Director of Brand & Growth Strategy, AfroTech

Blavity, Inc. is a venture-funded media and technology company, founded in 2014 around a simple idea: enable Black millennials to tell their own stories. Today, we are home to the largest network of platforms and lifestyle brands serving the multifaceted lives of Black millennials & Gen Z through original content, video, unique experiences, and product solutions. Blavity Inc. has evolved into a market leader for Black media, reaching 250 million users per month through our growing brand portfolio, including Blavity, Blavity360º, AfroTech, Talent Infusion, 21Ninety, Travel Noire, Home & Texture, and Blavity House Party. Our Blavity, Inc. employee community is composed of passionate, energetic, and culturally conscious individuals working together to deliver value to each other, the company, and our clients. We are always searching for new additions to our community that will help us continue to scale, contribute meaningfully to our culture, and advance our strategic direction.

Job Summary: 

AfroTech is at an inflection point. We're evolving from a flagship consumer event into a global B2B growth engine for Black innovation. We need a sharp, senior operator who can both think and do: someone who can shape brand strategy at the highest level while owning the execution of our most important partnerships.

This role demands a rare combination: someone who can sit at the table for our biggest strategic decisions and then walk out and run a high-stakes partnership contract the next morning.

You must be tech-obsessed and deeply tapped into what's happening across tech innovation, product innovation, and the broader ecosystem. 

You'll work closely with the executive team on how AfroTech and Health Stack interact as part of our broader portfolio strategy.

This role reports to the Office of the CEO with a dotted line to SVP Live Events.

Contractors will be responsible for providing their own equipment, including but not limited to laptop computers, cell phones, or any other electronic equipment required to perform their role.

Responsibilities: 

Partnership Strategy & Execution

• Build and maintain relationships with senior decision makers across tech, government, and culture
• Own end-to-end execution of high-priority partnerships
• Run contracts: redline, negotiate value exchange 
• Execute the partnership agreement
• Set up and manage partnership workflows in Asana
• Be the primary point of contact for partner principals, handle their questions, drive things to close

Brand & Growth Strategy

• Work with leadership to the multi-year brand strategy for AfroTech
• Lead strategic planning on major decisions (programming pillars, B2B positioning, audience expansion)
• Define how AfroTech operates as a B2B growth engine independent of media
• Identify and pressure-test new revenue, partnership, and audience opportunities

Qualifications:

• Have 5+ years of experience blending strategy and execution at senior levels 
• Are tech obsessed and deeply fluent in tech innovation, product innovation, and the broader ecosystem
• Can think in frameworks but ship in days, not quarters
• Have actually closed and managed partnerships with government bodies, Fortune 500s, or high-profile cultural figures
• Bring strong opinions on brand and aren't afraid to push back, but know when "good enough and done" beats "perfect and stalled"
• Read the room: you know the difference between strategic ambition and adding things that don't matter''

Details: 

• This is a fully remote, U.S.- based role. Occasional travel may be required. 
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Hours: 10 - 15 (increase as closer to AfroTech Conference)
• Hourly Rate: $50 - $60
• This is a paid contract engagement through AfroTech Conference in November, scoped around the current partnership pipeline and AfroTech 2026 strategy. For the right person who delivers strong work and is a great fit, there is room for growth into a longer-term role on the team.