Strategic Partnerships Associate
Access · San Diego · onsite
Access Your Potential.
Join us to create and deliver experiences that inspire people, spark connection, and bring imagination to life—while having a lot of fun doing it.
Are you an organized, creative, and relationship-oriented professional who enjoys keeping teams running smoothly? Join Access as a Strategic Partnerships Associate, where you’ll support our leadership team in building strong hotel partnerships, coordinating memorable experiences, and helping drive business growth. This is an opportunity to combine administrative coordination, hospitality, and creative support while working with a collaborative team.
The Strategic Partnerships Associate will work on-site in San Diego. We are also open to remote for the right candidate.
ABOUT THE JOB
As a Strategic Partnerships Associate, you’ll provide administrative, organizational, and creative support to Access’s Strategic Partnerships team, including the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and three Directors. You’ll help strengthen our preferred and exclusive hotel partnerships, support hotel events and familiarization trips (FAMs), and equip our territory teams with the tools and resources they need to grow local hotel relationships and generate new business.
This role is ideal for someone who takes pride in staying organized, anticipating needs, and ensuring the details are taken care of. From coordinating travel and maintaining partnership records to preparing presentations and supporting partner events, you’ll play an important role in helping the team operate efficiently and deliver an exceptional experience to our hotel partners.
WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING
- Provide day-to-day administrative support to the Strategic Partnerships leadership team, including calendar management, meeting coordination, travel arrangements, expense reporting, and general organization.
- Maintain accurate partnership records, contact lists, spreadsheets, files, and Salesforce updates while tracking important deadlines, commitments, and follow-up items.
- Coordinate hotel-partner communications and relationship-building touchpoints, including correspondence, thank-you notes, gifting, and recognition.
- Prepare polished presentations, reports, information packets, and other materials that support hotel partnerships and help territory teams develop local relationships and generate hotel-referred business.
- Support the planning and coordination of hotel familiarization trips (FAMs), customer events, industry meetings, and other partner experiences.
- Manage event logistics such as registrations, guest lists, schedules, itineraries, travel arrangements, presentations, signage, gifts, and on-site materials in collaboration with internal teams.
- Assist with event-day support and professional interactions with hotel partners as needed, including occasional travel.
- Partner with the Brand Experiences/Marketing team to coordinate approved collateral, invitations, branded items, and other customer-facing materials.
- Create and update PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, partner summaries, and simple visual materials, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail.
- Maintain organized libraries of templates, brand assets, photographs, and partnership materials, and assist with post-event follow-up and recap documentation.
- Anticipate team needs, manage competing priorities, and consistently follow through on assigned projects and deliverables.
ABOUT YOU
We know that there’s no one in the world like you. And we know that you have a lot to offer the next company you work with. Below is a list of “nice-to-haves”, but don’t let those deter you from applying. Access believes that an inclusive team and culture is important. We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.
Nice-to-haves:
- Approximately 1–3 years of experience in administrative support, coordination, hospitality, events, sales support, marketing, or a related field.
- Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and keep projects moving forward.
- A proactive, resourceful, and dependable approach to work, with a strong sense of accountability and follow-through.
- Friendly, personable, and professional communication skills, with the confidence to interact with hotel sales leaders, executives, clients, and internal teams.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- Familiarity with Salesforce or another customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
- Experience with Canva, Figma, or other basic design and presentation tools.
- An eye for visual presentation, branding, and polished customer-facing materials.
- A flexible, service-oriented mindset and the ability to remain calm and organized when priorities or schedules change.
- An interest in hotels, travel, destination management, and relationship-based business.
- Willingness to travel occasionally to support partner events and other business needs.
- A bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
WHY ACCESS?
We’re a women-owned, award-winning destination management company with teams in cities coast to coast. For 50+ years, we’ve been producing high-impact events and experiences for global brands—and we’re just getting started.
CULTURE & EXTRAS
- Certified as a Great Place to Work – 3 years in a row and counting!
- 55+ years in the industry!
- Women-owned and women-led
- Fun, creative, and supportive culture
- Focus on recognition and employee value – including annual and quarterly awards
- Paid day off to serve your local community
- Annual all-company retreat to connect, learn, and have fun together
- Annual qualifier-based incentive trip for top performers (certain departments eligible)
- Regional team outings
- Monthly companywide meetings to connect, learn, and celebrate wins
- Paid Sabbatical leave after 7 years of service!
COMPENSATION
- Highly competitive total compensation, including strong base salary and quarterly bonuses
- Very strong performance-based quarterly commission plans
- 401k with company match (eligible after 1 year – up to 4% of salary matched, vested immediately)
- Monthly cell phone stipend
WORK LIFE BALANCE
- Flexible schedule opportunities
- Generous PTO
- Sick days
- 9 full holidays
- 5 half days off prior to holidays to unplug early
- 2 floating holidays off to be used on holidays of your choice
- ½ day Fridays in July & August (based on achievement of goals)
HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND FAMILY
- Extensive menu of health plans to choose from
- Paid parental leave
- Pet insurance program
- Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Mentorship program
- “Masterclasses” in industry/department-specific topics
- State-of-the-art technology platforms and tools – including training
- Annual and monthly meeting content that focuses on professional development
Ready to ACCESS your next big opportunity? Apply today!
Access is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at careers@accessdmc.com.