Chicago Fire Football Club is a Major League Soccer team that was founded in 1997. Under new ownership, the Club recently returned to Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field, opened a new 50,000-square foot office in the heart of the city, and will unveil a premium state-of-the-art Performance Center in January 2025. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an audacious and ambitious vision that will transform the brand and the company in the coming years.

At Chicago Fire Football Club, we’re on a mission to entertain, serve, and unite Chicago by delivering excellence on and off the pitch to ensure a world-class experience. As a club we let our values guide everything we do: we uphold uncompromising integrity, show respect for all at all times, never settle for less, constantly innovate, and hold ourselves relentlessly accountable.

Position Overview:

Chicago Fire FC is seeking an energetic, agile, customer-centric, data-driven, and detail-oriented Partnership Strategy Manager to support all Corporate Partnership team efforts. In this position, the candidate will focus on providing sales and marketing support by leading strategy initiatives for new revenue opportunities on the partnerships team. Support includes collaborating with internal teams to brainstorm and refine partnership elements, developing and updating presentation materials, using thorough research and data analysis, and expanding commercial inventory with a focus on ensuring partnership initiatives boost fan engagement and maximize club revenue streams.

The candidate must be a highly motivated individual contributor with cross-functional experience, including technical and strategic knowledge of corporate partnerships. Previous team experience is preferred but not required.

Job Responsibilities:

Partnership Development & Marketing Support

Lead the creation and maintenance of compelling club story presentations, sales decks, word documents, and mockups, ensuring they effectively communicate value propositions to potential partners
Utilize strong project management skills to support the development of new business, renewals, and upsell opportunities by designing integrated programs that align with partner needs and organizational objectives
Lead cross-functional collaboration with internal departments, including Marketing, Communications, Community Programs, and Ticket Operations, to create sellable partnership assets and drive revenue growth

Research, Analytics & Reporting

Analyze data and evaluate industry trends to support the achievement of Corporate Partnership goals and targets, identifying key opportunities for growth.
Leverage fan insights and manage third-party research to enhance presentations and support departmental initiatives, ensuring relevance and impact.
Drive department revenue through effective management of Corporate Partnership inventory, rate card updates, and performance reporting.
Oversee the management and analysis of partnership data, collaborating with the Business Strategy & Analytics team to deliver timely and insightful reports.

Required Qualifications:

4-5 years of relevant corporate partnerships experience
Ability to develop and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
Proven ability to develop sales presentations, marketing materials, and partnership proposals
Experience managing relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners
Self-motivated and self-starter with the ability to think creatively
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Previous team experience
Willingness to learn in a fast-paced, performance-driven work environment.
Ability to work non-traditional hours, in non-traditional settings, including all games (or other work events) that fall on nights, weekends, and/or holidays

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, sports business, or related field
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (especially PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and design tools for mockups and presentations (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Canva).
Experience working with data analysis platforms (e.g., Salesforce, YouGov, Blinkfire)
Understanding of the sports, entertainment, or event sponsorship industry

Compensation:

This role offers a salary range of $65,000-$75,000
This role is classified as Full-time, exempt
This role is bonus eligible based on club wide goals
Additional benefits & perks: https://www.chicagofirefc.com/careers

Please note:

Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Our diversity initiatives start with the recruitment and selection process; therefore, we’d like to welcome all diverse candidates to apply to opportunities within our Club.
CFFC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and maintaining a workplace for employees and applicants for employment that is free from discrimination. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, age, veteran or military status, disability, sexual orientation, sexual orientation or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
- If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the People & Culture Department at [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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Manager, Partnership Strategy