Executive Director, Strategic Capabilities

Position Overview

The Executive Director, Strategic Capabilities, plays a pivotal role within the Basketball Operations department by spearheading the creation and adoption of strategic systems, tools, and processes that optimize decision-making across basketball functions. This position acts as the critical connector between salary cap strategy, legal and contractual insight, and technology platforms to empower the front office with advanced capabilities for transaction evaluation, roster management, and long-range planning.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the planning, prioritization, and execution of initiatives focused on strengthening the basketball operations infrastructure.
• Manage project timelines, requirements, dependencies, and risks throughout the portfolio of basketball strategy software and systems.
• Translate intricate NBA salary cap legislation, collective bargaining agreement terms, legal aspects, and contract structures into actionable strategic models and technical solutions.
• Identify enhancements to basketball operations by developing new strategic capabilities from conceptualization to deployment.
• Collaborate extensively with data systems developers to build technologies supporting roster construction, trade analytics, contract modeling, salary cap forecasting, and transaction processing.
• Lead complex salary cap strategy projects that deliver scalable systems for contract evaluation, trade simulations, free agency planning, and roster management over multiple time horizons.
• Align strategic tool development with the organization’s competitive goals for short-, medium-, and long-term planning alongside Basketball Operations leadership.
• Guide cross-functional basketball initiatives to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and support future decision-making.
• Establish governance frameworks, documentation standards, and best practices to maintain data integrity and consistent usability across departments.
• Stay informed on evolving NBA regulations, collective bargaining interpretations, and league trends, integrating changes into strategic planning and supporting technologies.
• Promote collaboration among Strategy, Basketball Operations, Analytics, Legal, Finance, and Technology teams for effective implementation of strategic projects.

Qualifications and Expertise

• At least seven years of experience with NBA salary cap regulations, collective bargaining agreements, player contracts, and roster design strategies.
• A bachelor’s degree is required; advanced degrees in business, law, analytics, computer science, sports management, or related disciplines are preferred.
• Proven success managing intricate cross-functional projects from initiation through deployment.
• Ability to interpret technical and legal information into practical business and basketball strategies.
• Strong grasp of project management principles, strategic planning, and systems implementation.
• Experience partnering closely with software development or data system teams.
• Exceptional analytical thinking, organizational aptitude, problem-solving skills, and communication capabilities.
• Capacity to juggle multiple high-priority projects in a dynamic professional sports setting.

Additional Information

Work locations include El Segundo offices Monday through Friday and downtown Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena for all Lakers home games.

The salary band for this position ranges from $280,000 to $300,000 per year. Final compensation depends on candidate qualifications, experience, certifications, and comparative internal pay standards for similar roles.

The Los Angeles Lakers are an equal opportunity employer, providing employment consideration without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.