SVP, Sports Partnerships

Edelman•New York, NY

8d•$128,000 - $205,000

About The Position

The Senior Vice President, Sports Partnerships will play a key leadership role in shaping and growing UEG’s Sports practice. This individual will help brands unlock the power of sports through strategic partnerships that drive cultural relevance, brand growth, and business impact. The SVP will lead the development of short-term and long-term sports marketing strategies for clients, identifying the right properties, athletes, platforms, and cultural moments that align with brand objectives. This role will focus on strategic advisory, partnership architecture, and integrated marketing solutions rather than purely transactional deal-making. This individual will work closely with senior leadership across UEG and partner agencies to deliver forward-thinking partnership strategies while helping grow the agency’s sports business through new client opportunities and thought leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university.
12+ years of experience in sports marketing, brand partnerships, consulting, or integrated marketing with significant experience developing sports partnership strategies.
Strong understanding of the sports marketing ecosystem including league/team partnership models, athlete partnerships, and emerging platforms shaping the industry.
Proven ability to translate business objectives into strategic partnership platforms and integrated marketing programs.
Experience advising senior marketing leaders and navigating complex client organizations.
Strong relationships across the sports, entertainment, and brand marketing ecosystem.
Experience leading cross-functional teams in a fast-paced agency, brand, or consulting environment.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to clearly communicate strategic thinking to senior stakeholders.
Passion for sports and deep curiosity about the cultural, media, and business trends shaping the industry.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic development of sports partnership platforms for clients, helping brands identify the right opportunities across leagues, teams, athletes, creators, and emerging sports properties.
Serve as a senior strategic advisor to clients, guiding how sports partnerships can support broader brand, marketing, and cultural objectives.
Develop integrated partnership strategies that connect sports with content, social, experiential, communications, and creator ecosystems.
Evaluate sports properties, talent opportunities, and emerging platforms to determine the best strategic fit for client brands.
Lead cross-functional teams across strategy, partnerships, creative, experiential, and communications to bring partnership platforms to life.
Provide strategic oversight across partnership negotiations and activations while ensuring programs deliver against client objectives and measurable impact.
Drive thought leadership within the agency and with clients on the evolving sports landscape including athlete-driven media, women’s sports, NIL, emerging leagues, and creator-led sports platforms.
Identify growth opportunities across existing client relationships and contribute to new business development through strategic partnership ideas and sports-led marketing concepts.
Build and mentor a high-performing team while fostering collaboration across disciplines within UEG.
Maintain strong relationships across the sports ecosystem including leagues, teams, athletes, agencies, and media platforms to inform strategy and unlock opportunities for clients.