Senior Manager, Athlete Marketing

Description

The role sets the overall national strategy for the company's athlete marketing program, in line with global brand goals and local needs, and is based in Canada.

You manage a national roster of locally and nationally relevant athletes and oversee strategic partnerships with teams, leagues, and federations.

You create and grow plans that link athletes to the brand, coach and mentor Athlete Marketing Managers and Specialists, and make sure athletes' stories and results present the brand accurately through initiatives and campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Build and share the national athlete strategy, tied to global objectives and regional demands.
• Find national efficiencies in activations and marketing, and help steer the annual business plan.
• Push the team toward new athlete marketing and media ideas.
• Take concepts for projects, tactics, and content from first idea through delivery.
• Plan yearly athlete marketing with Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Operations, and build retail programs with Sales and Brand.
• Grow the brand's presence in mainstream sport, Olympic disciplines, fitness, and active lifestyle.
• Track sports trends and build athlete opportunities that improve brand image.
• Spot new venues, athletic trends, media rights, and innovations that strengthen the brand's sports presence.
• Keep local work aligned with the global athlete strategy and act as the link to International HQ.
• Use the global athlete roster and partnerships to meet local demand, and advise on how to get more from athletes.
• Look for athlete opportunities that build brand growth and visibility.
• Include media rights, social media, and name, image, and likeness terms in athlete contracts and goals.
• Manage and diversify the national roster and select top talent.
• Negotiate with athlete representatives, creative agencies, and marketing agencies.
• Support athletes with marketing tools, pay, bonuses, communications, and performance guidance.
• Produce current athlete branding guidelines and manage storage and logistics for materials.
• Set athlete targets and run athlete communications through the company's internal Sportsnet system.
• Give business support to top athlete projects, with country-specific insight.
• Own the national athlete budget and brand presentation, following international guidelines.
• Make sure the Athlete Marketing team manages athlete relationships and partnerships.
• Oversee the RBCA roster, track performance, and balance the portfolio with HQ.
• Put national athlete strategies into stores with Sales and Brand.
• Bring Creators into athlete activities to reach more Canadian consumers.
• Have athletes speak to product benefits at key fitness and lifestyle events.
• Work with internal partners to set engagement metrics for athlete brand image.
• Use third-party relationships to get product benefits across through athletes.
• Scout new talent, personalities, partnerships, and opportunities that suit the brand, and build custom branding solutions.
• Work with the Media Network to increase exposure and reach.
• Hire, manage, and lead teams and agencies on athlete projects.
• Secure partnerships that lower project costs and add brand value.
• Build distribution plans with the Media Network, teams, leagues, and sports bodies.
• Work with Communications, Programming, and Media House to create credible content for priority athletes.
• Support top-performing athletes and partners, and make sure athlete assets are deployed well across Brand, Sales, MN, and Field teams.
• Build simple tools for athlete marketing training, tracking, evaluation, reporting, and archiving.
• Show the brand as innovative in sport by building a strong network and staying approachable.
• Lead project kickoffs using current project management methods, and align work with wider business needs across departments.
• Share best practices and lessons learned with sports, regions, and marketing teams in Canada and globally.
• Set standards for reporting, targets, messaging, evaluation, and ROI for the brand and its partnerships.
• Provide strong tools and support for athlete marketing and management.
• Give feedback on project results and ideas, using agreed evaluation standards.
• Test spending against ROI to keep budgets efficient.
• Coach team members to build marketing, communication, and performance plans for each athlete asset.
• Find and approach the right sports organizations to grow the brand in regional markets.
• Lead partnership negotiations and guide the team toward strategic, authentic partnerships that follow brand guidelines.
• Run all marketing work with teams, leagues, and federations, share brand values and product knowledge with partners, and build relationships with key contacts.
• Establish the brand as a functional beverage and innovative presence in team sports by engaging athletes, trainers, opinion leaders, club partners, communities, industry stakeholders, agencies, and media.
• Set up workflows and workgroups so team marketing projects are defined in business planning, then monitor execution and manage annual budgets.
• Create original marketing concepts across events, athlete projects, media network and digital formats, field marketing, and brand campaigns.
• Report project results to the Head of Sports Marketing and handle related reporting in Sportsnet.
• Clearly define roles for core team members and make sure work is carried out properly.
• Strengthen product communication and education to position the brand as a functional sports beverage.
• Work with the National Athlete Manager, the Specialist, and marketing teams on local projects.
• Work with the Media Network on supporting communications and content plans.
• Work with HQ risk management and legal teams to assess and reduce risks.
• Attend meetings and training to share learnings and align strategy.
• Screen and respond to consumer requests about athletes.
• Raise awareness and use of athlete activities across departments.
• Apply proven models from other countries in Canada, and give local input so other countries can adapt them.
• Work with HQ Athlete teams to develop new practices, tracking, and analysis.
• Help sports and regions set targets and build business plans.
• Make sure Sportsnet tracking is kept up to date, timely, and compliant, and that news is posted.
• Give timely, strategic feedback to employees and leadership.
• Manage the national athlete marketing budget responsibly.
• Review and comment on athlete plans, proposals, and recaps.
• Provide ongoing feedback for mid-year and year-end performance reviews as needed, and take part in those reviews and annual compensation planning.

Requirements

• You have 6+ years in sports or athlete marketing, preferably at an agency, brand, or federation.
• You know the Canadian and global sports landscape, including key athletes, leagues, governing bodies, and emerging trends.
• You have a broad network across sports, creative, and media.
• You lead well and bring innovation, organization, and strong teamwork.
• You understand media and digital landscapes and where they are heading.
• You have expertise in partnership success, performance, marketing, and communication.
• You have overseen challenges in marketing, strategy, communication, logistics, finance, legal, and sales.
• You bring leadership, creativity, public speaking, innovation, sporty energy, open-mindedness, confidence, motivation, teamwork, friendliness, loyalty, clear communication, responsibility, organization, stress resistance, and calm.
• You are proficient in PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, and Adobe Creative Suite.
• You have a background in sports, experiential marketing, or media, with work in the sports industry, an event or marketing agency, a sport institution, a federation, or journalism, and experience creating and running sports projects.
• A Bachelor's degree from a university is preferred.
• You are fluent in written and spoken English, and a second language is appreciated.

Conditions

The expected annual base salary is $117,135 to $129,465. The final figure depends on qualifications, skills, experience, and work location.

The company supports accommodations during recruitment for applicants with disabilities, and it is committed to equal opportunity.

Benefits

• The role is eligible for an annual bonus under the company's bonus plan.