2027 Internships

We’re now accepting applications for our 2027 festival season!
Review the opportunities available and apply by following the instructions listed under each department.

SEASONAL roles

We’re now accepting applications for our 2027 festival season!
Review the opportunities available and apply by following the instructions on the pdf.

Sponsorship & Strategic Partnerships Director

Overview

The Marketing and Communications Director is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of all French Quarter Festivals, Inc.’s external communication, including but not limited to branding and marketing efforts, paid advertising, public relations messaging, media relations, and the social media presence. The goal of the Marketing and Communications Director is to promote FQFI and its key events by consistently articulating and elevating the purpose, mission, and vision of FQFI and our key events. 

Summary

Help power some of New Orleans’ most beloved celebrations. French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI) is the nonprofit behind French Quarter Festival (FQF), Satchmo SummerFest (SSF), and New Orleans Eve (NOE). FQF alone is considered the largest free festival in the South, filling the French Quarter neighborhood with 20+ stages of live local music and 70+ local food vendors. FQFI’s purpose is to uplift and sustain our local cultural economy and those who create it.

As Sponsorship & Strategic Partnerships Director, you’ll build the partnerships that keep these events thriving. You’ll run the full sponsorship cycle, from prospecting and contracting through on-site fulfillment and post-festival reporting, ensuring every partner receives what its contract promises. You’ll pitch and close deals with major brands, create custom sponsorship packages, and bring them to life through stage partnerships, immersive activations, and standout hospitality. If you’re a natural relationship builder who loves both the deal and the details, this is your chance to do work you can see, hear, and taste, while uplifting the musicians, culinary artists, and culture bearers who make New Orleans unlike anywhere else.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Revenue & Budget

• Set annual sponsorship revenue goals and lead the sales strategy to achieve them
• Develop partnership strategies that advance FQFI’s mission and strategic priorities
• Develop comprehensive activation strategies that achieve sales and brand objectives
• Design new sponsorship opportunities and customized packages that grow revenue and meet partner needs
• Create sales materials, including sponsorship decks and proposals
• Manage the sponsorship department budget

Sales & Account Management

• Generate leads and build a qualified sponsor pipeline year-round for FQFI events
• Foster relationships throughout the regional business community and national brand landscape to support FQFI’s business development efforts
• Maintain a portfolio of roughly 150 corporate and small business partners and prospects
• Lead outreach, sales calls, and pitch meetings to secure new partnerships
• Serve as the primary point of contact and account manager for all corporate and brand sponsors, driving communications from initial outreach through closing, planning, implementation, season debrief, and renewals
• Draft, negotiate, and execute sponsorship contracts
• Communicate contract deliverables to the Marketing & Communications, Operations, and Hospitality departments and oversee their fulfillment
• Lead weekly planning meetings with select sponsors and internal departments on complex, cross-departmental partnerships
• Lead creative direction and fulfillment of all on-site sponsor branding and signage, coordinating with the Marketing & Communications and Operations departments
• Manage on-site receipt of signage and lead a team to display it according to contract, from stage scrims to barricade banners

Hospitality & Trade Sponsorships

• Assess lodging and hospitality needs across the organization and lead efforts to secure necessary trade deals with hotel, restaurant, and beverage partners
• Coordinate with the Marketing & Communications department to develop trade agreements with media partners

Event Production 

• Hire and oversee seasonal crew members to support the sponsorship department and manage on-site operations for brand partnerships and sponsor activations
• Coordinate all sponsor operational needs, such as electricity, tenting, furniture, security, and parking, with the Operations department
• Work with third-party vendors to secure activation elements and obtain FQFI and sponsor approval of design proofs
• Communicate production requirements to activation sponsors and their third-party vendors, and collect their certificates of insurance
• Oversee all on-site sponsor activities, including roaming teams, sales activations, major brand activations, and the Children’s STEM Zone
• Review and approve all sponsor promotional items
• Coordinate sponsor participation in festival parades

Data & Reporting

• Manage sales tools, tracking, reporting, and the sponsorship database
• Create the sponsor survey, compile feedback, and identify areas for improvement
• Generate post-festival impact reports for sponsors and key partners

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of experience in sponsorship, partnerships, or event sales
• Proven success prospecting, pitching, and closing sponsorship deals
• Experience drafting and negotiating contracts
• Strong project management and multitasking skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Canva, and CRM databases
• Strong attention to detail and organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills
• Positive, solution-oriented approach and a collaborative, team-first mindset

Preferred

• Experience with large-scale outdoor festivals or live events
• Nonprofit or arts organization experience
• Experience with hospitality, beverage partnerships, or in-kind trade deals
• Familiarity with New Orleans culture and the local business community
• Budget management and accountability experience
• Management or leadership experience

Working Conditions

• Festival work involves long days outdoors, standing and moving across multiple French Quarter sites.
• Evening and weekend work is required during event periods.
• Festival work may include lifting up to 30 lbs. and communicating by handheld radio.

Compensation & Benefits

FQFI offers competitive compensation and comprehensive health and retirement benefits.

French Quarter Festivals, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions; sexual orientation; and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sickle cell trait, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during the application process may email info@fqfi.org.

To Apply: Please email your resume and cover letter to sponsorship@fqfi.org no later than december 1, 2026.