Director of Partnership Sales

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Role: Director of Partnership Sales
Location: SmarterX HQ (Cleveland)
Reports To: Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

About SmarterX

SmarterX is an AI transformation company. We educate and empower leaders to reimagine business models, reinvent industries, and rethink what's possible. 

  • We believe AI will rapidly transform businesses, industries, jobs, the economy, educational systems, and society. 
  • We believe you can build a smarter version of any business through a responsible, human-centered approach to AI.
  • We believe the future of all business is AI native, AI emergent, or obsolete.  
  • We believe AI education and training is the foundation for success in every organization.

Our goal is to Accelerate AI Literacy for AllTM through courses, content and events. Consulting and speaking are also secondary solutions under the SmarterX brand.

SmarterX has three primary public-facing business units and brands:

  • Marketing AI Institute: Media, event and education business founded in 2016 that is designed to make AI approachable and actionable for marketers. The Institute has more than 90,000 contacts, and its flagship in-person conference, MAICON, draws 1,000+ marketers to Cleveland each year. 
  • AI Academy by SmarterX: Originally launched in 2020 under the Marketing AI Institute brand, AI Academy is being spun off as a dedicated site and brand. AI Academy is a high-growth business unit designed to prepare individuals and organizations for the future of work by making AI education accessible and personalized.
  • The Artificial Intelligence Show: The podcast is SmarterX’s fastest growing media channel with 65,000+ downloads per month. The podcast serves as a promotional tool and lead generator for SmarterX and its business units. 

SmarterX also has an internal AI Content Studio that supports audience growth, demand generation, and customer success across all brands / business units. The AI Content Studio produces blog posts, books, blueprints, courses, newsletters, podcasts, presentations, research, videos and webinars.

Role Overview

The Director of Partnership Sales is responsible for driving sponsorship and advertising revenue across SmarterX’s content and event ecosystem. 

This role will focus on both inbound and outbound sale of events, blueprints, research, podcasts, and newsletters. The director will also be responsible for monetizing AI Content Studio assets and leveraging AI-driven automation to scale outreach and conversion.

Key Responsibilities

Sponsorship & Advertising Sales (Inbound & Outbound)

  • Own and manage the full sponsorship and advertising sales cycle, from lead generation to closing deals.
  • Develop and execute outbound sales strategies to secure new sponsors and advertisers.
  • Qualify inbound sponsorship inquiries and convert them into long-term partnerships.
  • Maintain a deep understanding of SmarterX’s media, research, and event assets to position offerings effectively.

Monetization of AI Content Studio Assets

  • Work closely with the AI Content Studio team to package and sell advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
  • Identify ways to monetize blueprints, research, podcasts, and newsletters through paid partnerships.
  • Develop sponsorship tiers, pricing models, and customized partnership packages.

Event Sponsorships & Partnerships

  • Drive revenue for SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute events (in-person & virtual) through sponsorship sales.
  • Develop compelling event sponsorship packages and pitch them to prospective partners.
  • Coordinate with the events team to ensure seamless execution of sponsorship deliverables.

AI Agent Management

  • Support AI agent planning, development, management and integration.
  • Oversee and optimize AI-powered sales assistants for lead qualification, outreach, and follow-ups.
  • Ensure AI agents are continuously trained and refined to enhance sponsorship sales efforts.
  • Leverage AI analytics to identify high-potential leads and improve sales efficiency.

Qualifications & Experience

  • Proven track record in B2B sponsorship, advertising sales, or partnership development.
  • Experience selling event sponsorships, media advertising, or research partnerships.
  • Strong network and ability to generate new leads through strategic outreach.
  • Familiarity with AI-driven sales automation and CRM tools.
  • Excellent negotiation, relationship-building, and communication skills.
  • Deep experience with HubSpot is preferred. 
  • Advanced prompting abilities with standard LLMs and reasoning models. 
  • Extensive experience with OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini and / or Microsoft Copilot. 

Compensation & Benefits

  • Competitive base salary with performance-based incentives.
  • Profit-sharing and long-term incentive opportunities.
  • Eligible for the company’s Phantom Stock Program, allowing participation in future company growth.
  • Comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, Simple IRA, etc.).
  • Flexible work environment with a strong team culture..

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter outlining their experience and approach to sponsorship and advertising sales at SmarterX. Apply here!