Account Specialist, Strategic Partnerships - Office Of Communications & Marketing - UTK

Job Description

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Partnerships, the Account Specialist is a member of the Brand Partnerships & licensing team within the Office of Communications & Marketing (OCM). This role supports the overall mission and goals of the University of Tennessee campus. Leads the service components of campus (non-athletics) partner projects to ensure consistent and first‑rate partner experiences, while maintaining excellent lines of communication with internal stakeholders to ensure executional success.

• University partnership operations: manage day‑to‑day activation and fulfillment for a portfolio of university brand and corporate partnerships, ensuring commitments, timelines, deliverables, and expectations are executed in alignment with institutional priorities.
• Partnership project management: serve as project manager for partnership initiatives, overseeing activations, campus engagements, partner assets, and approvals from initiation through completion.
• Partnership planning and documentation: develop partnership briefs and documentation in collaboration with leadership, defining scope, milestones, deliverables, timelines, and success measures.
• Partner hosting and engagement coordination: plan, coordinate, and execute partner hosting and on‑campus engagement experiences, including itineraries, logistics, approvals, and visit materials.
• Meeting coordination and facilitation: schedule, plan, and facilitate partner and campus stakeholder meetings; prepare agendas, lead discussions as needed, document outcomes, and manage follow‑up communications.
• Campus partner engagement: serve as a primary liaison between external partners and campus stakeholders, facilitating clear, consistent communication throughout the partnership lifecycle.
• Issue resolution and judgment: exercise independent judgment and discretion to resolve complex partnership issues involving multiple stakeholders, institutional policies, and partner expectations.
• Partnership growth and renewal support: identify opportunities to enhance and expand partnerships; support renewals through reporting, year‑end recaps, and preparation of leadership briefing materials.
• Partner research and analysis: conduct research on current and prospective partners; monitor relevant industry and account developments; communicate pertinent updates to internal stakeholders.
• Reporting and outcomes evaluation: prepare partner reporting, post‑event analyses, and recap communications; gather outcomes to inform future partnership strategies and improvements.
• Asset and records management: organize and maintain partnership assets, documentation, and materials in accordance with university branding, accessibility, and records retention standards.
• Cross‑team collaboration: collaborate with campus units, communications, creative, athletics, and administrative teams to support partnership initiatives and ensure alignment.
• Campus representation: represent the Office of Strategic Partnerships in campus meetings, planning sessions, and cross‑functional committees, as appropriate.
• Other duties as assigned: perform additional responsibilities in support of departmental and institutional goals.

• Bachelor’s Degree and three years experience in sponsorship activation, marketing, or account management

• Ability to conduct themselves with a high level of initiative
• Ability to work independently
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability and willingness to initiate and maintain personal relationships
• Skilled at being highly organized; able to prioritize and execute multiple tasks
• Skilled at attention to detail
• Ability to maintain a positive, upbeat attitude under pressure

• Five years experience in sponsorship activation, marketing, or account management
• Experience working onsite at a university or sports property
• Knowledge of University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus, programs, & athletics

• Knoxville, TN
• This is an onsite position

• UT market range: MR09
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here

The university offers a highly competitive benefits…