National Women's Soccer League
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is the top professional women’s soccer league in the USA, with 12 teams and 300+ of the best soccer players globally. In just its 10th season, the league continues to grow exponentially: In 2022, the NWSL shattered all-time fan attendance records, more than two dozen markets expressed demand for expansion teams, valuations of teams multiplied by double digits, several new C-suite executives were hired, and the league continues to receive unprecedented interest from sponsors and media partners alike. The future of the NWSL has never looked brighter.
Position Description
Reporting to the Director of Partnership Strategy & Marketing, this position will be a key member of the Commercial Team, responsible for sourcing, developing, and assisting in the sale of large-scale, partnerships for the NWSL and occasionally supporting Partner Marketing efforts. The position plays a critical role in the successful operations of business development activities and pipeline, including;
- Sourcing and curating prospects.
- Researching prospects, category deep dives and landscapes.
- Assist crafting customized proposals and presentation materials.
- Drive development of new League platforms and new business opportunities.
- Optimize business development organizational processes – maintaining tracking documents and sales materials.
- Support partnership marketing efforts, when needed, via partner activations, performance tracking, and participation in partner meetings and events.
Primary Responsibilities
- Maintain an understanding of the NWSL, brand values, capabilities, active client portfolio and premium revenue generation sources.
- Possess deep knowledge of the active companies and categories of focus for the business development department.
- Responsible for developing and strategically calling on prospective client pipeline.
- Conduct regular research and share insights on key emerging categories to assist the team in identifying potential sponsors.
- Maintain accurate records of sponsor pipeline and assist in regular reporting for NWSL leadership.
- Work cross-departmentally to identify and develop innovative ideas and assets that meet corporate partner goals and NWSL objectives and incrementally sell ideas to partner portfolios.
Minimum Qualifications
- 5+ years of progressive experience in sponsorship sales.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required.
- Strong understanding of the sports marketing and media landscape.
- Ability to curate strong relationships with decision-makers of global and national organizations.
- Proven ability to prospect and generate qualified leads.
- Effective and proactive communication (both written and verbal) and relationship-building skills .
- Ability to problem-solve independently.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, tasks, and priorities.
- Experience gathering and analyzing research across internal and external industry sources; ability to clearly articulate the relevance of the research.
- Ability to deliver high quality work and execute under pressure/deadlines.
- Ability to work non-traditional hours in non-traditional settings within a professional sports atmosphere.
- Proficient in Microsoft Suite.
Desired Qualifications
- Has a strong professional and positive presence/image that represents the league both internally and externally.
- Guided by strong moral and ethical principles.
- Communicates in a direct, open, and honest manner.
- Accountable for actions/decisions and does not make excuses.
- Collaborative team player.
- Seeks feedback.
- Experience with Adobe Creative Suite a plus.
Salary: $75,000 -$85,000/year
NWSL salaries are contingent upon candidates’ qualifications, functional business needs, and market financials.
NWSL is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is vital to our success. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or citizenship.