VP/SVP Global Partnerships

At Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), we work in service of something bigger than ourselves. To us it is so much more than just a game or concert. It takes all the members of our team to deliver on our mission of uniting people through unforgettable experiences and, to fulfill our purpose of being champions, inspiring humanity through sports and entertainment. SS&E owns and operates the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Austin Spurs (NBA G-League), the San Antonio FC (USL), and manages the day-to-day operations of the Frost Bank Center, Toyota Field, STAR Complex and the Victory Capital Performance Center.

Partnerships is a critical thread that runs through our business, our franchises and our properties. We know that beyond the revenue opportunities that partnerships provide, they have the power to build community, demonstrate our values and drive the future of our business.

SS&E is seeking an experienced and dynamic Vice President (or Senior Vice President) of Global Partnerships to join our leadership team. Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer, this individual will leverage their track record of thinking “outside of the box” to build marketing platforms, drive tangible value and meet and/or exceed revenue growth goals for our clients and our organization. The VP/SVP, Global Partnerships will be a self-starter and formidable cross-functional leader, capable of wielding data insights to inform strategy, and adept at managing complexity and ambiguity in their day-to-day work. The VP/SVP will be skilled at both strategy and operations, and able to build a winning and robust set of priorities for their team and the organization.

In their first 12-18 months, we expect this role to lead on core projects like securing a jersey patch partner, driving market and regional expansion, and leading their team to close multiple seven figure deals. In addition to being an external leader and representative of SS&E, they will be a savvy internal collaborator and partner with teams like Basketball Operations, Brand, Impact and more. This position is based in San Antonio and will lead a team of 20+ individuals across Partnerships Sales, Account Management, Activation and Brand Lab.

What You’ll Do: 

• Lead business development efforts across our full portfolio, which includes the San Antonio Spurs (NBA), Frost Bank Center, Toyota Field, San Antonio FC (USL), and Austin Spurs (NBA G League).
• Lead partnership sales, activation, and renewal efforts by developing a multi-year strategy that establishes and achieves aggressive annual revenue targets, while also driving profitable new business opportunities throughout South Texas, nationally, and globally.
• Recruit, hire, develop, and retain a premier team of sales, strategy, and activation professionals who are results driven and collaborate effectively with a “One SS&E” mentality
• Provide regular revenue performance updates to SS&E Leadership and investors, including the development and progression against companywide KPIs
• Implement a robust new business pipeline process through a combination of market/category research and relationship development.
• Build and deepen relationships with existing and prospective partners’ senior-level decision makers.
• Design and implement a comprehensive annual engagement framework that optimizes SS&E’s touchpoints throughout our partner organizations.
• Develop innovative and relevant partnership platforms across community engagement, digital and linear media, bespoke activation spaces, custom retail initiatives, premium giveaways, and more.
• Develop compelling storylines and pitch materials driven by market research and partnership case studies, always with a clear understanding of the partner’s brand marketing goals and the SS&E connection.
• Collaborate closely with internal colleagues across data analytics, impact, marketing, digital, ticketing, and premium seating to deliver maximum value for us and our partners.
• Coordinate with legal and finance departments to review and approve all partnership agreements and/or amendments.
• Partner with colleagues across the NBA and other global professional sports teams to understand best practices, as well as emerging partnership trends.
• Attend regional, national, and global industry events serving as a spokesperson for SS&E as needed
  
  

Who You Are:  

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in business or related field.
• 10+ years of partnership sales; experience with an agency, team, league, or rights holder is desirable
• 5+ years of people management experience, including hiring and retaining high-performing teams.
• Experience with a multi-franchise or portfolio organization is preferred.
• Demonstrated track record in negotiating, closing, and renewing multi-year six- and seven-figure per annum partnership deals with regional, national, and global brands.
• Experience prospecting, negotiating, closing, and renewing major marquee entitlements (e.g. facility naming rights).
• Experience building, selling, and measuring impact of organic and paid branded content activations in digital environments (web, social, mobile app, and eSports); deep relationships with digital media agencies preferred.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, negotiation, analytical, and presentation skills.
• Market knowledge of Southwest Texas (San Antonio & Austin), Latin America and France is a plus.
• High proficiency with sponsor related analytic tools and software – including Nielsen, YouGov, Microsoft Office, and KORE Software.
• Flexible to work the hours required around sports and entertainment schedule, inclusive of evenings, weekends, and holidays, as needed.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally for business meetings and partnerships efforts.
• Fluency in Spanish is a plus.
  
  

Job Competencies

In this position, the following competencies will contribute to the employee’s success:

Communication Agility, Strategic Agility, Development of Others

In every position, each employee is expected to: demonstrate alignment with SS&E’s core values and mission, collaborate with internal/external community members and demonstrate ongoing development. 

If you don’t have experience in every single bullet above, no sweat – we still want to hear from you and encourage you to apply! 

 

SS&E is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

Nothing contained in this job description is intended to be a contract of employment, nor does any information contained here represent a guarantee of employment for a specific duration.  Your employment with SS&E is “at will", which means that either you or SS&E may terminate the relationship at any time. Essential functions listed above must be performed with or without accommodations.