Partnerships Lead, US

About This Role

Strava is the leading digital community for active people with more than 125 million athletes, in more than 190 countries. The platform offers a holistic view of your active lifestyle, no matter where you live, which sport you love and/or what device you use. Everyone belongs on Strava when they are pursuing an active life.

Come join the team working to unlock the next generation of storytellers and creators across sport and connected fitness. Content is the backbone of Strava today. Every activity shared and the story around it is a chance to inspire, motivate and connect through a common love of adventure and the athletic experience.

We are looking for a passionate Partnerships Lead to build out and execute our US strategy with key creators, community builders, brand partners and event organizers in sport. The ideal candidate is strategic-minded and capable of fostering significant partnerships within various categories. They are adept at identifying growth prospects and staying up-to-date with the latest trends in the sports industry, all while accurately assessing the outcomes of their efforts. This person understands the critical role that partners play in a network and the importance of activating the right athletes, groups and events to drive the growth and retention of our community.

Our team is fast, nimble and requires a creative and entrepreneurial mindset. You will manage a team of 2 U.S.-based Partner Managers who work closely with creators, pros, industry representatives and media companies shaping the digital landscape. This role is highly cross-functional and will work closely with Communications, Marketing, and global counterparts, as well as our Product and Engineering teams, to reimagine how our community motivates, connects and inspires.

This is a hybrid role based in our San Francisco office, with some travel (approximately 25%) required.

For more information on compensation and benefits, please click here.

You’re excited about this opportunity because you will:

• Define and lead end-to-end development of our partnerships strategy in the U.S., keeping your finger on the pulse of creator, industry and cultural evolutions to ensure Strava is well positioned to meet the needs of our current community and future growth audiences.
• Build and cultivate new relationships with high profile and diverse creators and their agents—the current and future storytellers, professional athletes, experts, and community builders in sport—to build their value through Strava.
• Drive product adoption through strategic partnerships with the most important U.S.-based digital creators, agents, event organizers, brands and digital content organizations relevant to our industry.
• Collaborate with internal product, business, marketing and country teams working across the emerging connected fitness ecosystem to identify opportunities and help deliver cohesive programs and partner-focused product improvements.
• Partner closely with the StratOps team to develop strategies and build scalable systems (workshops, programs, content) to reach more creators and organizations with education and resources; and be able to measure, report and connect the success of our partners to broader business trends and larger company initiatives.

You will be successful here by:

• Established creator and/or community relationships and known reputation for being an expert with a certain cohort of creators, ideally in running, cycling and the broader connected fitness and wellness industry.
• Proven track record to lead and negotiate sophisticated partnership agreements, including identifying strategic opportunities, managing stakeholder relationships, and navigating legal and financial terms to drive mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Experience recognizing creators that are about to break as well as a track record of mentoring and developing digital talent.
• Experience using data and analytics in the service of larger initiatives — ability to track, analyze and communicate key metrics and business trends.
• Experience articulating creator culture and feedback to internal stakeholders; knowledge of the talent and influencer space and the evolving players in the space.
• Expert knowledge of all social media platforms and how creators create content.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams to develop creative partner activations and moments.
• Experience in external facing roles; ability to represent Strava at events and industry functions with strong presentation skills.
• Deep passion for Strava and the health and wellness of the world’s athletes; you may not be a creator, but you understand the landscape and believe that