Manager, Brand Marketing

Excel Sports Management is an industry-leading sports agency representing top-tier talent, blue-chip brands and marquee properties. Our success is rooted in our people, our high character reputation and our commitment to creating a diverse and welcoming workplace. We focus on team chemistry, collaboration, strong relationships, valuable networks, and ambitious ideas to deliver innovative solutions that keep our clients and agency ahead of the curve.

Excel Sports Management is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).

Position Summary:

Excel Sports Management is seeking an experienced Manager, Brand Marketing to advise a key corporate client on their professional sports sponsorship and other sports marketing investments by providing end-to-end solutions, including strategy, negotiation, activation, implementation, event management and measurement. This person will create meaningful, strategic, and inspiring brand concepts, ideas, stories, and experiences for our clients. This role will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 Responsibilities:

• Manages the day-to-day progress of Excel’s Brand Marketing clients’ sponsorship activation and marketing initiatives
• Builds and maintains positive client relationships that result in enhanced partnerships and increased opportunities for Excel
• Interacts daily with clients and all appropriate agencies/properties to manage sponsorship programming initiatives
• Provides portfolio analysis, identifying relevant opportunities that yield strategic recommendations for clients
• Manages client-vendor relationships and coordinates necessary activation deliverables on behalf of clients
• Creates activation briefs, recaps, event itineraries and staff plans
• Plans and leads client status calls which include scheduling and preparing agendas or status documents
• Works with the team to develop integrated marketing and activation recommendations (social, digital, traditional media, experiential, PR, events, etc.)
• Manages the creation and implementation of materials that support individual sponsorship initiatives, including the development of creative elements, preparing marketing activation presentations and other materials to be distributed to clients
• Coordinates the acquisition of relevant results to be used in generating sponsorship recap reports
• Builds, sustains, manages, and reconciles budgets, along with providing client budget updates along each step of the process
• Manages internal resources and vendors to ensure the highest standard of work product is consistently delivered
• Conducts desk research and analysis to gain a greater knowledge of businesses and industries in order to create the best opportunities for our clients
• Attends and participates in staff events which may include some nights and weekends
• All other duties as assigned

 Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 4-5 years of direct experience in sponsorship, sports marketing, or other relevant industry experience
• Experience developing and implementing sponsorship marketing strategies and activations on behalf of clients or companies
• Sports marketing and agency experience managing day-to-day relationships with clients, agencies, and leading a team

 Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Passionate about creative ideation, developing, and finishing the job all the way through
• Willing and eager to go above and beyond, help his/her teammates, coachable, curious, inquisitive, flexible, and multi-faceted
• Curious brand marketer that has multi-channel experience across a variety of different disciplines
• Understand the sponsorship industry and experience working on high-profile sponsorship programs with professional golf knowledge and experience preferred
• Ability to self-start and work within a small team and dynamic organization
• Exceptional communicator (written and oral) who overdelivers and strives to impress everyone around him/her with work ethic and willingness to go above and beyond
• Experience managing day-to-day relationships with clients, agencies, and vendors
• Strong sense of ownership, ensuring goals are met and high-level standards are upheld
• Able to think strategically, creatively, and problem-solve independently (and in groups)
• Excellent time management and ability to multitask effectively in fast-paced environments
• Proficient in PowerPoint, Excel, and Word and the technical/computer skills to create and deliver client presentations
• Goal-oriented, results-driven and able to maintain composure under pressure
• Able to communicate and connect effectively and personably, recognizing the need to adjust communication style according to the audience
• Proactive and productive, recognizing opportunity and implementing procedures to achieve better job efficiencies
• Driven to increase industry knowledge and work to stay ahead of the curve
• Uncompromised ethics, integrity, and discretion with company and client information
• Engages in internal activities (team building, events, off-sites, etc.) and embraces internal culture
• Ability to travel frequently and work nights, weekends, and holidays

The pay range for this position is: $75,000- $85,000 per year. This position is also eligible for benefits and discretionary bonus.

Ultimately, the salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, business sector, and geographic location, among other criteria.

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Excel Sports Management provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.  This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, leaves of absence, compensation and training.