Senior Sports Marketing Manager

Leads the strategy and execution of key athlete partnerships for the global basketball business unit. It ensures athletes amplify brand and product priorities authentically and delivers a best-in-class brand experience to cultivate high-value partnerships. The position drives revenue, customer acquisition and brand awareness through these partnerships.

• Build and maintain comprehensive activation plans for athlete partners for ongoing engagement around milestones, key brand moments, global events, product launches and seasonal priorities.
• Resolve conflicts and troubleshoot issues quickly to maintain strong partner satisfaction and retention.
• Proactively manage up by keeping leadership informed of partnership plans and requests, aligning expectations and potential risks, and providing timely updates on key initiatives.
• Work with integrated marketing channels to formulate the consumer journey, media plan, retail strategy and social rollout for signature collections and player capsules for internal and external stakeholders.
• Formulate detailed recaps with internal channels to communicate campaign wins and growth opportunities connected to signature franchises, key initiatives and events.
• Lead day-to-day partnership management with PUMA Basketball athletes, ensuring a constant flow of on-court and off-court product and understanding each athlete's performance and style preferences.
• Build and maintain relationships with talent management representatives and industry contacts.
• Handle assigned athletes' servicing needs such as invoice processing, securing product, contractual budget planning and travel bookings.
• Organise virtual and in-market athlete product meetings for footwear and apparel development connected to signature collections and player capsules, owning environment, agenda and hospitality at a world-class level.
• Coordinate and attend brand photoshoots and appearances with assigned athletes to manage ambassador requests at brand initiatives.
• Ensure PUMA fulfils contractual obligations to each athlete, supports their charitable initiatives, and that athletes post on and engage with the brand on social media in a natural and authentic way.

• Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field of study.
• 5+ years of experience in sports marketing, athlete servicing, partnerships or similar, in high-growth or global brand environments.
• Strong strategic acumen and the ability to connect partnerships to the broader business strategy.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving and time-management skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects effectively and deliver desired end results.
• Proven leadership experience with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; strong executive presence and stakeholder management experience with athletes, agents and senior leaders.
• Extensive knowledge of the basketball community, from grassroots to professional.
• Passion for sport and sport culture.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 40%.
• Pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills and experience.

• Benefits (Corporate benefit summary)

PUMA is a global sports brand creating footwear, apparel, and accessories that inspire athletes and everyday movers. The PUMA Group owns PUMA, Cobra Golf, and stichd, operates in 120+ countries, and has around 22,000 employees worldwide. PUMA looks for SPEED & SPIRIT in candidates, defined by values that inspire performance, sporting legacy and team spirit.