Specialist, Partnership Strategy

Chicago Fire - Entry Level

Chicago · IL

Corporate Sponsor · Consulting/Strategic Planning · Sales

$50,000 - $60,000 / year

day ago

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The Chicago Fire Football Club (Chicago Fire FC) is an American professional soccer club that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top U.S. domestic league. Founded on October 8, 1997, on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Club began play in 1998 as one of the League’s first expansion franchises. The Fire have won six major domestic titles, including the 1998 MLS Cup; the 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups; as well as the 2003 MLS Supporters’ Shield.

The Club recently announced plans to build a $650M+ privately financed downtown stadium in Chicago in 2028. The stadium will anchor Chicago’s newest neighborhood, the 78, a 62-acre development and entertainment district located along the Chicago River just south of Roosevelt Road. For more information on our bold plans, visit DearChicago.com.

Additionally, the Club recently opened the state-of-the-art $100M Endeavor Health Performance Center in March 2025 that has set the standard for North American training facilities. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an audacious and ambitious vision that will transform the brand and the company in the coming years.

At Chicago Fire FC, we’re on a mission to entertain, serve, and unite Chicago by delivering excellence on and off the pitch to ensure a world-class experience. As a club we let our values guide everything we do: we uphold uncompromising integrity, show respect for all at all times, never settle for less, constantly innovate, and hold ourselves relentlessly accountable.

Position Overview:
Chicago Fire FC is seeking an energetic, agile, customer-centric, data-driven, and detail-oriented Partnership Strategy Specialist to support all Corporate Partnership team efforts. In this position, the candidate will focus on providing sales and marketing support by creating and updating deck presentation materials, using thorough research and data analysis, and expanding commercial inventory with a focus on ensuring partnership initiatives boost fan engagement and maximize club revenue streams.

The candidate must be a highly motivated individual contributor with cross-functional experience, including technical and strategic knowledge of corporate partnerships. Previous team experience is preferred but not required.

Job Responsibilities:
Partnership Development & Marketing Support

Build and maintain club story presentations and sales presentation materials such as decks, word documents, and mockups
Strong project management skills to support ideation of new business, renewal, and upsell opportunities by developing fully integrated programs given prospect/partner needs and organizational objectives
Collaborate with internal organization departments including, Marketing, Communications, Community Programs, Ticket Operations, etc. to support the creation of potential sellable partnership assets

Research, Analytics & Reporting

Solid ability to analyze data and evaluate industry trends to support Corporate Partnership goals and targets
Leverage fan insights and third-party companies to support department initiatives and integration within presentations
Drive department revenue, manage Corporate Partnership inventory, rate card updates and reports
Identify and organize market research, category research, competitive analysis and ongoing sponsorship trends to develop recommendation for club pursuit
Co-lead the Corporate Partnership CRM system and work alongside CRM administrator to make necessary program updates
Manage the department’s data, analytics, and reporting in partnership with the Business Strategy & Analytics team

Required Qualifications:

2-3 years of relevant corporate partnerships experience
Ability to develop and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
Proven ability to develop sales presentations, marketing materials, and partnership proposals
Experience managing relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners
Self-motivated and self-starter with the ability to think creatively
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Previous team experience
Willingness to learn in a fast-paced, performance-driven work environment.
Ability to work non-traditional hours, in non-traditional settings, including all games (or other work events) that fall on nights, weekends, and/or holidays

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, sports business, or related field
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (especially PowerPoint, Excel, Word) and design tools for mockups and presentations (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Canva).
Experience working with data analysis platforms (e.g., Salesforce, YouGov, Blinkfire)
Understanding of the sports, entertainment, or event sponsorship industry

Compensation:

This role offers a salary range of $55,000-$60,000. The final salary is determined by carefully considering the applicant's background, experience, and qualifications. Base pay may vary significantly based on geographic location, job-specific knowledge, skills, and overall experience. This role is classified as Full-time, exempt
This role is bonus eligible based on club-wide goals
Additional benefits & perks: Official Chicago Fire FC Website

Please note:

Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Our diversity initiatives start with the recruitment and selection process; therefore, we’d like to welcome all diverse candidates to apply to opportunities within our Club.
CFFC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and maintaining a workplace for employees and applicants for employment that is free from discrimination. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, age, veteran or military status, disability, sexual orientation, sexual orientation or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the People and Culture Department at [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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