Principal, Women’s Basketball Sports Marketing Field Representative

About the Role

Nike is driven by a mission to innovate for athletes. Our Sports Marketing professionals serve as the essential connection between the brand and Nike-sponsored athletes, clubs, and federations globally. They collaborate with elite athletes to gather insights about current and upcoming products, share inspiring sports stories, and foster enduring partnerships between the athletes and Nike. This team crafts and implements marketing strategies, secures endorsements and licensing deals, and represents Nike within the sports community worldwide. The foundation of Nike's product innovation stems from listening closely to outstanding athletes.

Position Overview

As a crucial member of the North America Women’s Basketball Sports Marketing team, the Women’s Basketball Sports Marketing Field Representative will enact the strategic vision for the Global Women’s Basketball portfolio. Key responsibilities include enhancing athlete service and integration, and managing the portfolio’s development. This role requires utilizing athlete and market insights to collaborate with brand and business teams to build marketing strategies, while ensuring that product, services, marketing initiatives, and contractual obligations are fulfilled for all involved athletes and partners.

The role also involves advising on the evolution of the Women’s Basketball sports marketing portfolio in alignment with the team’s strategy, covering both professional leagues and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) considerations. The ideal candidate will demonstrate inclusivity, strong collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and adaptability in a fast-paced environment, showing thorough critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and nurture key relationships and networks within the Women’s Basketball ecosystem, including athletes, agents, teams, and strategic partners, along with Nike’s internal Sports Marketing, Brand, and Business teams.
• Guide and implement the Women’s Basketball Sports Marketing strategy, managing daily relationships, identifying talent to support investment decisions, and negotiating endorsement deals successfully.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align Women’s Basketball partnerships with strategic product, business, and market priorities, maximizing value from athlete collaborations.
• Maintain current and accurate athlete data and regularly update related systems.
• Manage and execute the budget with precise forecasting and transparent communication.
• Lead with a collaborative spirit, embrace a growth mindset, and maintain enthusiasm for critical objectives.

Collaboration

The role reports to the Senior Director for Global Women’s Basketball Sports Marketing. It requires close partnership with Basketball Sports Marketing colleagues and collaboration with the broader Sports Marketing team. Engagement with Basketball Brand, Product Innovation, Marketplace, and Product Merchandising teams ensures marketing efforts align with brand and business goals. Externally, interaction with athletes, agents, and team officials is essential.

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Minimum of 7 years of proven experience in Sports Marketing, Brand Marketing, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to build meaningful relationships that drive business success using both traditional and innovative approaches.
• Genuine passion for and knowledge of Women’s Basketball.
• Familiarity with the Women's Basketball landscape spanning Grassroots Girls Basketball, NCAA, and WNBA.
• Strong portfolio management, critical thinking, and negotiation expertise.
• Capacity to exercise sound judgment independently and communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Comprehensive enterprise perspective, including end-to-end business understanding and organizational/operational excellence.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 30-40% of the time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience or knowledge of brand marketing and sports marketing within Nike.
• Established network including athletes, agents, coaches, and industry contacts within Women’s Basketball.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Keynote, and Nike’s internal systems.

Additional Information

Nike is committed to providing accommodations through the interview process for candidates with disabilities, including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible interview locations, closed captioning, and other reasonable adjustments. Candidates who require assistance can formally request accommodations for the interview process.