Head of Partnerships

About Pro Padel League 

Founded in 2023, the Pro Padel League (PPL) is the world’s top professional padel league with  10 teams across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The league features the most talented  players in the world and delivers a modern, co-equal platform for women’s and men’s  competition. PPL events are distributed globally, reaching hundreds of millions of households  through broadcast and digital partners, with additional global availability via the PPL YouTube  channel. 

The Opportunity 

PPL is seeking a visionary and results-driven Head of Partnerships to drive significant new league-level sponsorship revenue, build and manage relationships with key brands and stakeholders, and oversee the successful execution and renewal of all partner agreements. This is a critical, senior, and highly-autonomous  role reporting directly to the Chief Commercial Officer. We are looking for a relentless, hands-on leader who can build and manage high-value relationships with global brands and stakeholders. You will set strategy and execute it. You will be the primary engine of commercial growth, owning the full sales cycle, from prospecting and pitching to closing and fulfillment, and will quarterback internal and external resources to deliver maximum partner value. You will not have layers of internal staff to delegate to—high autonomy and high accountability.

Core Outcomes (What success looks like) 

• Financial Growth: Grow league-level sponsorship and partnership revenue across the season. 
• Pipeline & Positioning: Develop a robust pipeline of qualified brand partners aligned with PPL's premium positioning.
• Retention & World-Class Delivery: Ensure world-class execution and fulfillment of all partner assets, leading to high retention and renewal rates.
• Strategic Framework:Establish a consistent, premium framework for partnership opportunities across all consumer and B2B touchpoints.
• Measurable ROI: Run a measurement cadence that clearly connects partner investment to measurable business outcomes.

Primary KPIs may include:

• Gross partnership revenue (new, retained, and upsell) and average deal size.
• Retention rate and multi-year deal performance.
• Partner satisfaction scores
• Active sales pipeline health (number of leads, stage conversions, and forecast accuracy).
• Sell-through of key league assets (e.g., event titles, jersey patches, digital inventory).
• Creativity and innovation around development on new partnership platforms

Key Responsibilities 

1) Partnership Revenue Ownership & Sales Strategy

Own the full partnership revenue plan and sales cycle for all PPL events and digital properties, including:

• Partnership strategy: identifying target categories, pricing, packaging, and on-sale timelines for league assets.
• New business development: end-to-end management of the sales process from prospecting and lead generation to contract negotiation and closing.
• Value proposition: designing creative, custom partnership platforms that meet brand objectives and drive real ROI for sponsors.
• Performance management: pipeline pacing, revenue forecasting, reporting, and rapid adjustments when needed.
• Coordination with legal and finance teams on contracts, invoicing, and compliance.

2) Partnership Fulfillment & Account Management

Lead the flawless execution of all partner contracts, managing the relationship post-sale:

• Oversee a best-in-class fulfillment process for all contractual assets across live events, broadcast, digital, and social media.
• Serve as the senior lead for key partner accounts, ensuring continuous communication and value delivery.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with internal teams (Marketing, Content, Operations) and external agencies to activate partnership rights.
• Develop compelling mid-season and post-season reports to demonstrate value and set the stage for renewal.
• Lead the negotiation and close of all partnership renewals and upsells.

3) Integrated Partner Campaign Leadership

Work with internal and external marketing teams to drive partner value through integrated campaigns:

• Collaborate on creative and media strategies to incorporate partner messaging seamlessly into PPL marketing efforts.
• Manage the creative briefing, approval, production timelines, and budget management for all partner-related assets.
• Ensure tight coordination with event operations and production partners to align partner activations with the reality of the live event experience.
• Identify and secure high-value co-marketing opportunities.

4) Stakeholder Relations & Brand Governance

Serve as a key external ambassador for the PPL brand to the partner community:

• Establish, maintain, and enforce sponsorship/partner brand guidelines.
• Cultivate deep relationships with senior marketing leaders at prospective and current partner organizations.
• Represent the PPL at industry events and partner meetings.
• Ensure all partnership activity is consistent with the league’s premium perception and long-term brand strategy.

Skills & Experience

• 6 years in sports partnership sales and leadership roles, ideally in professional sports, live events, or entertainment.
• Proven ownership of a multi-million-dollar sales pipeline and a track record of closing 6- and 7-figure partnership deals.
• Strong experience managing the full sales lifecycle, from cold outreach and pitching to contract negotiation and fulfillment.
• A clear understanding of media valuations, sponsorship packaging, and the ability to articulate ROI to partners.
• Strong analytical skills: pipeline forecasting, deal pacing, and developing compelling partner performance reports.
• Ability to operate effectively in a lean environment with high ambiguity and high standards.

Traits That Matter at PPL

• You are strategic. You are also a closer.
• You move fast. You keep quality high.
• You are organized and detail oriented.
• You can lead partners without heavy authority.
• You love the “blank page.” You build the system.
• You are a good team player and collaborator.

Working Style

This is not a “manage a big team” role. It is a “build it, run it, and do it” role. You will work cross-functionally with league leadership, team operators, venues, production partners, and agencies. You will be expected to own outcomes end-to-end.