The Manager, Sports Marketing, is part of the College Sports brand team, which supports College Basketball, NCAA Championships, Olympic Sports and College Networks (ACC Network, SEC Network, Longhorn Network), based in Charlotte, NC. This position will focus on development and execution of marketing strategies and multi-platform promotional plans for the full College Basketball portfolio (across ESPN, ACC Network, SEC Network and Longhorn Network), NCAA Championships on ESPN, and Olympic Sports on ESPN+ in addition to providing overall support for the College Sports team. The position reports to the Senior Director, Sports Marketing – College Networks, College Basketball, NCAA Championships and Olympic Sports.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the development of marketing strategies and promotional plans for College Basketball (Men’s and Women’s), NCAA Championships (Women’s Basketball Tournament, College World Series - Baseball and Softball, Gymnastics Championship) and Olympic Sports.
• Drive collaboration between Sports Marketing and teams across the company. Serve as a key Marketing stakeholder and strategic business partner to various internal and external constituents including ESPN Programming, Production, Media, Social Media, Sales, Affiliate Marketing, Research and Corporate Communications.
• Conduct rigorous overall business and consumer/customer analysis. Lead the discovery of new fan and consumer insights, translate these insights into key brand and innovation initiatives.
• Lead the day-to-day creative development process with internal and external creative partners to deliver world-class creative across the entire media-mix.
• Lead development of insight-driven marketing briefs to internal and external partners in support of brand initiatives and priority programming.
• Provide detailed performance analysis of all marketing plans and initiatives.
• Establish strong and collaborative relationships with key internal and external partners including the NCAA and Conference partners.
• Lead weekly planning meetings with cross functional teams (Media, Social Media, Programming, Production, Affiliate) to ensure alignment on plans and initiatives.
• Apply ingenuity, creativity, analytical and organizational skills to identify, evaluate and develop marketing strategies and tactics.
• Oversight of budget for College Basketball and NCAA Championships portfolio.
• Manage and support marketing activations and fan experiences.
• Manage and mentor Associate Manager and Coordinator.

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of related marketing/advertising experience required with an understanding of marketing fundamentals, including strategic and creative development, creative evaluation, and budget management.
• People management experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Passionate College Sports fan with extensive knowledge (conferences, teams, coaches, players) of College Basketball, NCAA Championships and Olympic Sports required.
• Previous experience in brand management. Skills in brand positioning and a passion for Marketing Strategy and Advertising, including live shoot production experience.
• Excellent creative instincts. Experience working with internal and external creative partners.
• Strategic thinker. Strong base of marketing analytics, financial acumen and understanding of Consumer & Market insights.
• A healthy appreciation of the role sports plays in popular culture, especially music.
• Effective time management and organizational skills. Ability to prioritize and multi-task on a high-profile, high-volume portfolio.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Holds self and others accountable for creative and executional excellence.
• Strong work ethic. Must be self-motivated, detail oriented and take initiative to get the job done. Problem-solver.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (copywriting experience a plus).
• Embraces and passionate about social media. Knowledge and understanding of all social media platforms.
• Knowledge of and interest in the evolving media landscape and media consumption habits.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint).

Additional Information:

The hiring range for this position in NY is $76,987 to $103,275 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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