Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Shield AI is looking for a Brand Partnership Lead to own and grow our partnership and sponsorship portfolio, from sourcing new opportunities through renewal. This person will lead cross functional programs that strengthen Shield AI’s brand through sports, military community, and industry partnerships, while ensuring every deal, activation, and deliverable is executed with rigor, clarity, and accountability.

What you’ll do

Lead outreach, define deal terms and deliverables, and partner closely with Legal and Finance to move agreements through signature.

Manage active partnerships throughout the full contract lifecycle, serving as the primary day to day contact for partners, track contracted rights and deliverables, and ensure both Shield AI and external partners meet their obligations.

Build program plans, workback schedules, and deliverable trackers in Asana, coordinating across Creative, Communications, Events, Legal, Finance, and external stakeholders to keep work on track and aligned to public facing deadlines.

Lead partnership activations from planning through execution navigating logistics including shipping, installation, on site production, talent coordination, and partner schedules.

Travel to key events, oversee day of execution, and close out assets, invoices, and recaps.

Ensure all public facing partnership work aligns with Shield AI brand standards and applicable data handling and export control requirements.

Own the partnership budget and build forecasts in Excel to track committed and actual spend, reconcile purchase orders and invoices with Finance, and proactively flag risks or overruns with a recommended path forward.

Measure and report on partnership performance to define success metrics for each partnership, gathering results after activations, and provide the Director of Brand and Creative with regular visibility into spend, deliverables, and outcomes to inform renewals and future investments.

Partner with the creative studio to deliver partnership assets to submit clear briefs with scope, partner specifications, and deadlines, and help prioritize work so assets are delivered on time and to standard.

What we’re looking for

The person who succeeds in this role is highly organized, action oriented, and comfortable owning complex programs from end to end. You build strong partner relationships, keep stakeholders informed, and maintain clear, current trackers, timelines, and files. You move work forward without waiting to be asked, close loops quickly, and communicate status and decisions clearly. You treat budgets with care, stay calm as priorities shift, and bring structure to fast moving, cross functional work.

Required Qualifications

A minimum of 10+ years Marketing experience with 4 to 6 years of experience in brand partnerships, sponsorships, or partnership marketing, including year long programs

Experience sourcing, negotiating, and closing partnership or sponsorship agreements in partnership with Legal

Experience managing partner relationships and contracted deliverables across a full program year

Experience owning a partnership or marketing budget, including forecasting, actuals, and closeout

Strong Excel skills and experience managing purchase orders, invoices, and reconciliation with Finance

Strong working knowledge of Asana for planning, assigning, and tracking work

Experience managing event or activation logistics, including shipping, installation, or on site production

Experience defining partnership metrics and delivering post activation recaps