Associate Account Director

Job Description

Who We Are

Horizon Sports and Experiences (HS&E) was created to provide a differentiated and comprehensive approach for clients engaging in sports and experiential marketing. With a fully-integrated service model, HS&E includes a core focus on IP creation and monetization, strategic advisory and consulting, media rights, sponsorship, sales, and experiential strategy and activation - transforming marketers' ability to more seamlessly and effectively leverage their brand assets, content, and engagement strategies to drive increased growth.

What You'll Do

HS&E is looking for an Associate Account Director to further develop our brand consulting practice as an integral member supporting a growing piece of business under the professional services category. This position will report directly to the Director of the sports division, and support client projects, sponsorship activation & strategy and new business efforts.

The Associate Account Director will be responsible for leading an account team overseeing a budding portfolio spanning professional team sports and motorsports. The Associate Account Director will help develop, implement and measure the client's sponsorship strategy. The Associate Account Director will build and maintain relationships based on trust and collaboration across all appropriate client levels, properties, vendor partners and partner agencies with the fundamental objective to deliver on the client's goals and business needs in order to exceed client expectations. The Associate Account Director will also contribute to the professional growth of their direct report.

40% - Client Management & Strategic Leadership

• Develop, maintain and advance professional and personable relationships with clients and partner agencies at appropriate level
• Oversight of team's day-to-day communication and coordination between client, rights holders and vendors
• Manage the development of client strategies and objectives, working closely with clients to continuously update/revise based on business needs
• Drive new partnership solutions to deliver on clients' goals and evaluate current health of client business via analysis of relevant business metrics (ROI/ROO); introduce advanced measurement solutions and consumer insights to help guide long-term activation approach and establish annual benchmarks for success
• Monitor marketplace, identify new pursuits, and proactively present opportunities to grow client's existing portfolio
• Ensure client portfolios are being managed up to the highest standards

25% - Business Operations

• Lead an account team in the management and implementation of clients' marketing campaigns and client portfolios
• Oversee development of negotiation strategy and approach based on proposal assessment, property knowledge, and client direction
• Oversee logistics and execution of partnerships, events and promotions with respective rights holders and vendors
• Oversee general partnership operations, ensuring teams are working effectively, communicating efficiently and organizational structure is productive
  • Proper delegation of day-to-day responsibilities to team members
• Utilize creative and innovative thinking skills to develop partnership concepts and strategies for clients
• Ensure all client projections/new revenues are communicated to finance lead in a timely manner; escalate billing issues to finance
• Facilitate communication with internal counterparts, vendors, rights holders and upper management
• Communicate regularly with Creative, Events and Strategy teams to ensure cohesive partnership strategy
• Build and maintain long-term business relationships (internal and external)
  • Meet with properties/vendors regularly to understand the latest industry developments

20% - Staff Development

• Contribute, build and maintain positive and dynamic culture across the agency, inclusive of team-building efforts and social activities
• Manage the professional development of each direct report
  • Set career development goals, track performance, and hold team members accountable
  • Work with team members to improve skill sets and remove barriers to effectiveness
  • Provide constructive feedback in real time
• Contribute to the execution of people functions of the agency (including, but not limited to):
  • Staff reviews / quarterly check-ins
  • Identify training needs for improved performance
  • Developing action plans
• Monitor team's workload and notify executive leadership if additional staff support is necessary
• Lead interview process for new candidates

15% - Business Strategy and Development

• Support HS&E's new business efforts, when applicable, with strategic solutions, insights and concept development ideation
• Build close relationships with key Horizon stakeholders on brand strategy and activation teams

Who You Are

• Team-spirited and collaborative to achieve client objectives
• Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-pace environment, working on multiple partnerships and activations at a time
• Proven leader, experience managing a team
• Passionate in the live events landscape and a desire to innovate and keep up with trends
• Tremendous organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and competing priorities
• An innovative thinker, concepting creative ideas for various activations
• A strong writer, listener, communicator and presenter
• Solutions oriented and proactive problem solver with foresight and the ability to develop creative solutions
• Experience with sponsorship measurement techniques
• An advocate for and supporter of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 6-8 years of marketing and sponsorship experience at an agency, team, league, rights holder or brand with a proven performance record
• Past experience working on NFL, NBA, NHL and Formula 1 partnerships/agency is encouraged
• Bachelor's Degree
• Deep understanding of the sports landscape
• Experience managing a staff of no less than three (3) account team members as well as the ability to manage remote staff, if necessary
• Experience working across organization and interfacing with a variety of stakeholders
• Proven experience developing persuasive presentations and comfortable presenting to C-Suite level clients
• Past experience with sponsorship strategy development, activation concepts, compliance (measurement analysis experience is a plus)
• Ability to conduct comprehensive client-facing research
• Ability to effectively manage a variety of overlapping projects
• Must be solutions oriented and focused on proactive problem solving and advanced troubleshooting
• Effective communicator and listener
• Ability to work nights, weekends or travel for client programs and/or events
• High level of proficiency with Excel, Word and PowerPoint

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Certificates, Licenses and Registrations

No requirements for certificates, licenses and/or registrations

Physical Activity and Work Environment

Occasionally the employee might be asked to perform minimal physical activity in support of onsite event execution

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

Horizon Media is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Salary Range
$110,000.00 - $135,000.00

A successful applicant's actual base salary may vary based on factors such as individual's skill sets, experience, training, education, licensure/certifications, and qualifications for the role. As an organization, we take an aptitude and competency-based hiring approach. We provide a competitive total rewards package including a discretionary bonus and a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, company paid holidays and unlimited paid time off (PTO), mental health and wellness resources, pet insurance, childcare resources, identity theft insurance, fertility assistance programs, and fitness reimbursement.