Position Title: Director, Sponsorship & Conferences
Location: New York, N.Y (Hybrid)
Reports to: Managing Director, Sponsorship & Conferences
Company Background: MFA, based in Washington, DC, New York, Brussels and London, represents the global alternative asset management industry. MFA’s mission is to advance the ability of alternative asset managers to raise capital, invest, and generate returns for their beneficiaries. MFA advocates on behalf of its membership and convenes stakeholders to address global regulatory, operational, and business issues. MFA’s member firms collectively manage a diverse group of investment strategies. Member firms help pension plans, university endowments, charitable foundations, and other institutional investors to diversify their investments, manage risk, and generate attractive returns over time.
Position Summary: The Director will be responsible for business development opportunities related to, but not limited to, the sale of sponsorship (e.g. branding, speaking, thought leadership) of MFA conferences, member events, and digital insights. Sponsorship opportunities are focused on service providers in the alternatives landscape. This role will also be responsible for managing day-to-day relationships with such service providers, with increased focus on any firm that is also an MFA member.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Lead sponsorship sales efforts across MFA conferences, member programs, and digital insights by developing revenue targets, value propositions, outreach strategies, and customized packages for prospective sponsors.
- Manage the full sponsorship lifecycle from prospect identification and pipeline development through discovery, proposal, negotiation, contracting, fulfillment, renewal, and post-event follow-up.
- Build and maintain strong year-round relationships with sponsors and prospects, positioning MFA as a strategic partner and identifying opportunities to expand sponsorship and membership engagement over time.
- Serve as the account owner for a portfolio of MFA service provider members, acting as the primary point of contact to deliver excellent client service, deepen engagement, support renewals, and identify opportunities for additional involvement across the organization.
- Partner closely with Finance to execute contracts, monitor invoicing and payments, and ensure all sponsorship commitments are accurately tracked and completed.
- Oversee sponsor fulfillment and execution, including benefit tracking, collection of logos and collateral, deadline management, onsite coordination, and confirmation that all contractual deliverables are met.
- Collaborate with Programming & Conferences to align sponsor opportunities with event content, including speaking roles, branding placements, and thought leadership activations that appropriately match sponsor expertise with program goals.
- Maintain accurate records in CRM for sponsor and member accounts
- Conduct regular outreach, meetings, and account reviews with sponsors and service provider members to understand business priorities, communicate MFA value, and deliver responsive support.
- Develop reports and insights that track sponsorship performance, account activity, renewal trends, and member engagement to inform planning and improve results.
Perform other duties, as assigned.
Qualifications and Requirements:
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Bachelor’s degree preferred.
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Minimum 8 years of experience in business development, sponsorship sales, account management, or relationship management, preferably within financial services, membership organizations, events, or firms serving alternative asset managers.
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Demonstrated success managing a sales pipeline and full client lifecycle, including prospecting, proposal development, negotiation, contracting, fulfillment, renewal, and retention.
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Strong client service and account management experience, with the ability to build trusted relationships, anticipate needs, and deliver a high-quality member and sponsor experience.
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Experience using CRM systems to manage pipelines, account activity, reporting, and performance metrics.
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Ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders simultaneously, with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
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Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to represent MFA effectively with senior external stakeholders.
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Strong judgment, professionalism, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, client service, and cross-functional collaboration.
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Knowledge of the alternative asset management industry and its service provider ecosystem is preferred.
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Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
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Occasional domestic business travel is required.
Benefits of Working at MFA:
- Hybrid Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in office
- Lunch every Thursday
- Office Snacks
- Paid subscription to LinkedIn Learning
- Up to two annual staff gatherings (Spring offsite and holiday party)
- Values driven culture
- Remote August
- 22 annual days of Paid Time Off (PTO), and currently 11 paid holidays
- Medical Plan, Prescription Drug Card, Dental Plan, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Short and
- Long-Term Disability, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program
- More!!
Disclaimer: The annual base salary range for this position is $140,000-$150,000 per year. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. Please note that the annual base salary range provided is a general guideline and compensation decisions are dependent on a variety of factors. These factors include, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, years of work experience, work location, education/training, internal peer equity, and external market data
