The Director, International Partnerships will lead MLB’s International Partnership sales efforts to enhance MLB’s promotion and visibility in international markets and increase revenue across the League. This person will have strategic and operational responsibility for MLB’s International commercial partnership deals working in collaboration with MLB’s Regional Offices as well as the International Client Services team on the creation, implementation, strategic management and profitability of partner promotional programs and initiatives.
Responsibilities
International Sales Strategy & Leadership
- Advise senior leadership on MLB’s international partnership sales strategy to optimize sponsorship promotion, visibility, and revenue growth across international markets.
- Lead and develop an international team of partnership sales professionals across Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico/LatAm, UK/Europe, and Canada, including training and performance management.
- Provide strategic & tactical guidance to regional International Sales and Client Services teams by reviewing and analyzing new and existing international partnership deals.
- Recommend global partnership targets by advising domestic and international sales teams on partners suited for multinational, cross-territory discussions.
Partnership Development & Optimization
- Develop, review and analyze high-value global sponsorship sales processes and partner programs, providing recommendations to improve deal efficiency, strategic management, and long-term profitability.
- Develop strategic partnership recommendations for multinational sponsors using a category- and territory-based approach.
- Research and evaluate prospective partners to understand business needs and recommend opportunities that drive revenue growth and brand-building relationships.
Sales Pipeline, Enablement & Governance
- Develop, review and optimize the international sales pipeline, sales presentations, and proposals, providing recommendations to improve efficiency, clarity, and conversion.
- Establish and reinforce a standardized global international sales framework, including deal structures, terminology, Salesforce workflows, and evolving sales materials.
- Partner with Sales Leads and Sales Support to strengthen pitches, proposals, term sheets, and executive materials, providing end-to-end deal guidance from sales analysis through activation planning.
Cross-Functional Alignment & Global Execution
- Serve as the central liaison between International Sales, Activation, and MLB HQ to ensure assets, rights, territories, and categories are clearly defined and conflict-free prior to deal execution.
- Lead cross-functional coordination across Legal, Finance, Sales Support, Activation, Events, and venues to enable compliant deal structuring and seamless execution, including international events (e.g., International Series, World Baseball Classic).
- Maintain structured, proactive communication on prospects and active deals, aligning domestic and international priorities and leading global workstreams across time zones from deal conception through delivery.
Contracting & Deal Oversight
- Provide leadership and oversight for the development, negotiation, and execution of third-party contracts supporting MLB’s international sponsorship and partnership initiatives.
- Oversee the end-to-end international contract workflow in partnership with Legal and Sales leadership, ensuring agreements meet commercial, operational, and compliance requirements.
- Ensure adherence to internal and external sales implementation processes, including Salesforce workflows, standardized documentation, and accurate financial reporting.
Partner, Event & Asset Management
- Lead management of third-party partners supporting MLB international events, including promoters, broadcast and multimedia partners, and other commercial stakeholders.
- Collaborate with Sales leadership to plan and manage partner hospitality programs for marquee international events, including ticketing and hospitality inventory oversight.
- Lead the development of new territory-specific sponsorship assets and manage existing asset inventory across international events, media platforms, and emerging digital or content channels.
- Partner cross-functionally to identify and launch new sponsorship opportunities that drive incremental revenue and marketing impact in international markets.
Reporting, Market & Venue Strategy
- Develop executive-level reporting and materials that communicate business performance, pipeline health, and key partnership updates to senior leadership.
- Travel to international markets to conduct on-site venue evaluations for MLB international events.
- Assess venue capabilities and constraints and partner with leadership to develop venue-specific commercial strategies that monetize signage, activations, and sponsorship assets.
Qualifications & Skills
- Ten (10) or more years’ experience in corporate partnership sales
- A Bachelor’s degree in marketing, international business, economics or related discipline is required. An MBA or similar advanced degree is a plus.
- A successful track record of developing and closing complex, multi-year partnership deals.
- Knowledge of the history and culture of baseball is a strong plus.
- Professional demeanor, exceptionally organized and detail oriented.
- Strong organizational, analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Proficiency is one or more non-English languages is a plus.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality while dealing with sensitive information.
- Ability to travel extensively on a global basis. Travel is estimated at 30-40%.
- Strong working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint).
Salary Range: $125,000 - $155,000 (Base Salary) + Commission
As a candidate for this position, your salary and related aspects of compensation will be contingent upon your work experience, education, skills, and any other factors MLB considers relevant to the hiring decision. In addition to your salary, MLB believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package for its employees.
Top MLB Perks & Benefits:
- Competitive Benefits Package
- Company Contributed 401K Plan
- Paid Time Off and Holidays
- Paid Parental Leave
- Access to Free Tickets to Baseball Games & MLB.TV
- Discounts at MLB Store | MLBShop.com
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
- Onsite/Online Training & Development Programs
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Disability Benefits (short term and long term)
- Life and Accidental Death Insurance
- Pet Insurance
Why MLB?
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Employees love working at MLB because of the culture of growth, teamwork, and professionalism. Employees who are most successful at MLB take initiative, know how to identify problems and provide solutions, and always put the Team first. For those ready to step up to the plate and join the major leagues, MLB takes the same approach as teams do with their players: empowering our “workforce athletes” to be at their best by engineering experiences that put employees in the best position to succeed. Major League Baseball is looking for candidates who are passionate about growing America’s pastime to best serve its fans for decades to come.
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Are you ready to Step Up to the Plate? Apply below!
