Senior Director, Media Partnerships

U.S. Soccer Overview

The U.S. Soccer Federation exists in service to soccer. Our aim is to ignite a national passion for the game. Because we believe that soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good.

We understand the importance and the power of teamwork, on and off the pitch. That's why we work closely with our Federation partners and members, to inspire, support and guide every level of the game: from the grassroots, to the National Teams. We want to bring soccer into every home and every community, right across America. Because we believe that soccer can transform lives like no other sport. Soccer can represent the best of US.

U.S. Soccer is in a period of significant growth, with ambitions plans for US soccer in the near and far future. We are therefore, looking for dynamic servant-leaders to join us on this journey: in service to soccer. Applicants must be able to demonstrate visionary leadership, analytical decision-making, professional flexibility and an empathic management style that builds bold teams and delivers globally significant results.

Position Description

U.S. Soccer is seeking an energetic, innovative and proactive leader to join the Media Partnerships team. This team works directly with all linear and digital media partners in the U.S. and globally to drive value and growth across U.S. Soccer's media business. With a proactive approach, the Senior Director of Media Partnerships, will oversee the federation's strategic media partner relationships and provide best-in-class support for media, digital, social partners, and all new distribution channels.

This individual will be a key driver of how U.S. Soccer's live and ancillary content is viewed across media platforms, and will drive growth of our media partners' initiatives and channels through the development of a comprehensive tune-in strategy. The Senior Director will concentrate on boosting viewership of U.S. Soccer's programming, expanding reach and overall relevance across our partners' ecosystems, and utilizing partnerships to promote U.S. Soccer's athletes and brand.

Primary Responsibilities

Media partner and deal management:

• Oversee the strategic relationships with all domestic and global media partners
• Own and foster senior partner relationships to understand business goals and objectives for all partners
• Responsible for management of deliverables across all current media partnerships deals
• Lead collaboration with media partners and internal stakeholders to ensure the best-in-class delivery and presentation of the U.S. Soccer brand across all matches and key federation initiatives
• Oversight of cross-functional efforts to grow key business areas for USSF and media partners such as loyalty programs and subscriber acquisition, consumer product efforts and match awareness
• Collaborate with Partnership Marketing team to optimize media and corporate partner engagement, including financial investment and promotional support

Viewership and reach:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive tune-in and reach strategy for all federation live events
• Drive organizational efforts to ensure successful tune-in campaigns that maximize broadcast engagement across all platforms
• Collaborate with the Content team on developing ancillary content ideas and original U.S. Soccer material
• Identify opportunities for cross-promotion of USSF brand and athletes into non-sports programming
• Drive and shape consumption reporting to uncover insights and learning that will enhance performance over time
• Support commercial efforts to acquire new partnerships by leveraging market insights and emerging platforms, recommending innovative business strategies, and assisting with the valuation process

Additional responsibilities as assigned

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• 10 years experience in strategic partner management
• 4 years experience in media and broadcast space
• Knowledge of sports and entertainment space, including scheduling, events, sponsorships, and contracts
• Knowledge of standard media planning terminology and metrics
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Exceptional time management skills and ability to prioritize workflow
• Superior organization, project management skills and attention to detail
• Ability to develop relationships with senior-level marketing executives
• Experience in presenting to senior leadership and teams
• Capable of working in fast-paced and demanding environments
• Able and willing to work non-traditional hours including evenings and weekends as needed
• Able and willing to travel up to 25% of the time to U.S. Soccer controlled matches and other events as needed
• General knowledge of soccer
• Must be able to connect "micro" details to the "macro" vision and mission
• Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook)

Desired Qualifications

• Previous experience in sports and working with high profile athletes, coaches and teams
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) - able to read, write and speak Spanish proficiently preferred
• Experience in corporate partnerships and digital media partnerships
• Deep understanding of the ever-evolving sports marketing and media landscape
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent events through multi-tasking and prioritizing efficiently
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary team

U.S Soccer is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, military status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected under the law. This policy applies to all our employment practices within our organization.

We strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQIA, veterans, parents, and persons with disabilities to apply.