Senior Manager, Sports Marketing (Women's Basketball)

Role overview

This opportunity sits within the Sports Marketing function at adidas, where athlete partnerships, cultural relevance, and innovation come together to strengthen the brand and connect with consumers globally. The role centers on leading the worldwide strategy for women’s basketball athlete relationships and partner development.

In this position, you will identify, secure, and nurture relationships with athletes and brand partners who genuinely reflect adidas and enhance its standing in the global basketball space. You will also help shape how athlete insights influence products, storytelling, and go-to-market activity, contributing to growth, engagement, and long-term brand value.

The role requires close collaboration with teams across Product, Brand Marketing, Merchandising, Sports Marketing, and Finance to ensure partnerships are activated effectively and deliver a premium experience for athletes.

Key responsibilities

You will own the global women’s basketball athlete and partner strategy and translate brand priorities and category goals into action.

You will build a strong future pipeline of athlete and partner opportunities by scouting talent, developing relationships, and working with grassroots and basketball ecosystem stakeholders.

You will negotiate athlete agreements, manage signings and retention efforts, and maintain relationships with agents, managers, schools, and other decision makers.

You will create and sustain trusted relationships with athletes and their support networks while ensuring a high-quality brand experience.

You will bring athlete feedback into internal conversations to support product development, testing, marketing storytelling, and broader category planning.

You will help manage athlete and partner programs through ordering, forecasting, distribution planning, and promotional merchandise coordination.

You will oversee athlete appearances, retail activations, events, and other important brand moments to ensure strong execution.

You will handle budgeting, forecasting, invoicing, reporting, order management, and other program operations to keep the work running smoothly.

You will guide product seeding efforts for on-court and off-court use in line with seasonal priorities and consumer demand goals.

You will also coordinate athlete travel, lodging, event attendance, and expense processing for global initiatives and activations.

Experience and qualifications

A four-year college or university degree in Marketing, Business, Sports Management, or a closely related field is required.

The role calls for at least 4 to 6 years of experience in sports marketing, athlete management, brand marketing, or a similar area.

Strong knowledge of basketball is essential, especially a solid understanding of the women’s basketball landscape.

You should have a track record of building and maintaining relationships with athletes, agents, managers, and other key stakeholders.

Strong negotiation, communication, and influencing abilities are needed, along with good judgment in fast-moving environments.

You must be able to manage several priorities at once and meet deadlines while working across multiple teams.

Clear presentation and storytelling skills are important, as is the ability to communicate well at all levels of the organization.

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook is required.

The role includes significant travel, with up to 40% travel expected during peak periods.

Preferred background

Experience in basketball, women’s sports, athlete representation, or a sports agency setting is strongly preferred.

Additional value will come from having built and executed global athlete strategies or brand partnership programs.

A strong understanding of grassroots, collegiate, and professional basketball ecosystems would be an advantage.

Experience supporting athlete marketing campaigns, product launches, or consumer engagement programs is also desirable.

An established network within basketball and women’s sports is a plus.

Work environment

This role follows a hybrid arrangement. In-office attendance is expected Monday through Thursday, with remote flexibility on Fridays depending on business needs. The primary location is Los Angeles, California.

The environment is fast-paced and highly collaborative, with regular interaction across global teams, frequent athlete engagement, and involvement in brand activations and events. Domestic and international travel may be required, with travel reaching up to 40% in peak periods.

Reporting structure

The position reports into senior leadership within the Sports Marketing organization and does not include direct people management responsibility.

You will work closely with Sports Marketing, Product, Brand Marketing, Merchandising, Finance, and external athlete representatives to advance the global women’s basketball strategy and athlete portfolio.

Compensation and benefits

The salary range for this position is $119,600 to $150,950 per year, with final pay determined by experience, qualifications, skills, and demonstrated capability.

This role is eligible for an annual performance bonus based on both company and individual results.

• Medical coverage options, including HSA plans with employer funding or FSA options, plus dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
• Adoption, surrogacy, and fertility support.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Basic life and AD&D coverage, with additional employee-paid supplemental options.
• A 401(k) plan and stock purchase plan with employer match.
• Education support for eligible full-time employees.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave and generous leave policies.
• Flexible time off accrued at 0.4388 hours per day, increasing with tenure.
• 12 paid holidays plus milestone service time off.
• Employee product discounts and access to wellness programs.

Equal opportunity

adidas promotes a workplace centered on respect, collaboration, and opportunity, with an emphasis on helping employees grow and perform at their best.

The company values diverse backgrounds and perspectives as a driver of innovation and better service to athletes, consumers, and communities.

adidas is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to protected characteristics under applicable law. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated.