Manager, Sports Partnerships

djeholdings; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UEG is seeking a Manager, Sports Partnerships to support our sports rights and partnerships portfolio. You will deliver client service, strategic thinking, relationship management, and flawless execution across activations.

The role focuses on managing partnerships, developing activation ideas, and coordinating with rights holders and agencies to meet client objectives and drive growth.

Qualifications

• Approximately 3–5 years of relevant experience in sports marketing or partnership settings.
• Strong knowledge of the sports industry, including teams, leagues, athletes, and media platforms.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects from strategic development through execution and launch, on time and within budget.
• Understand clients' businesses and partnership portfolios to identify opportunities.
• Serve as day-to-day client contact, building trusted relationships and providing proactive counsel.
• Coordinate with rights holders, leagues, teams, properties, talent reps, agencies, vendors and partners.
• Develop activation ideas that integrate brands and communicate key messages to target audiences.
• Translate objectives into work plans, timelines, deliverables, and budgets.
• Lead day-to-day execution of activations and programs and ensure delivery.

Skills

Sports partnerships

Client relationships

Project management

Job description

We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging. Consistent with this approach, we hire the best qualified candidates for all positions.

Manager, Sports Partnerships

UEG is currently looking for a Manager to support our UEG Sports rights and partnerships business segment. This individual will play an integral role in growing the business by delivering a high level of client service, strategic thinking, relationship management, and executional excellence across sports partnerships and activations.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects and key workstreams from strategic development through execution and launch, ensuring programs are delivered on time, on budget, and at a high level of quality.
• Develop a strong understanding of clients' businesses, marketing objectives, audiences, and partnership portfolios to help identify strategic and creative opportunities within the sports landscape.
• Serve as a day-to-day client contact across assigned accounts and workstreams, building trusted relationships and providing proactive, solutions-oriented counsel.
• Manage relationships and ongoing communication with rights holders, leagues, teams, properties, talent representatives, agencies, vendors, and other external partners.
• In collaboration with internal teams and agency partners, develop activation and content ideas that effectively integrate brands into sports and authentically communicate key brand messages to target audiences.
• Translate client objectives and project briefings into clear work plans, timelines, deliverables, roles and responsibilities, and budget parameters, maintaining alignment across internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead day-to-day execution of partnership activations and programs, anticipating challenges, identifying solutions, and ensuring seamless completion of deliverables.
• Develop and manage client-facing materials including presentations, recommendations, status reports, activation plans, partnership evaluations, dashboards, recaps, and other strategic documents.
• Support the development of account plans, partnership strategies, activation recommendations, and client proposals, bringing forward proactive ideas that create additional value for clients.
• Monitor client budgets and project financials, understanding scopes, pricing structures, budget parameters, and potential over-service while partnering with account leadership to maintain financial discipline.
• Maintain a strong understanding of clients' competitors, relevant categories, consumer trends, and developments across sports, media, entertainment, and culture, proactively translating insights into implications and opportunities for clients.
• Conduct research and analysis across teams, leagues, athletes, talent, properties, platforms, and emerging areas of sports to inform partnership strategy and recommendations.
• Evaluate potential partnership and activation opportunities, including strategic fit, audience alignment, competitive considerations, marketplace dynamics, and potential risks or conflicts.
• Collaborate across UEG business practices and disciplines to identify opportunities to bring additional capabilities, thinking, and solutions to existing and prospective clients.
• Contribute to organic account growth and new business efforts through research, ideation, proposal development, presentation preparation, and participation in pitches as appropriate.
• Participate actively in brainstorms and strategic working sessions across the organization, contributing informed and creative perspectives rooted in sports, culture, and client business objectives.
• Provide direction and mentorship to Coordinators and other junior team members, helping prioritize work, reviewing deliverables, and supporting their professional development.
• Remain hands‑on and willing to support the broader team as needed, particularly around major activations, events, and high‑priority client initiatives.

Qualifications

• Approximately 3-5 years of relevant experience within a sports marketing or partnership agency, team, league, rights holder, network, media company, brand, or related organization, with direct experience in sports partnerships, sponsorships, or activation.
• Strong knowledge of and passion for the sports industry, including an understanding of the teams, leagues, athletes, media platforms, rights holders, and emerging trend