Director, Business Development and Operations

Our Mission:

As humans, there are few things more exciting than meeting someone new. At Tinder, we’re inspired by the challenge of keeping the magic of human connection alive. With tens of millions of users, hundreds of millions of downloads, 2+ billion swipes per day, 20+ million matches per day, and a presence in 190+ countries, our reach is expansive—and rapidly growing.

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We work together to solve complex problems. Behind the simplicity of every match, we think deeply about human relationships, behavioral science, network economics, AI and ML, online and real-world safety, cultural nuances, loneliness, love, sex, and more.

The Team or Role:

Tinder is investing in bringing people together beyond the screen. Our Events initiative creates curated, in-person experiences that give members new ways to connect -  and we're looking for a director-level commercial leader to build it from the ground up.

The Director, Business Development & Operations will own everything that makes the Tinder Events supply engine run: the strategy, the team, the partnerships, the processes, and the results. This is not a role for someone who manages existing programs - it's a role for a builder who can stand up a new function, close deals at multiple levels of complexity, and create a scalable operating model that holds up as the program expands city by city.

You will run two distinct partnership tracks simultaneously - a scaled, high-volume event supply pipeline and a program of branded event experiences - each requiring a different commercial motion, deal structure, and execution model. You will hire and develop the team that delivers both, and you will serve as a senior commercial thought partner to Tinder leadership as the program grows.

You'll report to the VP, Business Development and work closely with cross-functional partners across Marketing, Legal, Product, Engineering, and Design.

Where you'll work:

This is a hybrid role requiring in-office collaboration three times per week in Los Angeles, CA, with approximately 25% travel for market launches, partner meetings, and on-the-ground event activation.

In this role, you will:

Build and Lead the Team

• Hire, structure, and develop a team of BD Managers, Operations Analysts, and market specialists from the ground up - defining the org model and adapting it as the program scales
• Set the performance bar for the team across both partnership tracks, coach to it, and hold people accountable to pipeline and partner targets
• Create the playbooks and onboarding systems that allow new team members to ramp quickly and operate independently across markets
• Serve as a senior commercial leader who elevates the team's ability to pitch, close, and retain partners

Drive Commercial Performance

• Own the end-to-end BD pipeline for the high-volume event supply track: outbound sourcing, outreach, pitching, negotiation, onboarding, and partner retention at scale across multiple markets
• Co-lead the Produced track partnership program, in partnership with the VP of BD: identify high-impact brand and venue partners, develop and pitch new branded event formats, and close complex multi-party deals with national or regional partners
• Secure co-promotion agreements and co-marketing terms with event hosts and brand partners that drive mutual visibility and user value
• Leverage AI and automation tools to accelerate outreach, lead scoring, pipeline management, and partner communications across both tracks
• Invent new deal structures and business models to unlock supply - from local ambassador programs and inbound marketing for organizers to new event formats that don't yet exist

Build the Operating Model

• Design and document the end-to-end workflow for how events are sourced, vetted, negotiated, onboarded, listed, monitored, and renewed across both partnership tracks
• Build the sales operations infrastructure that makes the team run: territory design, pipeline reporting, forecasting, and performance tracking
• Establish quality control standards that define what belongs on Tinder: brand alignment, event type, audience fit, and listing accuracy
• Build market-specific playbooks that can be systematically replicated as the program expands to new cities and regions
• Partner with Product and Engineering on how the supply management model should evolve as the platform grows

Lead Supply Strategy

• Serve as the program's chief strategic thinker on supply: developing and pressure-testing models for how Tinder sources, manages, and curates events at scale
• Bring a creative commercial mindset to supply challenges: how do we drive inbound interest from event hosts? Should we deploy local cultural ambassadors? What's the right tiering model for supply quality? How do we stay curated at scale?
• Represent the Events team's commercial interests in cross-functional discussions with Marketing, Product, Legal, and Senior Leadership

You’ll need:

• 8+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, or sales - with at least 3 years in a senior role closing complex deals and managing or developing a team
• A proven commercial track record: you have hard numbers - deals closed, revenue or pipeline generated, partner programs built from scratch
• Experience operating at both ends of the deal spectrum: high-volume, scaled outbound sales and complex, multi-party strategic partnerships
• Sales operations expertise - you've built or managed the infrastructure that makes a sales team run (CRM, forecasting, comp design, territory structure, pipeline reporting)
• Demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and hold a team accountable - you know how to set a high bar and bring people along
• Commercial creativity - you've pitched deal structures that didn't exist before and convinced partners to say yes
• Strong operational instincts - you build repeatable systems, not one-off solutions, and you apply that thinking to team design as much as to processes
• Entrepreneurial drive - you're energized by ambiguity, comfortable making decisions without a complete playbook, and biased toward action
• Clear, structured communication - you translate ground-level commercial activity into strategic insights for leadership, and you write and present with precision

Nice to have:

• Experience in events, nightlife, live entertainment, hospitality, or consumer lifestyle industries
• Background working with national brand partners on co-marketing or co-branded deal structures
• Familiarity with event marketplace platforms from a partnership or operations perspective
• Experience scaling a commercial program across multiple cities or regions
• Background working with Gen Z or millennial consumer audiences or community-driven brands