Director, Strategy & Growth

IMG•New York, NY

3d•$130,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that owns iconic properties including UFC, WWE, and PBR. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency, and On Location. The Director, Strategy & Growth will sit within the Strategy & Growth team and focus on developing the frameworks, sector views, market intelligence, and intellectual capital that brand partnerships needs to keep scaling. This role is strategic, not sales-focused, aiming to make brand partnerships a sharper, more strategically equipped business and lead the consulting work that arises from this capability. The infrastructure built for internal use will also serve as the basis for advisory work for external clients (brands & rights holders) on sponsorship strategy, commercial model design, and brand portfolio strategy. Insights gained from advisory engagements will refine internal offerings.

Requirements

8–12 years in sports sponsorship, brand strategy, or commercial strategy.
Ideally a mix of advisory/consulting experience and operating experience on the agency, brand, or rights-holder side.
Genuine understanding of how brands think about sport and why a CMO would make investment decisions.
Experience building sponsorship valuations, activation strategies, or commercial propositions for major sports properties or brands.
Credibility with senior commercial people.
Breadth across multiple sports, geographies, or brand categories (deep expertise in one area is acceptable, but ability to work across IMG's full portfolio is needed).
Ability to think about the bigger picture, see patterns across deals, identify underpriced opportunities, and explain brand benefits.
Comfort with numbers, including sponsorship valuations, market sizing, and ROI analysis.
Strong communication skills: ability to write effective pitches, build clean decks, and present confidently to senior audiences.
Naturally collaborative, with the ability to build good relationships across IMG.
Genuine interest in brands and sport, following brand activities, motivations, and industry changes.
Ability to juggle multiple tasks: supporting live consulting work, building long-term frameworks, and handling ad hoc projects simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Time at a sponsorship agency or in a brand sponsorship function.
Understanding of media rights and how sponsorship and media strategies overlap.
Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics).
Understanding of digital and social activation in sport.
MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

Build the strategic infrastructure brand partnerships needs to scale, including sponsorship valuation methodologies, sector frameworks, market intelligence, and repeatable approaches for pitches, renewals, and new business.
Develop sector views (e.g., automotive, financial services, tech, luxury) to explain how brands in each category approach sport and identify opportunities.
Lead consulting mandates in sponsorship strategy, commercial model design, and brand portfolio strategy, managing engagements from scoping to delivery.
Win new consulting work by leading proposals, developing hypotheses and investment recommendations, and contributing to business development.
Collaborate with the brand partnerships team on complex commercial questions, providing an outside-in perspective and analytical depth.
Work with the data and insights team to build evidence around fan engagement, reach, and brand impact.
Develop IMG's understanding of media and creative agencies and their decision-making processes for market intelligence and consulting input.
Contribute to broader Strategy & Growth projects where brand or sponsorship expertise is valuable.