Account Director, Client Services (Sports and Venue Sponsorship) (Home Improvement Client)

 

THE JOB / Account Director, Client Services (Sports and Venue Sponsorship)

CLIENT SERVICES / Responsible for leading Octagon’s client business and day-to-day management of client programs.

The priority location for this role is Atlanta, GA, but the location of this position can be flexible with priority given to candidates open to hybrid work (3 days week in office) in one of our office locations - - Stamford, CT, New York, NY, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, or Chicago, IL..

Octagon is looking for a dynamic leader, sports enthusiast and overall subject matter expert in the world of sports to help us support the development and execution of our clients’ portfolio of sports and entertainment sponsorships. These partnerships include MLB, MLS, NCAA, WNBA, NBA, MiLB, NFL and others.  If you have a passion for brand marketing, developing deep client relationships, possess a strong strategic mentality, love the journey better than the destination and enjoy guiding a team through a fast-paced environment, then this is the position for you!

The right candidate will be a veteran brand marketer, who has strong experience working directly with sports properties and know how to manage major sports partnerships from ideation to execution. You know that building a strong team takes both time and effort, while also knowing how to thrive at being both a coach and mentor. Collaboration and integration are ingrained into your DNA and you understand how to leverage both to create successfully programming. 

To excel in this role, you must be experienced in sports marketing, a confident project manager and good multi-tasker who thinks on your feet, takes initiative, identifies and solves problems independently, finds creative solutions, and keeps programs on track across multiple channels (agency, client, and property).

The responsibilities for this position will require travel to attend client meetings, live event executions and work on the weekends.

THE WORK YOU’LL DO

• Help our client develop and execute their sports marketing and venue portfolio in the southeast U.S. Market
• Work with senior leaders on the business to help create our client’s go-to-market strategy for all partnerships
• Help lead Octagon’s specialty groups in developing compelling creative campaigns, onsite activation programs and customer hosting events bringing these partnerships to life and most importantly exceeds our clients’ expectations
• Management of a multi-million-dollar partnership budget
• Create thoughtful POVs, insights and reporting that will advise smart marketing plans and real-time campaign improvements
• Serve as an advisor and consultant to key decision-making clients
• Develop strong, trusted relationships with agency partners, properties, media and content partners
• Lead, coach and mentor a diverse set of teammates who may be geographically dispersed
• Help Octagon meet its key financial goals and grow its business with our client

THE BIGGER TEAM YOU’LL JOIN

Recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports”, Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Interpublic Group.

We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent.

We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world.

The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker?

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Minimum 6+ years of proven experience within the sports marketing industry developing strong integrated brand marketing campaigns and compelling onsite activation programs
• Strong understanding of the regional and US sports marketing landscape
• Experience developing robust marketing campaigns for a brand and/or client
• Experience leading large teams on complex projects
• Proficient communication skills (spoken and written)
• Strategic, collaborative approach to solving problems with ideas – build relationships and influence a range of teams
• Successful at encouraging positive agency and client relationships
• Flexibility and willingness to travel domestically, and work weekends or holidays as needed. Anticipated travel level: Moderate (20-45%)

L5: The base range for this