VP, Football Events

Who We Are :

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons;

owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media.

IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events, and experiences.

• The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation through entertainment agency WME; sports operations and advisory, event management, media production and distribution, and brand licensing through IMG;
• live event experiences and hospitality through On Location; full-service marketing through global cultural marketing agency 160over90;

and sports data and technology through IMG ARENA and OpenBet. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE : TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company comprising UFC and WWE.

VP, Football Events : Primary responsibility is sourcing and closing new sponsorships with global brands for assets within the regional Football portfolio which encompasses all of the Americas.

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities

• Senior member of the Global Football Events team and will work closely with the EVP of Global Football in a strategic capacity to source new assets in football across the Americas region (North and South America)
• Ownership and lead role on assigned client projects
• Lead football salesperson in Americas supporting the rest of the football properties across Events collaborating with Media on their properties where appropriate
• Drive the proposition, positioning and what IMG’s Football division communicates to the market and our colleagues by embracing new partnerships
• Work with all key stakeholders across Endeavor businesses, as well as peers and collaborators with specific right holders that IMG represents in the football space
• Collaborate with other Endeavor Business Units and supporting their business through the wider brand network of the football division (Architecture).
• Network, travel and frequently attend events at major sports events related to the business
• Lead on all business development opportunities in the region including identifying and developing business plans, and securing strategic new scopes of work in the football space in the Americas to grow the IMG Football portfolio of assets.

Knowledge and Experience

• Extensive sponsorship sales experience with a demonstrable track record of sourcing new business and opening doors.
• Proven track record in sponsorship sales in the football industry and North and South American markets, responsibility for commercial delivery of revenue.
• Experience in negotiating high value, complex, commercial contracts and global sponsorship / partnership deals across multiple platforms (activation, digital, linear, etc.)
• Proven track record of successful client relationships and strategic account management / engagement
• Experience developing business plans and tracking pipelines to ensure sales are delivered
• Experience initiating and driving sales with limited hands-on guidance.
• Track record of leveraging referrals, developing leads and securing meetings with prospective suppliers and partners through research, outbound calls and building an industry network profile
• Demonstrable knowledge of accurate forecasting and revisiting business plans regularly
• Effective communication skills with a broad range of audiences. Experience in presenting partnership opportunities to and engagement of senior and c-level executives and targeted companies and brands
• Experience of the development of bespoke and tailored propositions to suit the needs of individual companies
• A thorough understanding of the end to end sales process and the customer buying process (including awareness of the emotional connections required by brands)
• Working knowledge of closing deals including negotiation of commercial terms and working alongside the legal team to negotiate and conclude contractual agreements
• Demonstrable knowledge of the digital landscape in sports, sponsorship activation across all platforms and trends on consumer behavior, to spot opportunities for new business

Skills and Abilities

• Impeccable communication and interpersonal skills with the confidence to create leads in person and on the phone
• Excellent sales, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Strong decision making and awareness of the need for involvement of legal, finance and senior teams at the appropriate stages
• Ability to monitor own performance at regular intervals and develop alternative strategies if sales plan / own goals are not being achieved
• Ability to work in a constantly evolving environment and keep focused on objectives and bigger picture
• Collaborative approach, working in partnership with senior leaders globally and the wider sales team
• Ability to liaise and manage relationships with multiple stakeholders
• Navigates through customer politics
• Handles objections to win trust and business
• Sells business values and negotiates for success
• Excellent time management, planning and ability to meet deadlines (working globally / across territories)
• Ability to recognise and overcome attitudes, beliefs and emotional blocks that create resistance to change, which alters level of participation because of an emotional point of view
• Proven leadership skills in managing direct reports and cross functional teams
• Extensive contacts at global brands (and the capacity and tenacity to build further contact with) at the C level.

Desirable

• Understanding of the rights tender / allocation process
• Clear understanding of the cultural nuances and differences in your region of responsibility

Mandatory

• Possesses energy, ambition and determination
• A strong sense of leadership, accountability and commitment
• Results driven, thrives in a fast paced environment and passionate about achieving targets
• A WILL sell attitude
• Tenacious hunter mentality
• Team Player, respecting boundaries and tackling issues in a professional manner
• Recovers from set-backs easily and demonstrates resilience, rejection-proof
• Remains calm under pressure

Qualifications and Training

Understanding and knowledge of best practice sales techniques and ability to put them into practice

Unusual Challenges or Circumstances e.g. shift(s) / unsocial hours / travel etc.

• Attendance at out of hours’ events to develop networking opportunities
• Extended hours in the build up to events and weekends during events
• Will be required at times to travel

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do.

As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world’s diverse voices. Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.

$206,250 annually$275,000 annually