Managing Director, Storycorps Studios and Brand Partnerships

MANAGING DIRECTOR, STORYCORPS STUDIOS 

& BRAND PARTNERSHIPS

Department: StoryCorps Studios

Division: Revenue

Location: Brooklyn, NY (open to remote)

Reports To: Chief Revenue Officer

Status: Full Time, Regular, Exempt, Non-Union

Salary: $145,000 - $150,000
 

THE ROLE

The Managing Director, StoryCorps Studios and Brand Partnerships leads our critical revenue streams, serving brands seeking authentic, human-centered storytelling and sponsorship opportunities. This executive role blends creative vision with business acumen to forge high-value partnerships with brands that recognize the power of genuine narrative. The Managing Director will drive revenue growth by positioning StoryCorps' distinctive storytelling methodology as a premium service for organizations wanting to capture meaningful stories about their people, customers, and impact with the production quality that makes StoryCorps renowned. This leader will develop and execute strategies to cultivate relationships with creative decision-makers across sectors, transforming StoryCorps' storytelling expertise into sustainable revenue streams through sophisticated brand partnerships  and bespoke storytelling projects.

StoryCorps Studios is the creative services arm of StoryCorps and applies the award-winning methodologies of the organization to tell stories through the voices of real people. The primary service offered is recording and archiving high-quality, facilitated StoryCorps conversations and producing co-branded audio stories with accompanying visual assets to support our clients in sharing the voices and stories of their communities through compelling personal narrative. 

StoryCorps seeks corporate sponsors to support our editorial content (on NPR and other platforms), programmatic initiatives and events. Corporate sponsorship packages frequently include services offered through StoryCorps Studios.

The Managing Director will be an entrepreneurial, experienced revenue generator responsible for implementing a proactive business development plan with the goal of meeting or exceeding sponsorship and earned revenue goals and charting an ambitious plan for growth in years to come. 

The Managing Director will be a skilled manager of people, a self-starter who is invigorated by the prospect of identifying new markets and product/service offerings, increasing margins, and exceeding revenue goals—and by leading a dynamic team to do the same. The Managing Director supervises three direct reports and leads a team that executes both revenue generation and content development and production for its clients. The Managing Director must be able to "run the show" independently, as well as act as a strategic thought partner to the Chief Revenue Officer and interface regularly with StoryCorps’ Board and Leadership Team as needed. 
 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Create and implement a business growth and development plan while continually analyzing and refining the plan based on rates of success and market factors
• Conceptualize, plan, and execute a sales and marketing strategy, in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications Department, to meet or exceed annual revenue goals 
• In conjunction with the Director of Business Development, build a pipeline of prospects for sponsorship of StoryCorps’ various programs and fee-based service verticals.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Business Development to lead sales/sponsorship pitches for incoming and proactive prospects, successfully turning leads into productive partnerships
• Develop dynamic and creative proposals that meet each potential client’s unique interests and goals, while staying true to the StoryCorps brand and ethos 
• Develop new service offerings and improvements to maximize impact and revenue and meet client needs
• Work with Chief of Programs to determine revenue-generating opportunities within StoryCorps programs
• Manage StoryCorps’ business relationship with National Public Media (the sales arm of NPR) and NPR, and cultivate relationships with on-air and podcast sponsors
• Inspire a team responsible for both short and long-term partnerships, ensuring a team culture that supports client satisfaction and maximizes revenue  
• Lead the development and  execution of the department’s annual goals and financial forecasts and oversee tracking and reporting of income and expenses
• Provide regular reports on sponsorship and earned income activity to the leadership team
• Supervise three direct reports and lead a distributed team with a wide range of skills and expertise
• Collaborate across the organization to ensure alignment 
• Represent StoryCorps to the public in meetings and speaking engagements
• Perform other duties to support the earned income and sponsorship functions, as assigned 

ABOUT YOU

Required:

• Minimum 10 years experience in brand partnerships with sales & account management experience
• Intense drive for results, sense of urgency, and a demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding revenue goals 
• Entrepreneurial with constant drive for reinvention and push toward progress 
• Experience thinking big and applying that to the wide scope of opportunities and a desire to experiment with new ways of working
• Knowledge of production across platforms—branded content, podcasts, custom events (internal/client and external events), and conference activations is a plus
• Ability to distill complex partner dynamics and cross-functional team challenges into thoughtful, proactive solutions
• Track record of successful account management, including developing and overseeing income and expenses budgets of at least $1- 5 million 
• Ability to identify client needs and develop and sell products and services that meet those requirements and result in new and renewed partnerships
• Strong business acumen and strategic analytical thinking 
• Stature, gravitas, and confidence to gain credibility and respect of senior leadership and staff at all levels internally, as well as external partners and stakeholders
• Strong, proactive communicator: ability to communicate client needs, partnership goals, and success stories confidently and clearly—to both internal and external stakeholders
• Motivating leader with a direct team as well as with cross-departmental partners; the ability to lead by example when it comes to executing work and building a positive and supportive work environment
• Ability to travel nationally to meetings, events, and/or public speaking opportunities as needed 
• Cultural competence/humility and the ability to thrive in a diverse work environment 

ABOUT STORYCORPS

StoryCorps' mission is to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since 2003, more than 600,000 people, in all 50 states, have recorded StoryCorps interviews about their lives. We preserve and archive their recordings at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and share select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media.

OUR COMMITMENT:

We seek to recruit and develop a staff whose diversity reflects the communities we serve, and strongly encourage applications from people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of all ages, political beliefs, and cultures. StoryCorps records, shares, and preserves stories from across the country.

IN-OFFICE WORK:

Working at the StoryCorps office is optional except in certain circumstances, such as in-person training, if your position requires some in-office presence, or if your manager needs an in-person individual or team meeting. For those who prefer to work in the office, that option remains.