Sales Operations & Production Lead, Local Media

WORK OPTION: The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week. _________________ Sales Operations & Production Lead, Local Media Position Summary The Sales Operations & Production Lead, Local Media is responsible for overseeing the operational execution, production workflow, and commercial delivery infrastructure supporting the NBA’s Local Media business. Reporting to the General Manager, Local Media, this role oversees the end-to-end coordination of advertising operations, sales execution, trafficking, inventory management, format strategy, and production services across the league’s local media ecosystem. This leader manages a multidisciplinary organization consisting of full-time employees and contractor resources across three core verticals: Ad Traffic & Format Strategy, Sales Operations, and Sales Production. The role is accountable for building scalable operational processes, ensuring flawless commercial execution, optimizing production readiness, developing and adhering to broadcast standards and practices for inventory, and driving cross-functional coordination between programming, commercial, production, engineering, finance, and distribution teams. The AVP will play a critical role in launching and scaling the Local Media operating model for the 2026–27 season and beyond, helping establish standards, workflows, systems, and governance that enable efficient monetization and high-quality delivery across linear, streaming, and emerging distribution platforms. Major Responsibilities Lead the Sales Operations & Production organization supporting Local Media commercial execution, including advertising workflows, inventory operations, trafficking strategy, production coordination, and sales enablement. Manage and develop a team of full-time employees and contractor resources spanning Ad Traffic & Format Leadership, Sales Operations, and Sales Production functions. Oversee advertising formats, operations and trafficking workflows across local linear, digital, and streaming platforms, ensuring accurate inventory execution, format compliance, timely delivery, and campaign fulfillment. Develop and standardize operational procedures, workflow governance, and quality-control protocols across commercial production and sales execution activities. Partner closely with Commercial, Ad Sales, Finance, Programming, Production, Technology, Engineering, Distribution, and external media partners to ensure alignment between revenue objectives and operational capabilities. Lead commercial inventory planning and operational readiness for live game broadcasts, shoulder programming, sponsored content, and ancillary programming across all local media markets. Oversee sales production execution, including creative asset management, sponsorship integration workflows, production timelines, and delivery coordination with internal and external stakeholders. Collaborate with Programming and Production teams to ensure advertising formats, sponsorship integrations, and commercial breaks are operationally aligned with production standards and league guidelines. Drive operational efficiency initiatives through workflow automation, systems optimization, vendor coordination, and resource planning to improve scalability and reduce operational risk. Establish KPI frameworks, reporting cadences, and operational dashboards to measure delivery accuracy, production efficiency, campaign execution, inventory utilization, and revenue support performance. Support the launch and scaling of the Local Media organization for the 2026–27 season by helping implement operational infrastructure, staffing models, vendor strategies, and cross-functional processes. Serve as a senior operational escalation point for commercial delivery issues, production conflicts, trafficking exceptions, and time-sensitive broadcast execution matters. Partner with Engineering and Technical Operations teams to ensure operational readiness across ad insertion systems, trafficking platforms, delivery workflows, and content management systems. Ensure compliance with league standards, advertiser obligations, rights requirements, and operational policies related to commercial content delivery and production workflows. Foster a high-performance, collaborative culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement, operational excellence, and innovation. Required Education/Professional Experience Bachelor’s degree preferred; advanced degree a plus. 12+ years of progressive leadership experience within sports media, broadcast operations, advertising operations, live production environments, or media sales operations. Demonstrated experience managing advertising operations, trafficking workflows, sales production, and commercial execution across linear and/or streaming media platforms. Proven track record leading operational teams in fast-paced live-event or broadcast environments with high standards for execution accuracy and reliability. Experience managing cross-functional workflows between production, programming, ad sales, engineering, finance, and distribution organizations. Experience building and scaling operational processes, workflow governance, and team structures within evolving media organizations. Strong vendor management and resource planning experience, including oversight of external contractors and operational service providers. Experience implementing operational KPIs, reporting systems, and process optimization initiatives. Experience with vendor sourcing, evaluation and negotiation. Required Skills/Knowledge Attributes Deep understanding of broadcast and streaming advertising operations, trafficking systems, commercial inventory management, and production workflows. Strong operational leadership skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities in high-pressure live media environments. Knowledge of sales operations processes, sponsorship execution, production logistics, and commercial delivery systems. Excellent organizational and project management capabilities with strong attention to detail and execution discipline. Analytical mindset with the ability to leverage operational data, workflow metrics, and performance reporting to drive decision-making and process improvement. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align cross-functional teams and external partners. Experience leading distributed operational teams and balancing internal staff management with contractor/vendor oversight. Ability to navigate organizational transformation, ambiguity, and evolving operational requirements while maintaining delivery excellence. Established history of creating a culture of consistent feedback and coaching across all levels Collaborative leadership style with a focus on accountability, team development, and continuous operational improvement. Familiarity with sports media ecosystems, live game production operations, and local/regional media business models preferred. Salary Range: $180,000 - $225,000 Job Posting Title: Associate Vice President Employees currently are eligible to receive an annual discretionary performance bonus, awarded at the sole discretion of the Company and subject to any terms and conditions set by the Company. Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company-sponsored employee benefit programs: medical; dental; vision; life/AD&D insurance; short- and long-term disability; fertility and family-forming assistance; wellbeing allowance; educational assistance; mental health coaching/therapy; tax advantaged accounts such as HSA and healthcare/dependent care FSAs; a 401(k) retirement plan; and time off benefits that include vacation, sick time, and personal days. We Consider Applicants For All Positions On The Basis Of Merit, Qualifications And Business Needs, And Without Regard To Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Gender Identity, Age, Disability, Alienage Or Citizenship Status, Ancestry, Marital Status, Creed, Genetic Predisposition Or Carrier Status, Sexual Orientation, Veteran Status, Familial Status, Status As A Victim Of Domestic Violence Or Any Other Status Or Characteristic Protected By Applicable Federal, State, Or Local Law. The NBA is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace. To safeguard our employees and their families, our visitors, and the broader community from COVID-19, and in consideration of recommendations from health authorities and the NBA’s own advisors, any individual working onsite in our New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA will discuss accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. About the NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season featured a record-tying 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness. At the NBA, we're passionate about growing and celebrating the game of basketball. Through the intensity of the game and the amazing athletic skill of our players, we deliver excitement to hundreds of millions of fans around the world. As a global sports and media business, the NBA is so much more. While Basketball Operations runs the league's on-court activities, other departments manage relationships with television and digital media partners, develop marketing partnerships with some of the world's most recognizable companies, oversee the licensing of NBA merchandise, and handle a wide range of responsibilities that drive the NBA's success. Off the court, we're also deeply committed to social responsibility. NBA Cares leads the league's involvement in addressing important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.