As a unit of Market & Community Innovation, Sponsorships & Inclusive Partnerships oversees a large portfolio of sports, entertainment, lifestyle and emerging sponsorships (particularly in the realms of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, community development/community investment, universities and workforce development). The Managing Director is responsible for establishing the strategy and valuation process of our future sponsorships and to develop unique and creative partnerships that drive meaningful brand value and generate maximum ROI. This individual will focus on optimizing the existing portfolio of partners to ensure the assets are fully leveraged, manage the negotiations and renewals with new and existing sponsees, and evaluating the effectiveness of our programs on an ongoing basis.
Establish and lead the execution of the strategy for United's sponsorships and sponsorship activation, optimizing the existing portfolio of (40) partners to ensure each partnership contributes to United' goals and objectives. The Managing Director and team will also consult on contract negotiation and contract management with others in the organization who manage sponsorships and partnerships.
Synthesize United strategies, goals and financial targets with industry best practices, publicly available data, competitive intelligence and other sources to determine whether and how to renew existing agreements, renegotiate existing agreements, or evaluate new opportunities. There are 8-10 complex renewals, exits or fee negotiations each year, and 15-20 additional asset renegotiations each year, with a goal of maintaining contract-based spending at or below $35 million
Identify, negotiate, build and activate new, inclusive sponsorship/partnership agreements that support DEI initiatives, small- and minority-business development programs and community relationship opportunities complementary to those managed by Global Community Engagement
Partner with UA Corporate Communcations to build and support a comprehensive media relations, employee communications and social/digital media campaign, ensuring United's community-based efforts receive broad public awareness. Serve as a spokesperson internally and externally on behalf of the sponsorships effort.
Create and manage a measurement framework to assess the effectiveness of the sponsorship and activation portfolio, their impact on consumers' willingness to purchase and recommend United, and their ability to connect United with new customers and new revenue streams.
Bachelor's degree, preferred majors of Advertising, Business Administration, Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Sports Marketing
15+ years experience leading complex marketing, communications, sponsorship or business development initiatives, and 7+ years experience in a leadership role
Solid understanding of Marketing principles, social media marketing and sales, communications strategy
Strong analytical, negotiation, and partner valuation skills and usage of data to inform intuition and final decisions. Ability to work effectively across departments and create new ideas that prove useful.
Strategic thinker with excellent speaking and written skills.
Sponsorship/partnership management and activation, contract negotiation, event planning, and budget management skills
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualifications
Preferred
20+ years relevant work experience
Corporate spokesperson experience
Contract negotiation skills, understanding of asset valuations
Management of multiple complex sponsorships/partnerships, agency management, team/employee leadership
