together with Cardinals Creative to design and refine mock-ups, pitch decks and other sales materials that bring partnerships to life.
• Stay up to date on emerging sponsorship activations, brand marketing strategies, and fan engagement trends to help evolve partnership offerings.

Performance MarketingStrategic Analytics

• Lead the development of performance marketing strategies across various advertising channels to drive fan engagement with corporate partners.
• Utilize advanced analytics and marketing attribution models to evaluate campaign effectiveness and inform future strategy.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations for both internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Maximize the department's data analytics strategy by evaluating 3rd party platforms that support proposal development (Relo Metrics, YouGov, etc.).
• Act as the contact with the club's Business Analytics team to pinpoint existing data opportunities that can support Corporate Partnerships.

Special Projects

• Head up creative development efforts for major Corporate Partnership opportunities that speak to the magnitude of the value of those assets (Naming Rights, Jersey Patch, etc.).
• Conduct various research projects including competitive analysis, industry best practices and trends among current partners as well as target categories.
• Champion efforts to apply data modeling that certifies the value of Corporate Partnership assets and allows the opportunity to actively update value based on collecting new data

Experience Required:

• 2-4+ years of experience in corporate partnerships sales, brand marketing, or sponsorship activation, preferably in sports or entertainment.
• Experience with receiving brand objectives/KPIs to create marketing or partnership. campaigns that outline a consultative, analytical, and strategic approach.
• Pro-active self-improver that uncovers and innovates to strengthen partnership storytelling.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a solutions-oriented approach.
• Ability to handle multiple projects at once and shift from strategic thinking to tactical execution several times daily.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
• Potential to work evenings, weekends, and holidays based on business needs, game schedule, and partner activations.
• Travel may be required for partner meetings and industry events.