Senior Brand Partnerships Officer, Athletes

International Justice Mission

Sr. Brand Partnerships Officer building and maintaining a portfolio of pro athlete relationships and sports partnerships at IJM.

Posted 7/9/2026full-timeWashington, D.C. • Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Represent IJM’s mission through public speaking and media interviews at the highest levels across global sport and culture
Serve as a leader in the Team Freedom community, inspiring and mobilizing a movement of freedom
Present compelling fundraising opportunities to groups and individuals within the pro athlete community, through public speaking or individualized proposals and high-level 1:1 meetings
Design and recruit for trips to IJM’s field offices and other experiences that bring pro athletes close to the heart of IJM’s mission, to inspire prospective pro athlete champions and encourage and retain current champions
Identify, cultivate and solicit new pro athlete donors or sports-related partners who want to use their platforms to build awareness of IJM’s mission through marketing campaign integration and bespoke platform activation opportunities across marketing channels like social media, media outlets like TV, news and magazines, and more, to reach an audience of 10M people annually
Build and manage a portfolio of 100+ current pro athlete champions and prospects, raising $1M in revenue annually from pro athlete families and the campaigns, events and activations they host
Qualify leads and cultivate relationships to convert prospects to active donors by securing the first gift, with donors who can give $10k or more annually
Identify strategic uses of pro athlete platforms to accelerate IJM’s program work, like securing high-level meetings in program office locations that meaningfully contribute to program outcomes
Lead strategy and collaborate with internal creative teams to bring to life campaigns and platform activations connected to pro athlete portfolio of relationships that can reach millions of people with IJM’s mission
Lead strategy for event format, programming, recruitment and fundraising tactics for events hosted or co-hosted by pro athletes or sports industry partners within portfolio
Facilitate 1:1 meetings with athlete donors and communicate their impact by preparing fundraising proposal or impact report documents
Work collaboratively with other members of the partnership team to develop best practices and key learnings
Report portfolio activity and progress against KPIs to the Director of Brand Partnerships on a regular basis and as requested
Ensure portfolio data hygiene, including logging donor interactions, portfolio management, donor communications, forecasting and results analysis

Requirements

What you’ll need

7 + years of demonstrated success delivering results in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment
7 + years of direct experience working with professional athletes and their families
7 + years of experience in high-level marketing, sales, or major donor fundraising
Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, or a related field
Proven track record of successfully activating professional athlete and influencer platforms
Well-connected professional with experience in sports, influencer management, philanthropy, or partnership development
Experience planning and executing events, conferences, or large-scale engagement opportunities
Expertise in leveraging media and public relations to advance organizational objectives
Strong marketing expertise with demonstrated success developing and executing campaigns
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
Public speaking and presentation experience
Fundraising experience preferred
Professional athlete experience preferred
Ability to travel up to 20%
Mature orthodox Christian faith as defined by the Apostles’ Creed

Benefits

Comp & perks

Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits
Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area
Retirement benefit options
Paid leave starting at 23 days
12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)
Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation
Robust staff care resources

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

FundraisingMarketing Campaign DevelopmentEvent PlanningPublic RelationsDonor Relationship ManagementProposal WritingData ManagementKPI ReportingPortfolio ManagementInfluencer Activation

Soft Skills

Exceptional Communication SkillsLeadershipCollaborationInspirationRelationship Building