IMSA Director, Commercial

Position Summary

IMSA is seeking a high-performing, self-motivated, entrepreneurial leader to lead its Business Development team. This newly created role will play a critical part in accelerating revenue growth, expanding IMSA’s corporate partnership portfolio, and elevating the organization’s position within the global motorsports and sports marketing landscape.

This role will be responsible for identifying, structuring, negotiating, and closing multi-year high-value sponsorship, hospitality, and experiential marketing partnerships with leading national and global brands. The incumbent will act as a strategic revenue leader focused on developing integrated partnership solutions that align with client business objectives while maximizing the value of IMSA assets and fan engagement platforms.

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record of success in professional sports, motorsports, entertainment, media, or agency environments, with strong executive relationships, exceptional business development capabilities, and experience managing complex partnership negotiations. The position requires a proactive, results-oriented professional who thrives in a fast‑paced, relationship-driven environment and is motivated by building long-term commercial growth.

• Partner closely with senior leadership to establish commercial priorities, target categories, and go‑to‑market strategies aligned with long-term revenue objectives.
• Originate, structure, negotiate, and close multi‑year corporate sponsorship, marketing, and hospitality partnerships with national and global brands.
• Drive significant new business revenue through strategic prospecting, networking, industry engagement, cold outreach, and relationship cultivation.
• Lead the full partnership sales cycle from prospect identification and consultative selling through proposal development, negotiation, and execution.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue targets, prospecting benchmarks, and pipeline development goals.
• Support annual budgeting, inventory planning, pricing strategy, and long‑term commercial growth initiatives.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with C‑suite executives, brand marketers, agencies, and key industry stakeholders.
• Develop customized partnership solutions integrating sponsorship, experiential marketing, hospitality, digital activation, content, team and league assets, and fan engagement platforms.
• Establish innovative marketing and hospitality initiatives designed to enhance partner ROI and create premium race weekend experiences.
• Represent IMSA at race weekends, industry conferences, networking events, and corporate meetings to strengthen market presence and expand business opportunities.

• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Brand Marketing, Digital Communications, Partnership Marketing, Administration, and Event Operations teams to develop partnership proposals that meet both prospect and organizational objectives.
• Maintain accurate sales forecasting, pipeline reporting, and account activity within CRM systems.
• Analyze industry trends, competitive dynamics, audience insights, and emerging categories to identify new revenue opportunities and inform commercial strategy.
• Support the development of future partnership products across media, digital, content, data, and fan engagement platforms.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Directly oversees the Manager, Business Development, including coaching, performance management, and leadership support. Provides strategic direction and cross‑functional leadership for commercial partnership initiatives and business development efforts.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sports Management, Communications, or a related field.
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in sponsorship sales, corporate partnerships, business development, or commercial strategy within professional sports, motorsports, media, entertainment, hospitality, or related agency environments.
• Proven success generating significant new…