The Sr. Manager, Development will generate revenue through the development and sale of marketing partnerships for the Memphis Grizzlies and associated properties, including FedExForum, Grind City Media, Memphis Hustle (G League), and Grizz Gaming (NBA 2K League). This individual will identify key prospects, build a pipeline, and negotiate to close significant deals across multiple industries and businesses.  By focusing on the client’s marketing objectives and business goals, the candidate will create high-value partnership packages that are customized, relevant, integrated, and flexible, and serve to affect the behaviors and perceptions of the client’s target markets.  In addition, this role will play a part in the process of creating engaging, multichannel platforms across all properties for the team to take to market.

• Meet (and exceed) all personal revenue goals through the development and sale of marketing partnerships for the Memphis Grizzlies and associated properties.
• Manage all phases of the new and renewal business development process (identification, research, outreach, qualification, discovery, ideation, proposal, negotiation, and closing) for their pipeline.
• Identify potential partners, initiate professional outreach, and qualify prospects to determine fit and capacity.
• Conduct a comprehensive needs analysis to diagnose the gap between the client’s current state and desired future state.
• Lead cross-departmental ideations to determine partnership campaigns for prospects.
• Construct creative, customized, themed and comprehensive proposals.
• Build a partnership business case for new prospects and current partners. This includes presentation building, scripting and pitching.
• Successfully negotiate and close marketing partnerships that will drive measurable results for partners, enhance the fan experience, and maximize revenue for the company.
• Use Salesforce/KORE with regularity to input contacts, track activities, build deal sheets and project revenue against personal goals.
• Identify upsell opportunities amongst existing clients.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for prospective and existing partners.
• Collaborate with analytics team to optimally utilize audience and fan segmentation, lead generation and prospecting tools, sponsor impact studies, social media reporting, etc.
• Collaborate with partnership developers to assist in the ideation and conception process for clients/prospects.
• Collaborate withactivation team in the planning, execution, and measurement of partnerships.
• Coordinate interdepartmental ideation sessions and excitement to execute.
• Serve as a best practice resource and leader of innovation in the partnership space.
• Build case studies from successful internal platforms and programs for use in future sales opportunities in coordination with relevant account team.
• Host partners at a variety of events.
• Maintain office organization and assume other duties as assigned.

Required Skills, Experience & Abilities

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or related discipline and/or sufficient work experience in the sports marketing/sales, advertising, and/or events industries.
• At least four (4) years of experience with a proven track record of meeting (and exceeding) revenue goals in sports/brand marketing.
• Possess key character traits of empathy, entrepreneurial spirit, multi-track thinking and curiosity.
• High level of business acumen, creative problem-solving abilities, and professionalism.
• Strong presentation skills and experience creating and delivering executive-level presentations.
• Demonstrated organizational and logistics management capabilities.
• Experience using CRM and MS Office software.
• Capacity to work a varied schedule to include evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed, as well as multi-task in a fast-paced environment and willingness to travel.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written), relationship-building abilities, and attention to detail.
• Tremendous teamwork and collaborative spirit coupled with the ability to work independently.
• An endlessly positive attitude, openness to learning, superior work ethic, enthusiastic mindset, and self-starter mentality.