Director of Partnerships, Germany / DACH (m/w/d)

The Director of Partnerships will be responsible for leading the Commercial team to successfully manage all partners who have sponsorship rights in Germany / DACH and meet annual revenue targets. 

The role will require someone who possesses strong leadership skills with experience of working cross functionally and championing partner programs internally. Results will be measured against team performance, sponsorship revenue, activation and satisfaction, along with increased and improved fan engagement metrics. This position will be based in the NFL office in Dusseldorf, Germany. 

As international business grows, there may be requirements to work across multiple developing European territories, supporting partnership development.  

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

• Exceptional Partnership Management 
  • Develop relationships with existing NFL partners and be adept at resolving partner issues, thinking creatively and efficiently to reach solutions  
  • Identify and contact key decision makers at C-suite level 
  • Lead on local renewals process for Partners and support the team on upsells to meet revenue targets, working closely with the global team to capitalize on available activation funds 
• Supporting Revenue Growth through New Business 
  • Support Global New Business by providing market perspectives, identifying relevant local targets / contacts, and recommending / prioritizing white space opportunities 
  • Proactively identify opportunities and revenue streams including exploitation of traditional inventory and digital opportunities 
  • Analyze opportunities for growth in new areas to drive profitability and carry out regular analysis to mitigate any potential risks 
  • Build innovative and tailored propositions that attract and convince potential sponsors to partner with the NFL 
  • Provide support using key sponsorship and valuation metrics during contractual discussions 
  • Manage local sales agencies ensuring they execute their scope of work and provide support as needed 
  • Adopt a proactive approach to secure incremental revenue, working closely with the international team as well as Marketing and Consumer Products departments  
• Flawless In-Market Activation Execution 
  • Work with the Global Sponsorship Team, to ensure a consistent look and feel is achieved and a joined-up approach, where relevant is adopted 
  • Manage local activation agencies to ensure they execute their respective scopes and provide support as needed 
  • Lead and oversee the activation and asset development of key League priorities including International Games, and in-market tentpole activations (e.g., Kickoff Watch Parties, Super Bowl watch parties) 
  • Support Club Business Development with team activity and new partnerships, advising on local guidance based on local partner rights 
• Serve as a Visible In-Market Leadership 
  • Motivate all team members and lead by example to ensure a committed, enthusiastic, and passionate delivery on a day-to-day basis 
  • Oversee the partnership delivery program to ensure assets are available and inventory is being carefully managed 
  • Actively provide feedback for continuous improvement based on market knowledge and executional requirements 
  • Maintain strong marketplace knowledge about industry trends and company spend in sponsorship/ marketing 
• Collaborate and Manage Internal Stakeholders 
  • Provide updates to GM, Germany, and US Global Sponsorship Team on day-to-day partner management matters, including efficient pipeline and status reporting 
  • Successfully navigate through a complex matrix business with poise and maturity, whilst ensuring the best interests of the team and commercial partners  
  • Responsible for the discretionary commercial budget and reporting into, GM, Germany, NFL Finance team and US Global Sponsorship Team regularly 
  • Align with the reporting process internationally to ensure that all internal departments are engaged with NFL Partners and provide the necessary support to deliver against Partner objectives, with constant communication and collaboration 
  • Foster the best possible professional relationships with internal stakeholders and colleagues 
  • Provide updates to Global Sponsorship Team on day-to-day partner management matters, including efficient pipeline and status reporting 
  • Ensure all internal stakeholders understand the importance of the commercial program and each department understands their role in the successful delivery of the program 
  • Collaborate with other departments, particularly finance, legal, public relations, and marketing, to ensure the successful contracting and sign-off of any new program
• Support and drive overall business goals of NFL Germany / DACH in the Partnership space
  
  • Identify core synergies between Sponsorship and other crucial revenue streams / key stakeholders within the in-market organization (e.g., Media partners) to drive overall growth 
  • Close collaboration with other key partners, like host cities, that influence cross-departmental success of the business, e.g., around hosting Games in-market  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred
• German/English fully fluent; needs to have the ability to translate meetings and conversations as necessary and clearly convey tone and potential cultural differences to provide perspective
• 5-8 years of experience in sports or with agency 

Preferred Qualifications

• Sports Sponsorship background
• League or Club experience
• Client management experience  
• Sales/Revenue generation  
• Additional language proficiency preferred 

Other Key Attributes / Characteristics

• A big thinker who can identify new commercial opportunities  
• Communicates clearly and inspires the team through action  
• Excellent organizational skills, multi-tasker, and confident presenter 
• Highly analytical and strategic approach 
• Proven evidence of planning, forecasting and decision making 
• Adept with research, evaluation and industry analysis tools and methodologies 
• Self-reliant and able to work well unsupervised and demonstrate initiative, yet equally a team player who can follow instruction and support others 
• Effective management and delegation 
• Ability to develop direct reports’ skillsets and create career development paths 
• Understanding of a multi-faceted business operation 
• Has a flexible, resilient, and 'hands-on' approach 
• Ethical and hard-working with a strong personal commitment to deliver at pace 
• Works well under pressure adapting to tight deadlines and differing demands 
• Possesses good judgement and behavioral maturity 
• Ambitious and hungry for opportunity 

Physical Demands: 

• Event execution  

Travel: 

• Around planning and executing event (25%)

Salary / Pay Range

This job posting contains a pay range, which represents the range of salaries or hourly rates that the NFL believes, in good faith, at the time of this posting that it might be willing to pay for the posted job in the location(s) specified. The NFL expects to hire for this position near the middle of the range. Only in truly rare and exceptional circumstances, where an external candidate has experience, credentials or expertise that far exceed those required or expected for the position, would the NFL consider paying a salary or rate near the higher end of the range. 

Terms / Expected Hours of Work

• Some weekend/global travel work for hosting clients