Manager, Partners Solutions & Insights

Major League Soccer•New York, NY

10d•$80,000 - $88,500•Hybrid

About The Position

The Partner Solutions & Insights department is a centralized, foundational support team dedicated to enabling new business efforts, current partner retention, and identifying/development of property-specific commercial opportunities across Major League Soccer (MLS) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM). The group is seeking a Manager who has experience understanding and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data coupled with strong presentation-building skills. The Manager will play a leading role in the planning and production of sponsorship measurement reports as well as the creation of insights-based materials utilizing syndicated research and/or custom studies under the guidance of and in collaboration with department leads.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required, Masters Preferred
5+ years of experience required
Extensive experience in sponsorship measurement and sales solutions development
Experience at media/entertainment, Rights Holder, or sports property
Knowledge of the sport of soccer
Strong industry relationships with agencies and data and research providers (e.g., Endeavor, Wasserman, Nielsen Sports, Navigate Research, Blinkfire, etc.)
Experience in both qualitative and quantitative consumer-based research
Superior project management skills with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with minimal supervision
Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to draw conclusions and extract meaningful insights
High degree of intellectual curiosity and creative insight
Strong presentation skills and comfortability with presenting to senior audiences
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate, both written and verbally
Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, team environment
Demonstrated decision making and problem-solving skills
Detailed understanding of the sports and entertainment industry
Creative ability to visualize data for Go-To-Market and externally facing sales collateral
Strong experience with PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
Understanding of the North American sponsorship landscape and how brands use sponsorships to meet business objectives
Ability and willingness to travel and work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays
High-level of commitment to a quality work product and organizational ethics, integrity and compliance

Responsibilities

Lead planning and production of sponsorship measurement reports, showcasing value and performance metrics delivered through MLS and SUM properties for commercial partners.
Continue development of research capabilities focused on understanding fans across MLS and SUM properties, both through the management of syndicated tools and collaborating cross-departmentally on new, relevant custom studies (e.g. Sponsor Impact, Amplification, Fan Segmentation, etc.)
Support sponsorship sales and renewal processes through package valuations and pricing recommendations, the creation of insights-based support materials demonstrating property performance, and the development of fan insights documents utilizing syndicated research and/or custom studies
Create and deliver insights presentations to League commercial stakeholders
Keep a pulse on key trends, attitudes, and consumer behaviors across the sports industry and priority/emerging categories – delivering thoughtful and relevant insights to Commercial teams regularly
Assist with maintenance and utilization of the sponsorship valuation tool – auditing functionality, optimizing based on evolving industry factors, supporting its use by commercial teams, and providing strategic recommendations based on outputs
Track, measure, and analyze MLS and SUM sponsorship assets, costs, and values – understanding weight of value-driving KPIs (e.g. TV viewership, attendance) and updating relevant inputs within sponsorship valuation tool
Own relationship management of third-party data vendors and measurement agencies contributing to the sponsorship measurement plan by managing day-to-day communication, planning for weekly meetings, and drafting briefs/support materials for project planning and high-quality, timely execution
Support the development of processes and “work shares” to further a culture of learning, integration, and analytical thought
Lead other ad-hoc custom commercial research projects or analysis as needed
Assist in any Partner Solutions & Insights department initiatives or special projects
Additional responsibilities as assigned
Foster industry relationships in the market research industry to bring fresh ideas and thinking to development initiatives, and position SUM as a thought leader