We’re Hiring: Director of Sales
Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit newsroom focused on Chicago’s neighborhoods, is hiring a Director of Sales to manage and grow our advertising operations.
This person will report directly to the VP of Revenue and will work closely with our development team. This department head will be responsible for overseeing our existing sales operation and turbo-charging its growth. Initially, the Director of Sales will be expected to work independently to generate ad revenue and expand our client portfolio. As mutually-determined growth goals are met and exceeded, the Director of Sales will be empowered to hire one or more direct reports and shift their focus to team management.
The right candidate will be a self-starter who is energized by the opportunity to build and innovate. Block Club is a deeply collaborative working environment, with an editorial team that views the revenue staff as their partners. If you are familiar with our content strategy and have creative ideas for expanding our advertising and sponsorship programs, we urge you to apply.
Responsibilities will include:
- Creating and executing an effective ad sales strategy
- Setting sales targets and reporting on their progress
- Engaging with Block Club’s editorial content to develop new revenue opportunities through advertising and sponsorship
- Building and maintaining client relationships
- Managing inventory planning
- Participating in industry conferences and stewarding our brand
- Pricing products and services to stay competitive
- Producing quarterly and annual reports for our leadership team and Board of Directors
- Building and managing an effective and motivated sales team within 1-2 years
Qualifications
- 5+ years of outside sales management (front line) experience
- Performance management experience
- Proven capability to lead, guide and/or handle change with executives across functions
- Strong leaderships skills and a willingness to coach direct reports
- Experience generating client-facing ad performance reports
- Familiarity with digital display platforms and ad exchange networks
- Familiarity with SEO principles, audience segmentation and targeting
Location
This position is based in Chicago and requires the person to live in the Chicago area, though working from home is common. There is an expectation of several days of in-person work at our Downtown office to work alongside and collaborate with colleagues.
Benefits
This position offers full benefits, including medical, vision, dental, vacation.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Block Club believes the diversity of our community is a fundamental strength of our region. Our mission is best fulfilled when we embrace diversity as a value and a practice. We maintain that achieving diversity requires an enduring commitment to inclusion that must find full expression in our organizational culture, values, norms and behaviors. Throughout our work, we will support diversity in all of its forms, encompassing but not limited to age, disability status, economic circumstance, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted via this form: https://blockclubchi.co/DirectorSales
To report a technical issue with the submission form, contact lizzie@blockclubchi.org
Compensation
Base pay plus commission, commensurate with experience and tied to clearly outlined benchmarks. We will discuss compensation in detail during our first call with candidates to ensure our expectations align.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 10, 2023