Vice President, Client Services, Basketball

The.Team: SME; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

THE-TEAM is seeking a senior Client Services professional to support high-level clients across basketball and related sports properties. You will guide day-to-day off-court business activities, coordinate marketing efforts, manage staff, and ensure contract fulfillment while building strong client relationships.

You will work with senior agents to maintain branding, develop content, and secure partnerships with leagues, teams, sponsors, and media outlets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; sports industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Seven+ years in a sports industry role, with expertise in branding, social media, and communications.
• Strong negotiation, client service, and relationship-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee off-court client service for select Clients and senior agents.
• Manage incoming queries and provide updates to agents and client service reps.
• Lead junior client service team members in basketball operations.
• Identify organizational improvements within basketball client services and implement solutions.
• Maintain branding and marketing materials for the current roster.
• Coordinate client content, PR efforts, and media deals under supervision.
• Collaborate with Leagues, Teams, and Sponsors to secure opportunities.
• Handle event logistics, drafts, All Star, and youth events.
• Track accounts receivable and generate required reports.

Skills

Client service leadership

Negotiation

Communication

Team leadership

Travel readiness

Scheduling flexibility

Client relationship management

Content marketing coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in sports management, marketing, communications, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

PowerPoint

Photoshop

Illustrator

Salesforce

InDesign

Job description

THE-TEAM is proud to provide representation and marketing services to talent, brands and properties across 28 countries and more than 70 cities worldwide. THE-TEAM works with iconic sports, creators and media figures across the world, utilizing our extensive influence to maximize negotiations and create meaningful opportunities for our clients across talent, brands and rights holders.

Shaped by our belief in the unifying power of sports, music and entertainment, THE-TEAM leads with intelligence, ideas and influence. For more information, please visit the.team .

Location : Los Angeles, CA; New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas

Hybrid: 3 days onsite

Job Overview

Responsible for supporting the day-to-day needs of select high-level clients (individually, a "Client" and collectively, the "Clients"), senior-level agents and managing junior client service team members in helping to accomplish client related off-court efforts. This includes managing the day-to-day operations around all Client off-court business affairs, including marketing activations, charitable events, camps, social media management and community engagement. This role will also be responsible for working with the senior-level agents to establish and ensure compliance with group-wide client service standards, including event coordination, client gifting and swag.

What You'll Do

• Oversee all off-court client service efforts for certain Clients.
• Manage incoming queries for Clients and provide regular updates to agents and any other client service representatives.
• Manage junior client service team members within basketball group to ensure full coverage of national and local client service efforts.
• Identify areas for organizational improvement within basketball client services and create solutions to address those.
• Keep junior client service team members accountable for their own personal development goals.
• Be in regular communication with agents (and sometimes clients and their families/network) on the status of active sales/marketing efforts for clients.
• Help ensure branding and marketing materials for current basketball roster are and remain current.
• Assist agents with managing relationships with existing partners, ensure the client's contracts are fulfilled, and help approve marketing and advertising materials.
• Assist with the development of client content, which includes PR efforts, along with sourcing and negotiating content and media deals under the supervision of senior agents and marketing leadership.
• Work with Leagues, PAs, Teams, and Team Sponsors to secure content marketing opportunities for clients through brand activations, content development, league and team partners, as well as media alliances.
• Handle logistics leading up to and throughout major events, including drafts, All Star, and youth events.
• Maintain account receivables, department databases and generate reports as required.
• Monitor client competitions to keep up to date on client careers.
• Travel to spend face time with Clients to support "off court" business affairs and build genuine relationships to assist in client retention.
• Perform routine and crisis management client support under the supervision of a senior-level agent where needed (includes liaison and consultation with legal experts/sports psychologists/media professionals, family issues, personal issues, styling, visa and passport services, attending games/appearances with client, etc.).
• Support client recruitment efforts and assists in the recruitment of athletes by cultivating both industry relationships and relationships with potential clients.
• Identify ways to scale the business through new revenue streams for existing clients.
• Coordinate regularly with all other Company client service leads to ensure an aligned approach on all basketball client service efforts.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in related field, preferably in sports management, content, sales, marketing, communications, or public relations.
• Minimum of 7+ years' experience in sports industry role, preferably within professional hockey, baseball, football, or basketball.
• Must have advanced knowledge of developments in athlete branding, social media, corporate communications, and trends in the sports industry.
• Possess persuasiveness skills to successfully negotiate on behalf of the client's interests.
• Position requires considerable flexibility in scheduling and the willingness to travel, work nights, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to prospect and research marketing and media partnerships on behalf of the clients.
• Ability to lead individual or team of junior colleague(s) in driving towards client and organizational goals whole also helping guide their own personal development.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, Salesforce, and InDesign to create decks, client bios and edit photos.
• Strong understanding of social/digital media.
• Well-developed communication skills