Analyst, Partnership Strategy & Insights

JOB SUMMARY

VINIK SPORTS GROUP OVERVIEW

The Vinik Sports Group Partnership Department is responsible for the strategic planning, sales, partnership marketing, activation, retention and growth of the flagship property, Tampa Bay Lightning and AMALIE Arena, as well as the University of South Florida Athletics (football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball), and the Yuengling Center.

The Analyst, Partnership Strategy & Insights will support the strategy and insights vertical within the Partnerships Department. This role will act as a key support system for the Partnership Activation and Development teams, specific to the development and implementation of streamlined sales processes, the creation of sales collateral and pitch decks, and new asset and platform ideation. This role will act as a liaison to marketing, graphic design, digital & social, content, and business intelligence to ensure brand and team storytelling is leveraged to drive revenue through streamlined and effective cross-department communication throughout the sales process.

The Analyst, Partnership Strategy and Insights will also support with the implementation of the short and long-term business strategy goals of the department including but not limited to industry and category research projects, maintenance of the department’s CRM platform, inventory creation and management, and the development of go to market sales strategies.

The Analyst, Partnership Strategy & Insights will need to possess a positive attitude, solid work ethic, a strong sense of ownership, will be proactive in nature, possess the ability to think strategically, and uphold the highest professional standards. This unique hybrid role is best suited for both a creative and analytical mind versed in brand partnerships, marketing, storytelling and analytics.

GAME/EVENT RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Game/Event Night responsibilities: Yes 
• Approximate number of events worked per year: 15 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Sales Process:

• Be a conduit between the Partnerships, Business Intelligence, and the Marketing departments, bridging the gap between data and storytelling, to bring marketing initiatives and brand stories to life through innovative and creative partnership sales materials
• Work closely with the new business development team, marketing, and department leadership to streamline the sales process, being the lead project manager starting with the RFP (request for proposal) and ending with the delivery of a finalized sales presentation
• Develop sales collateral in coordination with the marketing and graphic design teams including general brand and team storytelling, case studies, custom audience alignment slides, pitch presentations, and more
• Collaborate with marketing and partnerships to frequently refresh the Vinik Sports Group, Tampa Bay Lightning, Amalie Arena, and USF MMR "sales story", leveraging insights, analytics, and brand storytelling to articulate how and why a partnership will drive value for partner brands and prospects
• Proactively update yearly partnership deck templates, such as partnership recaps and asset playbooks, to support the activation team with turnkey and cohesive pre-season, mid-season, and end of season reporting solutions
• Create and maintain a creative request pipeline and calendar to ensure all sales pipeline materials are being built and updated in a timely manner 
• Manage both internal and external partner and vendor expectations on processes, timelines, approvals, and deadlines

Go To Market Strategy:

• Support in the development of data-backed go to market sales strategies, leveraging in-depth category and company analysis and benchmarking to support sales efforts around prospecting and pitching
• Analyze business/brand, category, consumer, and cultural trends that highlight opportunities for partners’ businesses and inform strategic output
• Work closely with the Partnership Strategy and Partnerships Development team to identify revenue opportunities and monitor league and industry trends to detect opportunities for new sales prospecting
• Participate in client meetings when necessary to support with ideation and the development of partnership proposals
• Act as the key lead inventory manager for the partnerships team, ensuring available and sold inventory is accurately reflected in department reporting and CRM systems
• Effectively manage available partnership inventory with the ability to provide timely insights and moment-in-time inventory reporting to inform strategic decision making
• Support in rate card analysis for new inventory opportunities, as applicable

Other:

• Support organization CHARGE pr