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Director of Sponsorship Sales - Sam Houston State University Athletics

Van Wagner, Huntsville, TX, United States


About Van Wagner We are a leading full-service sports and entertainment firm. We work with the world’s top professional and college teams, leagues, brands, and properties, providing deep expertise in sales, marketing, content creation, activation, and consulting. Van Wagner has been connecting brands to sports for over twenty-five years. When we first entered the sports landscape, we used our creativity and expertise to develop unique signage in live sporting events and marketing opportunities for brands to reach sports fans through our Dorna division, including home plate signage in MLB, courtside signage in the NBA and NCAA, and the Allstate college football field goal net program. Our world‑class Productions division creates the best in‑venue fan experiences for nine of the world’s top 10 sporting events, including the Super Bowl, Olympic Games, Kentucky Derby, CFP and Final Four among others.

Van Wagner College Division Van Wagner’s College division is the fastest growing company in the industry and now manages the corporate sponsorship and multimedia rights for over 40 NCAA athletic departments and conferences spanning the entire continental United States. We work with our partners to identify and create advertising, marketing, and promotional opportunities for sponsor businesses, across mediums including TV & Radio broadcast, websites, social media, digital and fixed signage, print media, e‑newsletters, fan experiences, event activations, and much more.

Director of Sales – Van Wagner College Division The Director of Sales role is a critical part of the Van Wagner teams that operate locally in support of a specific collegiate institution partner. We’re looking for entrepreneurial self‑starters that are driven, team‑oriented, never shy away from a challenge, and have a can‑do attitude to join our fast‑growing team. This is a great opportunity to grow a career in sports marketing.

Responsibilities

As a representative of the University, you will build and maintain positive working relationships with local and regional businesses, the campus community, and especially the athletics department

Work with existing sponsor businesses to grow and extend their partnerships with the school

Prospecting, scheduling, and conducting initial discovery meetings with new businesses that would benefit from associating with the school

Ideation and collaboration with the General Manager to shape what partnerships between new businesses and the school can look like

Prepare and present top‑notch PowerPoint proposals to new businesses that thoughtfully story tell what the partnerships can look like

Negotiate with new businesses to secure new sponsors

Draft and coordinate agreements, managing all relevant information in our division‑wide database

Fulfill the terms of agreements that provide advertising, marketing, and promotional benefits to sponsor businesses. This can include platforms such as TV & Radio broadcasts, websites, social media, digital and fixed signage, print media, e‑newsletters, fan experiences, event activations, and much more.

Collaborate with the General Manager and other team members on game days for sponsor activations as well as the entertainment of current or prospective sponsors

Capture proof of performance examples and provide fulfillment summaries to share with current sponsors

Update new business development activities in the CRM system (currently Salesforce

What We’re Looking For

Ideally, some experience working in marketing, advertising, sales, or events

Ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings, weekends and, on rare occasions, holidays. (Don’t worry, we make up for it with time off and remote/hybrid scheduling at other times of the year!)

Great interpersonal communication skills

A willingness to talk to people you have never met before

Great listener who can appreciate the needs of different organizations and can suggest relevant ideas for how those organizations can partner

Demonstrated professionalism

Energetic and self‑motivated attitude

Competitive response to challenges (A “Bring it on!” attitude)

Hard work and persistence

Comfort with being uncomfortable (this is how we grow!)

Coachability

Strong organizational skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.

Proficient with Social Media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok)

CRM experience

Must have a clean driving record

Why Van Wagner May Be Right For You

An unmatched culture within our organization that focuses on building trust with our team members, sponsor businesses, schools, and conferences partners through a people‑first approach that delivers business results

Competitive salary, with bonuses and commissions based on performance (with no cap!)

Outstanding benefits package (including medical, dental, vision, life insurance)

401k

Opportunity to compete in sales contests with cool prizes (i.e. Trips to Final Four or CFP Championship Game)

Ongoing professional development training

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