Head of Event Management

National Basketball Association (NBA)

1mo ago

Job
Full-time
Expert Level
Sports & Fitness
New York

AI generated summary

You need 15+ years in sports or entertainment events, strong leadership, project management, strategic thinking, and the ability to inspire teams while traveling ~50% of the year.
You will lead innovative programming, manage partnerships, enhance fan experiences, oversee event execution, collaborate across teams, and drive performance and efficiency in event management.

Requirements

15+ years’ experience in the sports or entertainment industry within events, media, and technology.
Inspirational leadership style and hands-on approach.
Outstanding organizational skills and time management.
History of decision-making and proven results based on business metrics.
Exceptional project management skills and attention to detail, along with high levels of emotional intelligence and partnership skills!
Strategic thinker who can take broad visions and concepts and develop structured plans, actions and measurable metrics and then execute on those plans.
Decisive, action-oriented, and able to motivate, inspire, and lead cross-functional teams in different geographies and business units.
A strong leader and excellent communicator who can drive consensus and articulate recommendations and tradeoffs to senior executives.
Ambitious self-starter with demonstrated ability and willingness to roll up sleeves and execute to get the job done!
Ability to succeed in a fast-paced, innovative, and rapidly evolving industry and business organization.
Travel ~50% of the year

Responsibilities

Lead development of ambitious, innovative programming to support and drive our fan-first business approach partnership with GPM, DTC, Communications, and other teams.
Drive programming, business partnerships and superior delivery of experiences while establishing effective repeatable and sustainable processes to support growth.
Lead highly visible projects and work cross-departmentally to analyze key short-term efficiency opportunities and long-term growth platforms.
Negotiate sound and innovative business partnerships that drive revenue, fan engagement and overall business impact.
Grow and strengthen the role the League(s) programming with Teams, Promoters, Partners, Cities, and other sports & entertainment properties.
Establish systems and processes to share best practices and explore new opportunities to continuously refresh and elevate the NBA fan experience and align with overall League business objectives.
Represent the department internally with senior management and associates alike as well as with external constituents ranging from teams, industry leaders to media.
Serve as an inspirational leader and role model for staff; promote a culture of strong integrity, high performance, meaningful collaboration, and continuous improvement that values commitment to equity, learning, and quality.
Define success and galvanize the team around it.
Effectively handle performance across the team to hit goals and manage out poor performers.
Play a key role in catalyzing a unified, global events function and team, integrating efforts and people across the world.
Collaborate with diverse sets of stakeholders to align on and prioritize what's most important.
Identify critical stakeholders and engage them to shape a shared vision.
Take extreme ownership for outcomes and remain engaged with prior efforts to ensure strategies drive desired outcomes; identify pivots as needed.
Present verbal and written recommendations; lead discussions with all levels of management including SLT.
Develop and deliver high-impact presentations to communicate plans and vision to internal and external constituents.
Execute against the roadmap to produce diverse, scalable, and profitable events.
Lead the development and presentation of planning to communicate key milestones, storylines, activation plans with all key stakeholders.
Bring strong, established, and actionable relationships with vendors, production companies, and important stakeholders; deepen active partnerships, as well as build ones with new vendors, clients, and stakeholders.
Lead initiatives to increase efficiency across all areas of event management processes, including but not limited to planning processes, finances, vendor management, event design, venue selection and activation.
Work effectively, transparently, in a partner-like fashion with the leadership team; ensure buy-in to key decisions, agreement on strategic direction, alignment of cross-functional resources and activities.
Help to build the event teams and manage resources; identify, negotiate and book external resources needed in partnership with the Operations Lead.
Work with marketing and event partners including agencies, talent, venues, suppliers, security, registration, hotels, transportation, health and safety, creative services, facilities, shipping, and another event logistics.
Multitask and lead several projects simultaneously.

FAQs

What is the work schedule for this position?

The position requires working 4 days per week in the New York, NY office.

Is COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for this role?

Yes, any individual working onsite in the New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

What are the primary responsibilities of the Head of Event Management?

The Head of Event Management will lead the event development and planning team, focusing on designing and producing various league events, driving programming, managing partnerships, and ensuring the delivery of innovative experiences.

How many professionals will I be managing in this role?

You will directly manage a team of 20+ professionals and indirectly oversee a dozen regional event managers.

What level of experience is required for this position?

A minimum of 15+ years of experience in the sports or entertainment industry within events, media, and technology is required.

Will travel be required for this job?

Yes, travel is expected approximately 50% of the year.

What skills are essential for success in this role?

Key skills include strategic thinking, exceptional project management, strong organizational skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Does this position entail collaboration with other departments?

Yes, the role requires collaboration with diverse stakeholders across various departments, including marketing, revenue, and content.

Is there a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in this role?

Yes, a proven commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is essential.

What is the salary range for this position?

The salary range for this position is $240,000 - $295,000.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

#bringyourgame

Entertainment & Media

Industry

1001-5000

Employees

Mission & Purpose

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 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. 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 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.