Director, Sports & Entertainment Strategy and Business Development

Northern Trust • Chicago, IL

1d • $205,700 - $360,100

About The Position

Northern Trust Wealth Management is seeking a Director, Sports & Entertainment Strategy and Business Development to build a differentiated, national Wealth Management franchise serving athletes, entertainers, agents, managers, advisors, sports executives, investors, team owners and other participants in the sports and entertainment ecosystems. This role will unify existing relationships and capabilities into a scalable national platform. As both a franchise builder and producer, the Director will shape the strategy and operating model, expand the external ecosystem, build the client pipeline and originate advisory revenue in partnership with teams across the country.

Requirements

• Deep understanding of the Sports & Entertainment ecosystem and the distinctive financial circumstances of athletes and entertainers.
• Demonstrated ability to develop market strategy, build a scalable national business and translate complex opportunities into measurable results.
• Proven business-development, consultative-selling and relationship-management capabilities with sophisticated clients and professional advisors.
• Working knowledge of investment management, trust and estate planning, banking, credit, financial planning, philanthropy and family advisory services.
• Strong strategic, analytical and commercial judgment, with the ability to orchestrate multidisciplinary teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Exceptional executive communication, negotiation, project-management and prioritization skills.
• High discretion, sound judgment, entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to client confidentiality, risk management and fiduciary standards.
• Ten or more years of experience in Sports & Entertainment, wealth management, private banking, family office, business development, strategic partnerships, consulting or a related field.
• Established credibility and relationships in one or more areas of the Sports & Entertainment ecosystem.
• Demonstrated success originating complex ultra-high-net-worth or institutional relationships and scaling a specialized client segment, business or platform.
• Experience collaborating with advisory, investment, fiduciary, banking, legal, tax and other specialist teams.
• Experience serving athletes, entertainers, team owners, agents, executives or similarly complex ultra-high-net-worth clients strongly preferred.
• Wealth management or financial-services experience preferred; adjacent-industry candidates must demonstrate the ability to develop fluency in holistic wealth management.
• Relevant FINRA securities licenses may be required; professional designations such as CFP, CFA, CIMA, CPWA or CFTA are preferred.
• MBA, JD or other advanced degree preferred.
• Relevant Sports & Entertainment, business-development, wealth-management or professional certifications are valued.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute Northern Trust Wealth Management’s national Sports & Entertainment strategy, including the market position, growth agenda and implementation roadmap.
• Define the differentiated value proposition, priority client segments, economics, coverage model and capabilities required to compete effectively.
• Create a multi-year business plan with measurable goals for pipeline, revenue, relationships, market presence and platform development.
• Develop proprietary insights and client-facing content that establish credibility and differentiate Northern Trust in the marketplace.
• Inventory and map the firm’s existing Sports & Entertainment relationships, expertise and capabilities, and organize them into a coordinated national platform.
• Build a national network of Wealth Advisors, Wealth Strategists and specialists, supported by accreditation or Northern Trust certification.
• Scale internal best practices through common playbooks, coverage standards, referral protocols and client-service models.
• Clarify roles, governance and handoffs across national leadership, local advisory teams, product specialists and other partners.
• Implement scalable tools, processes and technology that improve opportunity identification, relationship coordination and client delivery.
• Build a differentiated external ecosystem spanning agents, managers, sports attorneys, college athletics, league stakeholders, entertainment executives, family offices and sports investors.
• Prioritize relationships, organizations, events and partnerships that expand access and generate qualified opportunities.
• Establish disciplined relationship mapping, pipeline reporting and scorecards across prospects, clients, centers of influence and strategic partners.
• Analyze industry trends, career and liquidity events, ownership activity, NIL (name, image and likeness) developments and other money-in-motion signals, translating insights into actions for leadership and advisory teams.
• Produce targeted thought leadership and education for clients, advisors and the broader Sports & Entertainment ecosystem.
• Originate new Sports & Entertainment relationships and advisory revenue through targeted prospecting, referrals, strategic partnerships and ecosystem development.
• Build and manage a national pipeline, partnering with advisory teams to qualify opportunities, develop pursuit strategies and convert relationships.
• Develop fluency in Northern Trust’s advisory, fiduciary, investment, banking and wealth-planning capabilities to identify needs and orchestrate solutions.
• Address specialized client needs, including variable and concentrated earnings, NIL income, tax complexity, liquidity, lending, wealth transfer, investments, philanthropy, risk management and family governance.
• Build durable relationships with clients and their agents, attorneys, accountants, business managers and other professional advisors.
• Represent Northern Trust at relevant industry events, associations and conferences.
• Connect the Sports & Entertainment franchise to Northern Trust’s broader ultra-high-net-worth strategy.
• Create coordinated coverage across athletes, entertainers, agents, team owners, family offices, sports investors and centers of influence.
• Identify opportunities tied to team ownership, sports investing, private capital, media rights, operating businesses, philanthropy and intergenerational wealth.
• Partner with Global Family Office, regional Wealth Management teams, Family Office Solutions and other specialists to deliver the full breadth of Northern Trust.
• Establish governance, controls and operating standards for the national Sports & Entertainment franchise.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance and Human Resources to ensure business-development and client-engagement practices meet applicable requirements.
• Define protocols for prospect ownership, relationship attribution, information sharing, conflicts management, documentation and data quality.
• Manage reputational, operational and execution risks while protecting client confidentiality and reinforcing fiduciary standards.
• Serve as the enterprise leader and subject-matter expert for Sports & Entertainment within Wealth Management.
• Build strong partnerships across Wealth Management leadership, regional and market teams, advisors and product specialists.
• Drive adoption of the strategy and operating model, including the internal advisor-and-specialist network.
• Lead cross-business initiatives connecting strategy, business development, client delivery, marketing, data and technology.
• Advise senior leadership on market opportunities, required investments and franchise performance, and represent Northern Trust internally and externally.

Benefits

• retirement benefits (401k and pension)
• health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability)
• paid time off
• parental and caregiver leave
• life & accident insurance
• other voluntary and well-being benefits
• discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director