The School of Hard Knocks · 20 hours ago
Head of Brand Partnerships
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$130K/yr - $150K/yrThe School of Hard Knocks is one of the largest and fastest-growing business media companies in the world, and they are seeking a Head of Brand Partnerships to own and scale their brand deal revenue. The role involves managing high-ticket brand deals, building partnerships, and developing strategies to maximize revenue across various media channels.
Publishing
Hiring Manager
Joshua Smith
Responsibilities
Own brand partnership revenue across:
Main School of Hard Knocks channel
Podcast
Hard Knocks Women
Hard Knocks Business
Personally close high-ticket brand deals ($100k–$1M+ annually per partner)
Manage limited monthly inventory intelligently
Negotiate pricing, scope, usage rights, and deal terms
Design and sell bundled short-form + long-form partnerships (our highest-value offers)
Build pricing frameworks that protect premium inventory and maximize AOV
Develop multi-month and annual partnership structures
Help brands understand how to win on modern, creator-led media
Build and own the outbound partnerships engine:
Ideal partner profiles
Vertical targeting
Pitch angles
CRM & pipeline management
Source, pitch, and close new brand partners proactively
Create repeatable systems that scale beyond you
Hire and manage SDRs / partnership reps as volume increases
Implement systems that allow partnerships revenue to scale predictably
Coordinate internally with content, production, and leadership to ensure execution excellence
Qualification
Required
Proven experience closing brand partnerships, sponsorships, or media deals
Comfortable selling high-ticket, low-volume deals ($50k–$500k+)
Experience with creator, media, podcast, or influencer monetization
Strong understanding of short-form & long-form content economics
Strong understanding of CPMs, bundles, and view-based pricing
Strong understanding of usage rights and brand integrations
Confident communicator who can talk to CMOs, founders, and agency leads
Self-starter who thrives with ownership and accountability
Preferred
Experience building outbound sales systems from scratch
Experience managing or mentoring sales reps
Background at a creator agency, media company, podcast network, or talent firm
Familiarity with long-term sponsorships and exclusivity deals
Passion for business, entrepreneurship, and modern media
Company
The School of Hard Knocks
Media Channel with over 10 Million followers across 4 platforms.
Founded in 2021
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Joshua Smith
Co-Founder
Company data provided by crunchbase