Director, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development

Who We Are We create trusted, expert content that helps millions of people discover more about the things they love, need and care about. From technology, gaming and entertainment to fashion, lifestyle, sport, finance and beyond, our specialist brands connect people with their passions every day. Across websites, magazines, newsletters, social channels and events, we bring expert content to audiences around the world. We combine our deep specialist knowledge with innovative technology and data to create engaging experiences, build valuable communities and help people make better-informed decisions.

The Team You'll join Kiplinger, one of the most respected personal finance brands in the industry. For generations, we've helped readers make informed decisions about investing, taxes, retirement, real estate, and their financial futures. Our trusted editorial content and subscription products create opportunities to reach new audiences in ways that extend beyond traditional consumer marketing. We're looking to unlock that potential by building new business relationships and distribution channels that introduce Kiplinger to audiences through the organizations they already know and trust.

Description We're looking for a commercially minded, entrepreneurial leader to build and grow Kiplinger's business development and strategic partnerships function. This is an opportunity to create something new, you'll identify where the greatest opportunities exist, determine which organizations and industries to pursue, develop compelling business propositions, and turn those opportunities into sustainable sources of subscription growth and revenue. You'll explore all opportunities, develop the strategy, build the prospect pipeline, initiate conversations with decision-makers, negotiate agreements, and work across teams to bring successful partnerships to life. You'll own the process from opportunity identification through deal execution and ongoing growth. You'll have the autonomy to shape the function, test new approaches, and establish a repeatable model for partnership-driven business development.

What You'll Do You will report into the Subscription Marketing Director

• Build the business development strategy. Identify and prioritize new markets, industries, and partnership opportunities that can expand Kiplinger's audience, grow subscriptions, and generate incremental revenue.
• Discover new distribution channels. Explore opportunities across financial services, wealth management, employee benefits, financial wellness, higher education, professional and membership organizations and conferences, customer loyalty programs, and other relevant sectors.
• Develop a targeted prospect pipeline. Research industries and organizations, map potential opportunities, identify decision-makers, and work with key stakeholders to build a disciplined outreach strategy to turn prospects into qualified business opportunities.
• Create compelling business propositions. Understand the needs of prospective partners and develop tailored proposals that demonstrate how Kiplinger's brand, content, and subscription products can deliver value to their employees, customers, members, students, or other audiences.
• Originate, negotiate, and close deals. Lead business development conversations and negotiations, structuring agreements that align partner objectives with Kiplinger's growth and financial goals.
• Evaluate new business models. Assess opportunities such as employer-sponsored subscriptions, customer benefits and rewards, institutional access, bulk subscriptions, referral arrangements, co-marketing, and other partnership models.
• Build cross-functional relationships. Collaborate with subscription marketing, sales, product, editorial, finance, legal, and other relevant teams to evaluate opportunities, develop agreements, coordinate launches, and ensure partnerships can be executed effectively.
• Scale successful partnerships. Manage key partner relationships, identify opportunities to expand existing agreements, and develop repeatable approaches that can be applied across new organizations and industries.
• Establish performance metrics. Build a pipeline and reporting framework to evaluate opportunity quality, outreach effectiveness, deal economics, subscription acquisition, revenue contribution, and long-term growth potential.
• Build the function for long-term success. Establish the processes, tools, market intelligence, and partnership playbooks needed to turn early wins into a scalable business development channel.

What You’ll Bring

• Significant experience in business development, strategic partnerships, channel development, enterprise sales, or a related field.
• A demonstrated ability to identify new business opportunities, develop a pipeline from the ground up, engage prospective clients or partners, and convert opportunities into successful agreements.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial approach to market discovery and prospecting. You're comfortable working without a fully defined playbook and know how to turn an open-ended opportunity into a focused strategy and actionable plan.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills, including the ability to engage decision-makers and influence stakeholders across large, complex organizations.
• The ability to understand a prospective partner's business objectives and translate them into creative, practical proposals that deliver value for both organizations.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with experience building a pipeline, tracking business development activity, and measuring results using CRM systems and other tools.
• The ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams to move opportunities from initial conversation through launch and ongoing optimization.
• Experience in financial services, personal finance, digital media, publishing, subscriptions, employee benefits, loyalty programs, or B2B distribution is a plus. An existing network in relevant industries is also valuable, but the ability to identify, develop, and win new opportunities is essential.

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401k plus a company match
• Uncapped leave
• When we hit our targets, enjoy a share of our profits with a bonus
• Refer a friend and get rewarded when they join Future
• Well-being support with access to our Colleague Assistant Programs
• Opportunity to purchase shares in Future with our Share Incentive Plan

The expected range for this role is $108,000 - $125,000. This is a hybrid role, working 3 days from the New York office.

Internal job family level Professional 3

Diversity and Inclusion At Future, we’re working to attract, retain and foster diverse talent, educate our colleagues in the importance of diversity, and review our internal processes so that they remain as free from bias as possible. We recognise that, in order to reach diverse communities through our content, we must first ensure ours is a culture in which diversity can thrive. Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments.