Partnerships Manager, NBA Foundation

WORK OPTION: The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms.  NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness. 
 

Group Summary:

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries. 

NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related 

Job Summary:

We are actively seeking a Partnerships Manager to help support the first-ever NBA Foundation, a public 501(c)(3) charity, dedicated to creating greater economic empowerment in under resourced communities. The Partnerships Manager will be responsible for securing $2M in charitable donations from current and prospective NBA Foundation partners.

Reporting to the Partnerships Lead, The Partnerships Manager will be responsible for signature program execution and the account management process focused on strategic engagement, retention, and expansion. The Partnerships Manager will work efficiently across various internal departments such as Marketing, Operations, Legal, Finance, Content and Global Partners.

Major Responsibilities:

• Serve as lead on the account team responsible for managing day-to-day partner activation processes, including: activation planning and approvals, promotional development, media planning, financials, advertising creation and approval, event coordination for a portfolio of 5-10 partners 
• Serve as day-to-day contact on partnership matters ranging from activation strategy to contractual deliverables 
• Identify solutions to partner business challenges and remove project roadblocks 
• Develop and leverage strong relationships and build credibility with external partners and their lead agencies 
• Build effective working relationships and strong consensus with key NBA constituencies including: sub-departments within Global Partnerships and Media, Events, Public 
• Relations, Legal, Marketing, Social Responsibility, Team Marketing & Business Operations, Player Marketing, and all affiliate leagues 
• Execute against partnership goals and success metrics and implement a measurement plan for monitoring effectiveness and providing regular reporting 
• Lead various broader, department initiatives (e.g. partner engagement strategy)  

Required Education/Professional Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration or Nonprofit Management  
• Minimum 4-7 years professional experience in relevant field (marketing, advertising, business development, fundraising, account management, or brand management) 

Required Skills/Knowledge Attributes:

• Successful experience in developing marketing and event strategies for clients and a strong understanding of marketing and promotions, including demonstrated experience in developing and implementing successful marketing programs 
• Demonstrated relationship management skills both internally and externally (including with senior executives); ability to adapt to various personalities and working styles 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal 
• Presentation skills, including the ability to create and lead presentations 
• Strategic thinker who is able to execute current partner strategy and identify areas of optimization/opportunity 
• Strong financial and analytical skills; ability to create internal and external reports 
• Solid understanding of sponsorship activation including events, media, marketing rights, content, etc. 
• Ability to forecast issues in projects and problem solve with various constituents 
• Must be highly motivated, proactive, self-starter with high energy and team spirit 
• Enjoys fast paced and challenging work environment 
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint  

Salary Range: $105,000 - $120,000 

Job Posting Title: Manager 

The NBA does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or any other third parties. Any unsolicited resume sent to the NBA will be considered NBA property, and the NBA will not pay a fee should it hire the subject of any unsolicited resume. 

The NBA considers applicants for all positions on the basis of merit, qualifications, and business needs, and without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, alienage or citizenship status, ancestry, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran status, familial status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

The NBA is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace.  To safeguard our employees and their families, our visitors, and the broader community from COVID-19, and in consideration of recommendations from health authorities and the NBA’s own advisors, any individual working onsite in our New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA will discuss accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance.

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.