Director, Business Development – Platform Partnership, Eventbrite, San Francisco

THE CHALLENGE

A major part of Eventbrite’s value proposition is the strength of our technology platform and the APIs that it offers developers. Event creators can develop on top of Eventbrite’s APIs to extend their work flows, and customize the product to the needs of their business and team. Third party developers can use that same set of APIs to build products that can be used by the hundreds of thousands of event creators via Eventbrite’s App marketplace . One specific type of third party partners are our distribution partners –a network of leading technology and media companies, like Facebook, Google, and Spotify that integrate with Eventbrite to help event-goers find the best events and experiences globally. We are continuously finding new ways to offer more functionality via Eventbrite’s platform and APIs and exploring additional use cases, including OEM partnerships and others.

Our goal is clear. We are laser-focused on being the world’s leading ticketing and event technology platform. To accomplish this, we are building the world’s leading business development team. Are you ready for this challenge?

THE TEAM

As Director of Business Development, Platform Partnerships, you will join and lead a dynamic team that drives our partnerships in the United States and in international markets. You will report into the Vice President of Business & Corporate Development, based in San Francisco. You will be responsible for managing one business development manager, with plans for additional hires.

THE ROLE

As leader of platform partnerships, you will own the overall success of the teams responsible for two of Eventbrite’s most important business development activities, these being (1). Eventbrite’s App Marketplace and (2). Platform Licensing. For each initiative, you will be responsible for developing a global strategy, building a robust pipeline of prospective partners, negotiating and closing agreements, managing partners, and driving overall performance. You will effectively function as the central project manager, responsible for the coordination and orchestration of activities across a wide array of cross-functional stakeholders — including Product, Engineering, Operations, Legal, Communications, Sales and Marketing — to ensure partnerships are executed flawlessly and deliver value to the business. You will be responsible for reporting on the success of your team, and you will act as the liaison between the team and company leadership.

The Responsibilities

• • Strategy: You will design and develop strategic plans for Eventbrite’s App Marketplace and Platform Licensing, with a particular focus on business modeling and pricing.
  • Pipeline: You will be responsible for identifying viable partner targets on the basis of strategic fit, commercial terms, team assessment, competitive environment, and corporate development considerations.
  • Diligence: You will lead and coordinate internal resources for due diligence, including input on the legal, regulatory, product development, and go-to-market aspects of potential transactions. You will collaborate closely with engineers, so you must be competent with technical aspects of platform partnerships, including API, OEM, and ISV models.
  • Deal Terms: You will develop and negotiate deal terms for partnership agreements. This will require you to work effectively with key stakeholders within Eventbrite to develop proposals to present to prospective partners. You will lead negotiations that result in favorable business arrangements for Eventbrite.
  • Influence: Through written documents and oral presentations, you will be required to persuade key internal stakeholders to move forward with your recommendations. You should be prepared to deliver recommendations to Eventbrite’s CEO, CFO, SVP Platform, and Board of Directors to ensure organizational buy-in.
  • Leadership: After executing partnership agreements, you will be the point person for partners to drive mutual success. This will involve internal communications and cross-departmental networking to ensure that Eventbrite personnel understand objectives, requirements, and timing. You will need to be an effective networker to navigate across functions, ranging from product and engineering to marketing and finance.
  • Management: You will manage the individual performance of the Business Development Managers and help grow their skill sets. By coaching on pipeline maintenance, negotiations, and partnership management, you will ensure career progression and job satisfaction for your team of Britelings.

THE SKILL SET

• • 10+ years of business development and partnerships experience..
  • Business development success in the SaaS, Technology, and/or Ticketing sectors.
  • Experience working with developers and explaining technical concepts.
  • Passionate and knowledgeable about platforms, with strong technical level understanding of APIs and platform development.
  • Proven success in structuring and managing platform partnerships, such as OEM and ISV models.
  • 4+ years experience managing a team, mentoring/coaching, and developing skills of individual contributors.
  • Track record of managing a larger number of customer/partners; ability to parallel process multiple projects.
  • Excellent negotiation skills, with a proven track record of closing agreements on mutually favorable terms; strong aptitude working with legal contracts.
  • A demonstrated ability to multi-task and to individually accomplish large amounts of work. The candidate will be expected to drive multiple initiatives at one time in a fast moving environment where the expectations to always deliver results will be high.
  • A demonstrated track record of effectively working across departments, across functionality, and across organizations.
  • Experience in working with senior management to align sales strategies and solutions, including ability to effectively communicate with a C-level audience
  • Self-starter with proven track record of execution.
  • Expertise using metrics and analytics to inform and influence decisions that drive action.
  • High intellectual horsepower – articulate at all levels and insightful.
  • Enthusiasm for Eventbrite’s culture: Always pushing to disrupt; Be a self-starter, fast mover with good listening skills; Possess humility, gravitas, and confidence; Collaborative, engaging, direct, and open; Passionate about creators and live experiences
  • Bachelor’s degree.

BONUS POINTS

• • MBA and/or JD.
  • Knowledge of Eventbrite’s target markets (music ticketing, registration, self-service ticketing and the B2B events market).
  • Global transaction experience and perspective, evidenced by a track record of sourcing and executing transactions with entities outside the US.
  • Facility troubleshooting API-related issues and testing API functions
  • Fluency writing and running SQL queries.
  • Experience using Google Analytics.
  • Knowledge of affiliate marketing programs and tactics.