Director of Partnership Development

Job description

**Organization Overview:** *The Florida Panthers are in their 33rd season in 2026-27 as one of the National Hockey League's premier franchises. As back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in 2024 and 2025, the Panthers have won 11 of their past 12 postseason series and captured four Eastern Conference Championships. The organization is led by President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito, entering his seventh season, and President of Business Operations Michael White, beginning his first full season.* *Anchored by a championship culture on the ice, the Panthers are equally committed to building a world-class sports and entertainment platform off of it. The organization focuses on delivering an elite guest experience across all venues, deepening the connection between the team and the South Florida community and continuing to grow the sport for the next generation. The Panthers operate four facilities in Broward County: Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise which is home of Panthers home games, concerts and events, Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, the state-of-the-art Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale and renovated War Memorial Auditorium which hosts concerts and events year-round.* *The Panthers are owned by Vincent J. Viola, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of the U.S. Army. That foundation of selfless service shapes the organization's identity at every level. The Panthers' pillar program, "Heroes Among Us," honors a U.S. military veteran at every home game, and the Florida Panthers Foundation directs its efforts across four core pillars: veterans' affairs, children's health and education, raising awareness for the endangered Florida Panther and growing youth hockey throughout the region. The organization remains deeply committed to empowering and strengthening the diverse communities of South Florida and the tri-county area.* ## Director, Partnership Development - **Organization:** Florida Panthers Hockey Club - **Department:** Corporate Partnerships - **Reports To:** Vice President, Corporate Partnerships - **FLSA Status:** Exempt (Salaried) - **Employment Type:** Full-Time - **Location:** Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL — On-Site - **Schedule:** Flexibility required for evenings, weekends, and holidays based on game and event schedule --- ## The Opportunity The Florida Panthers are seeking a Director, Partnership Development to serve in a player-coach capacity within the Corporate Partnerships team. This individual will both lead a team of partnership development professionals and carry a personal new-business sales quota — sourcing, pitching, negotiating, and closing corporate partnership agreements while setting the standard for the team through their own production. This role is responsible for driving new partnership revenue across the full portfolio of Florida Panthers Hockey Club properties, including Amerant Bank Arena, War Memorial Auditorium, Baptist Health IcePlex, and the Panthers IceDen. The ideal candidate is a proven, quota-carrying new-business hunter with prior sales management experience who wants to stay close to the deal table while building and developing the next generation of partnership sellers. --- ## Essential Duties & Responsibilities ### Individual Sales - Personally identify, prospect, pitch, and close new corporate partnership agreements across all categories, generating meaningful new revenue in addition to overseeing team production - Build and manage a personal pipeline of prospective partners — local, regional, and national brands — leveraging assets across Amerant Bank Arena, War Memorial Auditorium, Baptist Health IcePlex, and the Panthers IceDen - Develop and deliver compelling, category-specific proposals and presentations to C-suite and senior marketing decision-makers - Lead contract negotiations on personally sourced deals, working with Legal and Finance to structure mutually beneficial, multi-year agreements - Maintain accurate and up-to-date pipeline records, forecasts, and activity in the CRM ### Team Leadership - Recruit, hire, train, coach, and manage a team of partnership development managers/executives responsible for new business generation - Set individual and team new-business revenue targets in partnership with the VP, Corporate Partnerships, and hold the team accountable to activity and revenue benchmarks - Conduct regular pipeline reviews, call/pitch coaching sessions, and role-play to elevate the team's sales skills and close rates - Develop and refine sales processes, prospecting strategies, category priorities, and pricing/inventory strategy across all properties - Partner with Partnership Marketing, Corporate Partnership Services, Ticket Sales, Premium/Suites, and Hockey Operations to ensure new partnerships are properly packaged, activated, and set up for renewal success - Foster a competitive, collaborative, high-accountability team culture consistent with the organization's championship standards - Provide regular reporting to senior leadership on new business pipeline, wins, losses, and market trends ### Cross-Property & Strategic - Stay current on NHL sponsorship policies, category exclusivities, and industry best practices, ensuring all new agreements comply with league and organizational guidelines - Represent the Corporate Partnerships department in cross-functional planning for War Memorial Auditorium concerts/events and other non-hockey programming to identify incremental partnership opportunities - Support the VP, Corporate Partnerships on rate card development, inventory strategy, and forward revenue guidance --- ## Qualifications - Bachelor's degree required - Minimum 7+ years of corporate partnership/sponsorship sales experience, preferably within professional sports, live entertainment, or a related industry - Minimum 2+ years of experience directly managing and developing a sales team, with a demonstrated track record of coaching sellers to hit and exceed quota - Proven, verifiable track record of personally sourcing and closing new, large-scale corporate partnership agreements - Strong existing relationships with brand and marketing decision-makers; South Florida market relationships a plus - Excellent presentation, negotiation, and closing skills; comfortable and confident in front of C-suite audiences - Working knowledge of sponsorship valuation, contract structure, and activation planning - Proficiency with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, KORE) and Microsoft Office/PowerPoint - Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to balance individual sales production with people-leadership responsibilities - Willingness to work flexible hours including nights, weekends, and holidays based on the Panthers' game schedule and event calendar --- ## Position Type / Expected Hours of Work This is a full-time exempt (salaried) position. Must be able to work flexible hours, nights, weekends, and holidays as needed based on the Panthers' game schedule and Amerant Bank Arena/War Memorial Auditorium event calendar. *At the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Arena Operating Company, Panthers IceDen, Sanza Food Service, War Memorial Benefit Corporation, and FLA Team Shop, we strive to make every employee feel valued and respected for who they are and the unique contributions they make. We believe that a diverse and inclusive company is a more innovative and successful company, which is why we aim to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) into all aspects of our culture and our business.* *We welcome all to apply and join our team.* *We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.*