Director, Global Sponsorship Strategy

The Director, Global Sponsorship Strategy will play a crucial role helping to lead strategic initiatives for the NFL’s Sponsorship team.

The NFL’s Sponsorship team manages the NFL’s portfolio of global sponsorships (e.g., Microsoft, Verizon, Visa) and evaluates new business opportunities across key international markets. The Strategy Group works within this fast-paced and dynamic team to lead high-priority strategic initiatives for all parts of the business.

Example initiatives might include:

• Defining the business case for new sponsorship opportunities (e.g., new categories, geographic expansion)
• Analyzing emerging categories or markets to assess and prioritize the business’s focus
• Supporting the negotiation of sponsorship deals in key sports advertising categories, as well as innovative white space areas
• Developing the strategy for monetizing new sponsorship assets in new international markets
• Identifying growth opportunities for current partners – whether platform, category, or market expansion

The Director will help lead these initiatives by driving analytics, structuring and communicating new insights, implementing recommendations, and creating operational alignment across department. This role will also have a presence on cross-departmental projects supporting the advancement of League priorities (Game, Fans, Engagement, International, Flag Football) and significant exposure to NFL senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Category Analysis:
  • Work closely with the Sponsorship Management SVP, Global Commercial Strategy Senior Director, and VP of New Business, to play a key supporting role on partner renewals and partnership management initiatives
  • Lead research into priority industries and/or companies, category trends, spending, peer group performance, competitors, and consumer behavior
  • Lead category deep-dives and become expert in strategically important categories, industries and markets
  • Lead international market analysis to understand the Sports landscape, competitive set, and market dynamics to support the go-to-market plans for the NFL’s Sponsorship business
  • Develop key relationships internally (e.g. data analytics team) and externally (e.g. investment banking community) to deepen sponsorship department knowledge of strategically important existing or new sponsorship categories
  • Help the Business Development team navigate potential current partner considerations/conflicts and recommend potential deal structures and assets based on a deep understanding of current contracts and assets
  • Advise account teams on renewal strategies by providing insights into relevant categories, supporting the development of alternative models/deal structures, and vetting new partnership concepts and structures internally
  • Support partnership management and retention by creating metrics to measure the success of partnerships and partnering with account leads to develop KPIs to track partner ROI

• Business Planning
  • Drive financial planning and analysis for NFL Sponsorship global business
  • Gain consensus (cross-functionally and across markets) on business objectives, create short and long-range revenue forecasts and accompanying business plans, and provide forecast updates to senior executives
  • Own modeling and scenario analyses around annual business planning and long-range planning in collaboration with NFL Finance
  • Support and drive broader team execution (both domestically and abroad) towards the Sponsorship business revenue forecast
  • Leverage and continuously assess evaluation and reporting evaluation agencies and tools to ensure teams and clients are operating from a trusted, verified fact-base

• Growth Initiatives:
  • Lead strategic projects and support revenue growth opportunities for the NFL Sponsorship business globally
  • Represent Sponsorship business in cross-departmental working groups focused on League-wide strategic initiatives (e.g. International Expansion, Innovation, Flag Football Development)
  • Support international commercial teams in interpreting market dynamics and feedback to problem-solve and develop new and relevant selling stories
  • Assess new consumer basis to identify relevant, brand-building prospective partners in international markets

• Governance and Policy Changes
  • Lead creation of presentations, talking points, and briefing materials for all department senior executive level meetings (e.g. ownership, League executives, committees, etc.)
  • Identify areas of policy changes and build data-backed business cases to influence their forward approach

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 10 years of total working experience with 5+ years in strategy, consulting, or internal strategy / operations function
• Experience working autonomously with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment
• Experience working with C-level executives and cross-functionally across all levels of management
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including advanced PowerPoint skills and the ability to create compelling written communications for executive audiences
• Business case modeling experience with a solid understanding of financial concepts
• Desire to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to deliver accurate work on tight deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA preferred
• Solid understanding of the marketing, media, technology, and sports industries
• Extensive background in strategy, banking, private equity, or management consulting working across various sectors
• Management experience leading a team of direct reports
• Experience working with CRM applications
• Superior PowerPoint and Excel modeling

Other Key Attributes / Talent Characteristics

• Leadership skills
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Superior problem-solving abilities and a resilient nature
• Must be highly resourceful and adaptable, with an intuitive understanding of how / where to get information and apply to project work
• Ability to tell a meaningful story through data
• Experience negotiating deals and/or managing strategic partnerships
• Effective collaboration, interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills
• Diligent, persistent, and enthusiastic

Physical Demands

• N/A

Travel

• Opportunity for travel around events, client meetings …less than 25% of time

Terms / Expected Hours of Work

• Work will exceed 40 hours per week
• Some weekend/global travel work for hosting clients

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

At the NFL, in-person work at our offices is a top priority because it allows us to collaborate more effectively, build stronger connections, and maintain the culture that drives our success. This role requires onsite presence at an NFL office or stadium location, and remote and/or hybrid working options are not offered.

NO RELOCATION ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED.

The NFL is committed to building an inclusive work environment that reflects our incredible fan base. We provide an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all employees and applicants without regard to status as protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. 

WHO WE ARE:

NFL Core Values:

• Respect: Everyone matters. We celebrate diverse opinions, honor hard work, and value every contribution.
• Integrity: We do what's right, even when it's tough. We hold ourselves accountable and always follow through.
• Team Responsibility: We support each other and our communities. No one is bigger than the game, and every action impacts others.
• Resiliency: We set high standards, overcome adversity, and adapt to challenges, always striving for excellence.

NFL Leadership Attributes:

• Build Talent: We develop and nurture potential, empowering individuals to grow and succeed.
• Execute: We take action with precision, delivering results that drive our goals forward.
• Inspire: We motivate others through vision, energy, and a commitment to excellence.
• Live Our Values: We embody our core principles in every decision and action.
• Know the Business: We stay informed, understand our industry, and make decisions that strengthen our position.
• Think Big: We challenge the status quo, envision bold possibilities, and strive for transformative impact

WHO YOU ARE:

Talent Attributes:   What we expect for our employees:

• Embody an enthusiastic, proactive can-do attitude 
• Embrace grit, free from ego or entitlement
• Excel as a relationship builder, with the ability to influence
• Eager learner, driven by passion rather than just ambition
• Encompasses an incredible work ethic with an agile mindset