Director Of Sports Marketing - Basketball

Company Description
Headquartered in Southern California, Skechers has spent 30 years helping men, women and kids everywhere look and feel good. Developing comfort technologies is at the foundation of all that we do-delivering stylish, innovative, and quality products at a reasonable price. From our diverse footwear offering to a growing range of apparel and accessories, Skechers is a complete lifestyle brand.
With international business representing over half of our total sales, we have product available in more than 180 countries and significant opportunities for continued expansion worldwide. We sell our collections direct to consumers through more than 4,450 Skechers stores around the globe and Skechers e-commerce sites, as well as through a network of third-party partners.
A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR GLOBAL LEADER IN THE FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY.
Job Description
The Strategic Partnerships team oversees inbound licensing and celebrity talent endorsements and collaborations by acquiring and negotiating deals, as well as working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to plan and execute go-to-market campaigns. Additionally, this team identifies culturally relevant trends and marketing partnership opportunities that will drive growth for the company and impact the overall perception and influence of the brand.
This department works closely with external partners, such as athletes, celebrity talent, brand licensors, licensing agencies, and talent managers, and collaborates across internal cross-functional teams, including PR, Digital, Creative, Retail, and Product, to successfully manage and execute global partnership campaigns, including Skechers basketball launch.
JOB PURPOSE-
The Director of Sports Marketing for Basketball is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing all athlete related branding and marketing activities for the basketball category, reporting to the Managing Director of Global Licensing & Strategic Partnerships, and working closely with the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Director of Sports Marketing.
Collaborating with management and key partners across the organization, the Director of Sports Marketing for Basketball works to define and execute a strategic vision which utilizes athletic ambassadors and related marketing activities to promote and grow the Skechers brand in both domestic and international markets.
ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES-
General

• Develop, maintain and identify best-in-class relationships for Skechers with basketball athletes and partners.
• In collaboration with the Managing Director of Global Licensing & Partnerships, Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Director of Sports Marketing, create a marketing, communication, and performance plan for each basketball athlete.
• Conceptualize and execute innovative and "game-changing" athlete projects and initiatives that bring the athlete and brand personality to life.
• Leverage wholesale account partners to promote events and programs involving Skechers Basketball athletes.
• Collaborate closely and effectively liaising with other internal departments, such as Product, Retail, Visual Merchandising, Graphics, Advertising, and PR.

Athlete Management

• Manage day-to-day athlete and agent relationships while ensuring all contractual obligations are met, including but not limited to securing products, executing marketing plans, managing social media content calendars, handling contract discussions, booking travel, processing invoices, organizing charity donations, etc.
• Work with each athlete/agent to understand their performance basketball product needs as well as their off-the-court style preferences, then collaborate with the Skechers Product Team to ensure athletes are wearing the highest-caliber products specific to their individual needs.
• Manage athlete design/testing of all technical styles (production and player edition) while gathering feedback from professional athletes on fit and function of new products.
• Communicate the key product offerings to each managed athlete and agent.
• Work with the athletes/agents to identify and support their charitable initiatives.
• Collaborate regularly with Strategic Partnerships team to update and manage all key Sports Marketing documents/assets, including:
  • Athlete Game Schedules
  • Athlete/Ambassador Footwear Shipment Tracking
  • Athlete Appearance Schedules
• Work closely with the Creative, PR, and Strategic Partnerships Team to build a social media strategy for professional basketball athletes and ambassadors surrounding key product launches and events.
  • Ensure athletes are unveiling upcoming launches on social media.
  • Work with Creative to ensure assets are created specific to the launches - social/digital/etc.
  • Liaison between the Sales/Creative/Product Teams communicating any delays or revisions to planned launch dates and/or launch colors.
• Manage the tracking and forecasting of new and existing footwear and apparel inventory levels and overall sales performance on a quarterly basis.

Business Development Support

• Responsible for owning, executing, and building a Basketball Ambassador program.
• Work closely with Strategic Partnerships team in driving deal flow process, including research, lead acquisition, vetting inbounds, negotiation, contract management, athlete renewals, and closing deals.
• Identify potential future basketball athletes/ambassadors who align with Skechers' goals and initiatives.
  • Ensure these athletes are on the executive team's radar and poised to be on their basketball team roster.
  • When appropriate, establish strong connections to potential future athletes, agents, etc.
• Prepare and submit initial deal terms to the internal leadership team and external partners (i.e. athlete managers, agencies, etc.) for review/approval.
• Manage all stages of contract comments.
• Prepare contract summaries and coordinate with relevant departments to ensure details are shared effectively across the company.
• Track all copies of signed deal memos and contracts.

Analytics & Research

• Conduct data analytics and trend analysis to share competitive intelligence and propose new partnerships and marketing opportunities.
• Gather market intelligence to identify culturally relevant sports trends, agency news, and successful marketing campaigns in the sports and media/entertainment space.
• Prepare and present research reports on specific product categories and athletes.

Qualifications
JOB REQUIREMENTS-

• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to create, establish, and maintain strong business-centered interpersonal relationships with athletes, agents, family and friends.
• Ability to project a professional and polished image.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with a high level of confidentiality and discretion.
• High level of professionalism and ethics.
• Excellent organization, adaptability, time management skills with the ability to prioritize/coordinate multiple projects simultaneously in a dynamic, quick-moving environment.
• Strong attention to detail and deadlines; great follow up skills.
• Proactive and resourceful, with a can-do attitude.
• Ability to solve problems, take ownership, and take accountability.
• Ability to establish and maintain a positive work environment and work with a wide range of people (personalities, cultures). Expert understanding of social media platforms and utilization, including Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and TikTok.
• Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PPT, Teams, Outlook, etc).
• General availability to support the department outside of regular working hours when necessary.
• Ability to work with both domestic and international markets, flexing to meet their working hours as needed.
• Light travel.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Sports Marketing, Marketing, or related discipline preferred.
• 7-10 years of talent management, marketing and contract negotiation experience; specific experience with athletes, teams, influencers and/or media.
• Experience in Sports Marketing and/or athlete management within the basketball space preferred.
• Proven ability to lead and influence others to accomplish strategic objectives.
• Success driving change and achieving business results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with attention to the audience.
• Proven ability to digest complex information and communicate findings, questions, and results in a compelling and simplistic manner to cross-functional teams.
• Genuine and demonstrated interest in basketball, sports, and fitness.

Additional Information
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The skills, abilities and physical demands described are representative of those duties that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified for the job position, to perform the essential functions.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS-
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk; sit, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, kneel. The employee is occasionally required to sit for long period of times.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Pay range for this position is $100-$160K
Benefits:

• Paid Parental Leave: including time for fathers and adopting parents.
• Short term & long term disability and life insurance at no cost to the employee.
• Extensive medical, dental, and vision plans with multiple carries, including EPO, HPN and PPO plans.
• Competitive 401k plan and employer matching.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Savings Account (FSA) offerings.
• Paid vacation, sick, personal and holiday time.
• Pet Insurance available.
• Onsite wellness programs at company headquarters including fitness classes, acupuncture, and chiropractor.
• Employee stock purchase program
• Employee product discount of 50%; employee sample sales and family and friends discount throughout the year.
• Skechers Company Culture and growth strategy is deeply infused with internal career growth and opportunities for learning.