Director, Business Development and Operations

Our Mission:

Launched in 2012, Tinder® revolutionized how people meet, growing from 1 match to one billion matches in just two years. This rapid growth demonstrates its ability to fulfill a fundamental human need: real connection. Today, the app has been downloaded over 630 million times, leading to over 97 billion matches, serving approximately 50 million users per month in 190 countries and 45+ languages - a scale unmatched by any other app in the category. In 2024, Tinder won four Effie Awards for its first-ever global brand campaign, “It Starts with a Swipe”™

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

As a full-time employee, you’ll enjoy:

• Flexible Vacation, 10 Sick Days
• Time off to volunteer and charitable donations matched up to $15,000 annually 
• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental coverage
• 100% 401(k) employer match up to 10%, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• 100% paid parental leave (including for non-birthing parents) and family forming benefits
• Investment in your development: mentorship through our MentorMatch program, access to 6,000+ online courses through Udemy, and an annual $3,000 stipend for your professional development
• Investment in your wellness: access to mental health support via Modern Health, paid concierge medical membership, pet insurance, fitness membership subsidy, and commuter subsidy
• Free subscription to Tinder Gold