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Partner Management Lead

🇺🇸 New York City, NY, USA
Full Time
10+ years exp.
US$200,000 – US$230,000 per year

WORK OPTION: 4 days a week in the New York, NY office

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms.  NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.

Position Summary:
This position is a Team Lead for key strategic marketing partner relationships across NBA and all affiliate leagues. Individual will drive commercial revenue via upsells/renewals, manage executive level relationships with key partners, lead multi-person account teams and collaborate on cross-functional organizational initiatives to grow the game of basketball around the world.


Major Responsibilities:

  • Lead cross functional business teams who fulfill partners full sponsorship portfolios across NBA, WNBA, NBA G-League, USA Basketball and NBA 2K League properties
  • Manage broad partnership matters ranging from delivering contractual deliverables, identifying upsell opportunities, problem solving and navigating complex workstreams
  • Provide partnership expertise in the comprehension of contractual elements and understanding of partners' business goals and objectives to identify growth and expansion opportunities
  • Manage partner P&Ls and budgets including assisting in annual business planning process including fluency in our financial reporting and pipeline management system.
  • Develop strong working relationships, build credibility and drive consensus among senior level external partners and internal constituents including leads within GP, Events, Media (Broadcast and Digital), Content, Public Relations, Legal, Licensing, Social Responsibility, Player Marketing, etc.
  • Establish partnership goals, identify success metrics, develop a measurement system and plan for demonstrating partnership effectiveness and impact
  • Coach, educate, and lead direct reports and others on shared accounts by providing constructive feedback, building development goals and crafting a career plan.


Required Skills/Knowledge:

  • Experienced and proven sales track record.
  • Positive relationship and networking skills
  • Strong presentation skills, including the ability to facilitate difficult discussions and interact with senior executives (internally and externally) to build and influence strategy
  • Strong relationship management skills both internally and externally, adapting to various personalities and working styles!
  • Ability to troubleshoot and problem solve with internal constituents and external partners
  • Ability to lead and encourage teams and individuals
  • Strong financial and analytical skills; budget build and financial forecasting
  • Must be highly motivated, proactive, self-starter with high energy and team spirit!
  • Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint


Education/Experience:

  • Minimum of 15 years professional experience in relevant field (marketing, advertising, account management, or brand management)
  • Prior people management experience
  • Undergraduate degree (BA or BS) in Marketing or related discipline

Salary Range: $200,000 - $230,000

Job Posting Title: Associate Vice President

The NBA does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or any other third parties. Any unsolicited resume sent to the NBA will be considered NBA property, and the NBA will not pay a fee should it hire the subject of any unsolicited resume.

The NBA considers applicants for all positions on the basis of merit, qualifications, and business needs, and without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, alienage or citizenship status, ancestry, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran status, familial status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

External Apply