Vice President, Business Development and Partnerships

Overview

Herschend is the world’s largest family-held themed attractions company, with a portfolio of over 45 family entertainment brands, including destinations, resorts, theme parks, water parks, immersive experiences, and content enjoyed by audiences worldwide.

Herschend is the world’s largest family-held themed attractions company, with a portfolio of over 45 family entertainment brands, including destinations, resorts, theme parks, water parks, immersive experiences, and content enjoyed by audiences worldwide. While each of our family brands offers something unique, all are united by a shared purpose:
Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating®. Our 22,000 passionate hosts make this purpose possible through everyday acts of love and service—what we call Heartspitality®—the intersection of heart and hospitality. As an equal-opportunity employer, we strive to provide environments where every host, guest, and partner feels welcome, valued, and loved. We firmly believe that words and actions matter, which is why all individuals are to be treated equally and with respect.

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The Vice President of Business Development and Partnerships will lead the strategic growth and expansion of the Herschend’s digital ecosystem and on-property experiences through high-impact partnerships. The role also manages the pipeline of incoming deal opportunities and organic growth ventures. This executive will be responsible for setting and executing the partnership and growth strategy, prospecting new opportunities, negotiating and securing agreements, and managing long-term relationships that drive mutual value.

In this role, the VP will create compelling consumer value propositions for our guests, the company and partners, while ensuring performance commitments are met and exceeded. This is a leadership role requiring a balance of strategic thinking, market insight, and a deep understanding of the digital and leisure industries. The successful candidate will bring a track record of success in managing complex partnerships and deal-making in a dynamic, results-oriented environment.

Partnership Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the company  partnership strategy across digital platforms and on-property experiences, aligned with overall corporate goals and property annual plans.
• Identify key growth opportunities in both digital ecosystems (e.g., technology platforms, content providers, online services, owned channels, customer data) and on-property experiences (e.g., events, F&B, leisure services) that enhance guest experiences and drive new revenue streams.
• Lead the design of integrated consumer value propositions for each partnership, ensuring mutual benefit and strong market differentiation by property and at the enterprise level where appropriate.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders (e.g., properties, marketing team, technology, finance) to ensure alignment and successful implementation of partnerships.

Deal Sourcing & Negotiation

• Lead the overall pipeline management process across a matrix of relationships for each Herschend property and across the enterprise for partnerships, incoming deal flow and organic growth ventures.
• Proactively prospect and identify new partners, leveraging market intelligence, industry trends, and business relationships locally and nationally.
• Negotiate and secure high-value contracts with potential partners, including defining partnership terms, financial models, KPIs, and performance metrics.
• Ensure the partnership pipeline is consistently populated with high-quality, revenue-generating opportunities.
• Manage and collaborate with third party agencies who work on the company’s behalf for agreed sectors and properties to source deals and extend our network of relationships.

Relationship Management & Performance

• Cultivate and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key internal stakeholders, ensuring a collaborative and productive working environment.
• Manage ongoing partner relationships, ensuring performance commitments are being met by both parties and that…