Director, Agency & Brand Partnerships

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students. We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey, help them plan higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. We help them start smart and learn big. Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need a partner willing to evolve and exceed expectations.

We’re changing because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation, break barriers, and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other. This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work. Feeling your best allows you to do your best.

Sallie Mae’s Education Services team is a diverse group of growth‑minded entrepreneurs, data analysts, engineers, and developers with a passion for imagining and building scalable businesses that serve students and families on their journey to, through, and beyond higher education.

Within this organization, Backpack Media is launching a new predictive insights and commerce media network designed to help brands reach consumers at pivotal life stages. Powered by authenticated identity and life‑stage intelligence derived from Sallie Mae’s trusted relationships with students and families, Backpack Media enables marketers to engage audiences based on what they are likely to need next, not just what they have done in the past.

By combining predictive insights with premium media environments, we help brands connect with consumers earlier in the decision journey with greater relevance and impact. We operate with the momentum of a startup and the foundation of a trusted brand, and we are assembling a founding commercial team to bring this vision to life.

We are looking for a high performing, strategically minded seller who thrives in a fast moving, build phase environment. As a Senior Manager, Agency and Brand Partnerships, you will play a key role in driving early commercial momentum and shaping how Backpack Media is introduced and scaled across the market.

• Activate and expand relationships across agency and brand partners to introduce Backpack Media and unlock new revenue opportunities
• Lead commercial engagements from initial conversation through deal structure and execution
• Secure new partnerships while growing existing relationships across priority accounts
• Translate Backpack Media’s predictive insights and life stage intelligence into clear and compelling value for clients
• Structure and execute programmatic and managed service campaigns aligned to client objectives
• Help establish Backpack Media’s presence within agencies and brands by shaping how we go to market
• Partner closely with Product, Data Science, Marketing, and Operations to deliver strong outcomes and inform future strategy
• Represent Backpack Media externally and build credibility within the broader advertising ecosystem

• 5+ years of sales experience in digital media, ad tech, data, or programmatic solutions
• Strong, active network across agencies, trading desks, and brand marketers with direct influence on media investment decisions
• Proven ability to build and grow relationships that translate into revenue
• Track record of driving adoption of new or emerging products or solutions
• Deep understanding of the programmatic ecosystem, including how data, targeting, and activation work together
• Ability to translate complex data and product capabilities into clear commercial narratives
• Strong communication skills with experience engaging senior client stakeholders
• Self‑directed, adaptable, and comfortable operating in fast moving environments

People who do well in this role tend to be:

• Comfortable building relationships and creating new opportunities, not just managing existing ones
• Energized by bringing new ideas to market and helping shape how something grows
• Able to move quickly, take ownership, and navigate evolving priorities
• Interested in working closely across teams to bring new solutions to…