Senior Director, Partnerships


About the USGA: 

The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, Equipment Standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s working jurisdiction comprises the United States, its territories and Mexico.

The USGA is a global leader in the development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and funds an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” charitable giving program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.


 

Location: 

Far Hills, NJ
 

Reports to: 

Senior Managing Director, Business Affairs
 

Number of Employees Directly Supervised By This Position: 

Full Time – 2
Part Time – 0

Position Summary: 

The Senior Director of Partnerships will lead the USGA’s Corporate Partnership team. Since 2006 the partner program has included an elite group of corporate partners that work closely with the USGA and its various departments to enhance the association’s core functions and mission. The Senior Director of Partnerships will be responsible for developing annual strategic plans for the program, identifying and securing partners, negotiating and managing contractual arrangements, overseeing the fulfillment and service for each partner, integrating the partners among the various departments and functions within the USGA, and developing and reporting annual measures to evaluate each partnership and the program overall.

 


Duties 

  • Serve as the department leader for the Corporate Partnership team, acting as the internal advocate for USGA corporate partners;
  • Construct annual strategic/operating plans for the department including:
    • Implementing strategic, creative, and innovative opportunities for new partners to enhance USGA initiatives and drive revenue;
    • Assessing, packaging and valuing benefits for potential partners;
    • Collaborating with the Championships team and other USGA teams to ensure strategic alignment;
  • Developing and managing the department’s annual budget;
  • Recruiting, hiring, managing and developing the department’s personnel (~ 2-3 individuals);
  • Providing exceptional service and fulfillment to existing partners, including:
    • Building and coordinating a deliberate relationship building plan between USGA leadership and staff with that of the partners;
    • Coordinating all partner activation plans (especially U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open);
    • Integrating partners into other USGA programs (e.g. amateur championships, rules, museum, etc.);
    • Identifying new opportunities for partners to gain value through USGA programs and initiatives;
    • Coordinating with broadcast, print and digital media teams and partners (NBC, ESPN, Golf Channel, WGT, SI Golf, etc.) to maximize integration of partner activation programs
    • Overseeing contractual fulfillment and renewal negotiations;
  • Soliciting new corporate partners, where appropriate (note: the USGA currently maintains a full roster of top tier partners)
    • Create proposals and pitch partnerships ideas;
    • Secure appropriate internal (including Executive Committee) approvals;
    • Negotiate contractual partnerships;
  • Leading the development and maintenance of a USGA “Corporate Friends” roster including:
    • Identifying the “most important” corporate hospitality customers (past & existing) through collaboration with USGA corporate hospitality sales teams;
    • Establishing and maintaining relationships with appropriate contacts in the organizations (in close coordination with hospitality sales team);
    • Assessing opportunities to create incremental value for these partners (e.g. multi-year partnerships, added benefits, etc.) that will generate incremental revenue for the USGA;
  • Developing annual measures and tracking to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the corporate partner program including financial impact as well as impact on USGA functions.

 

  

Knowledge, Education, Skills & Abilities 

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university;
  • 15+ years experience in sports and/or entertainment marketing;
  • Strong knowledge of the sponsorship marketing discipline;
  • Proven ability to create and execute strategic plans at the departmental level;
  • Strong client service orientation and experience;
  • Excellent relationship building skills (existing corporate relationships a plus);
  • General knowledge of golf industry
  • Developed management skills;
  • Excellent communications skills;
  • Proven ability to establish a collaborative team environment

 


To Apply: 

Please submit cover letter with salary expectations and resume to hr@usga.org with the job title in the subject line.

 

 

The United States Golf Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer