Director, Partner Solutions & Insights

Overview

The Partner Solutions & Insights department is a centralized, foundational support team dedicated to enabling new business efforts, current partner retention, and identifying/development of property-specific commercial opportunities across Major League Soccer (MLS) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM). The group is seeking a Director who has experience developing integrated marketing platforms and go-to-market narratives dedicated to driving commercial revenue. The Director will play a leading role in platform development and commercial packaging of new and priority sponsor platforms for Major League Soccer (“MLS”) and Soccer United Marketing (“SUM”) properties under the guidance of and collaboration with department leadership. The Director will do this by understanding and applying marketing mix learning, consumer insights, communication strategy and thinking, data-driven analysis, and industry and sponsorship knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with business leads to understand sponsorship market trends, enterprise needs and desired deliverables to prioritize development opportunities.
• Liaise with MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, MLS NEXT, MLS GO, Concacaf, FMF, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup property leads to identity high potential platforms for development.
• Develop sponsorship platforms or assets, coordinating the efforts and contributions of internal and external collaborators, while aligning deliverables to sync effectively into a final work product.
• Champion sponsorship sales and renewal processes through the creation of insights-based proposals demonstrating property performance and unique value proposition
• Support Brand Alliances and Partnership Marketing in delivery and presentation of priority enterprise new business, renewal, and upsell opportunities to clients
• Collaborate with Department Lead to evolve current go-to-market narratives across entire MLS and SUM portfolio
• Keep a pulse on key trends, attitudes, and consumer behaviors across the sports industry and priority/emerging categories – synthesize to advise creative thinking and extract cultural truths to guide strategy
• Analyze work in partnership with Commercial Executive leads to improve partnership structure and valuation methodology, aligning with long term strategy across key properties and categories 
• Support the creation of external commercial deliverables inclusive of but not limited to property baseline (GTM narratives), strategic new business proposals, critical partner renewal pitch decks, property sell-sheets, and support in new platform development materials
• Oversee internal platform management documents, including inventory trackers, and sponsor positions/tiering. 
• Iterate upon, audit, and evolve centralized point for asset inventory allocation, ensuring commercial revenue is maximized. 
• Collaborate with leads across functions (e.g. Media, Content, Properties, Brand)
• Constantly strive for progress, regularly identifying areas of improvement that support the organization achieving its core objectives with a specific focus on metrics, tooling and process
• Support the development of processes and “work shares” to further a culture of learning, integration, and analytical thought
• Contribute to commercial thought leadership efforts that establish MLS and SUM as industry leaders, builds credibility, and incites curiosity
• Assist in any department initiatives or special projects
• Cultivate industry relationships to bring fresh ideas and thinking to development initiatives, and position SUM as a leader with a vision
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree, Masters Preferred
• 8 years of experience
• Extensive experience in sponsorship, media measurement, strategy, and marketing development
• Experience at media/entertainment, Rights Holder, or sports property
• Knowledge of the sport of soccer
• Strong industry relationships with agencies and data and research providers preferred (e.g., Endeavor, Wasserman, Nielsen Sports, Navigate Research, Blinkfire, etc.) 

Required Skills

• Experience building sports and entertainment properties, platforms and events, including the creation and delivery of new revenue opportunities
• Creative ability to visualize data for Go-To-Market and externally facing sales collateral
• Excellent people skills, with an ability to interact effectively and professionally with internal and external constituents to co-create and achieve organizational goals
• Superior project management skills with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with minimal supervision
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to draw conclusions and extract meaningful insights
• High degree of intellectual curiosity and creative insight
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate, both written and verbally, with a desire to present to internal and external stakeholders when applicable
• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, team environment
• Detailed understanding of the sports and entertainment industry
• Strong experience with PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Photoshop and/or Illustrator
• Understanding of the North American sponsorship landscape and how brands use sponsorships to meet business objectives

Total Rewards

Starting Base Salary $115,000 - $150,000. MLS/SUM base salaries are contingent upon several factors including individual qualifications, market financials, and operational business needs.

We are committed to providing a Total Rewards package that attracts, supports, engages, and retains talent through the following:

• Benefits – comprehensive and competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as a suite of programs to promote well-being including a $500 Wellness Reimbursement. A generous PTO offering, and hybrid Office/Remote Work Schedule are also offered to promote Work-Life balance.
• Career & Professional Development – on the job training, feedback, and on-going educational opportunities to continue your personal and professional development.
• Employee Engagement – office perks, discounts and employee events that go “beyond the traditional paycheck” to make you feel a part of the team and inspire you to elevate the Game!

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Salary : $115,000 - $150,000