Business Development Director - Ad Agencies

About Us:
native. is a fast-growing, innovative, and dynamic company dedicated to bringing extensive content and experiences to the student marketplace. We have a student advertising platform, a ticketing platform, and a host of complementary services all focused on revolutionising and supercharging the university experience for students.

Our student advertising platform unifies the advertising landscape, making it easy for advertisers like GoPuff, Converse, and BBC Radio 1 connect with student consumers at scale.

Inspired by the founder's desire to help students have the best time at university, native. enriches the lives of students as well as enabling Student Unions to support them.

Students benefit. Student Unions benefit. Brands benefit. This is what we call the native. win-win-win.

Media Sales at native

Media sales at native. occupies a unique place in the market. We hold exclusive relationships for university campus media inventory across the UK, and can address the 2.86m students in the UK market.

We are uniquely positioned to manage the blend of local, regional and national advertising selling both directly to clients and via agencies and media buying groups. We combine the scale of a national footprint with the opportunity to reach specially selected student populations, with tailored advertising propositions which enable brands to make major impacts.

The market opportunity is huge, and in managing this we need to expand our capability in relation to working with advertising agencies of many types.

Role overview:

The Sales and Business Development Director - Ad Agencies will drive our business growth by acquiring and managing significant brand partnerships through advertising agencies. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced senior sales professional to join our team. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of the advertising landscape, have a proven track record in sales, and excel in building relationships at senior levels. They will be responsible for leading the entire sales process, from prospecting to closing deals, and ensuring seamless collaboration with advertising agencies to deliver outstanding campaigns.

What you'll be doing:

• Strategic Sales Leadership
  • Develop and implement a strategic sales plan targeting significant and recognised brands through advertising agencies.
  • Identify and prospect potential brand partners that align our student- and Gen Z- focused vision.
• Relationship Management
  • Cultivate and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key stakeholders at advertising agencies.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for agency partners, ensuring clear communication and alignment on campaign objectives.
• Business Development
  • Drive the acquisition of new brand partnerships, leveraging your understanding of agency operations and brand needs.
  • Lead negotiations and secure contracts that benefit all stakeholders.
• Campaign Oversight
  • Oversee the development and execution of advertising campaigns in collaboration with agency partners.
  • Ensure campaigns are delivered on time, within budget, and meet or exceed client expectations.
• Visioning and Storytelling
  • Develop compelling narratives and presentations that showcase native's unique value proposition to brand partners.
  • Collaborate with internal teams to create effective campaign concepts that resonate with the student and Gen Z audience.
• Performance Tracking
  • Monitor and analyse campaign performance, providing insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.
  • Prepare and present regular reports to senior management on sales progress and campaign outcomes.

What you'll have:

• Experience
  • Experience in sales and account management within the advertising industry, preferably with a focus on working with advertising agencies.
  • Proven track record of successfully acquiring and managing significant brand partnerships.
• Attributes
  • Highly motivated self-starter with a passion for connecting brands with students and Gen Z audiences.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

What we offer:

50% OTE
Pension contributions of 5%

We are office-based, in a super-vibrant Shoreditch location. We value spending time as a team, in the office, embracing the benefits of hybrid working where it makes sense to us and our people.

25 days holiday + bank holidays + your birthday + Christmas shutdown
Share Options for all
A Mac or Windows laptop
Dog friendly office
Health and Wellbeing budget
Season Ticket Loan scheme
Free Wednesday office lunches
Paid maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are actively creating an equitable environment for everyone at native to thrive. Diversity and inclusion are a priority for us and we are making sure we have lots of support for all of our people to grow at native. At native, embracing diversity in all of its forms and fostering an inclusive environment for all people to do the best work of their lives with us.