Autotelic Council
Director of Strategic Partnerships
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Initial 3-month contract | Opportunity to become a permanent leadership role
About us
We're an independent creative studio working across brand experience, design and immersive projects for international brands. We're now looking for someone to lead new business. Not to build a sales department, but to help us become part of the conversations that matter—with the right brands, agencies and partners. This is a senior role for someone who already has credibility in the industry and knows how new business actually happens in creative businesses.
The role
You'll own our new business efforts. That means opening doors, building relationships, creating a healthy pipeline and putting the studio in front of the right clients. You'll lead the commercial process until the final negotiation stage, where you'll work alongside the founder and creative leadership to close opportunities.
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What you'll do
- Build relationships with brands, agencies and strategic partners.
- Secure meetings with prospective clients.
- Develop and manage the studio's new business pipeline.
- Build relationships with agency rosters and procurement teams.
- Identify the right pitches, RFPs and partnership opportunities.
- Prepare the studio for key meetings and industry events.
- Work closely with the founder on commercial strategy and growth.
We're looking for someone who
- Has led new business at a respected creative, experiential, design or innovation company.
- Already has strong relationships across brands and agency networks.
- Knows how to generate opportunities through reputation and relationships—not just outbound sales.
- Understands how large creative projects are bought, pitched and commissioned.
- Is comfortable working independently and helping shape how the business grows.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Experience in agencies or studios such as UNIT9, Imagination, AKQA, Nexus, Jack Morton, R/GA, Droga5 or similar would be highly relevant.
First 90 days
Success in this role means:
- Building a strong pipeline of qualified opportunities.
- Securing at least 10 qualified meetings with target clients and agency partners.
- Positioning the studio for major pitches.
- Helping secure the first project valued at $300K+
Engagement
The role starts as a three-month engagement with milestone-based compensation.
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