NIL Business Manager - Gonzaga University at Learfield IMG College in Spokane, Washington

Job Description:

Position Title: NIL Business Manager - Gonzaga University

Requisition ID: R100036

Location: Spokane, WA

Full/Part-Time: Full time

About Us:

Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With data-based solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

Our people-first culture is the foundation of our business and is reflective of our approach to building meaningful relationships with our employees, partners, and fans. The company strives each day to deliver the mission statement and embody the core values that make Learfield an exciting place to work.

Our Mission

Powering the connection of fans to the brands and experiences they love.

Our Core Values

Build Trust | Be Fans of One Another | Power Tomorrow | Create & Connect Communities | Have Fun

Gonzaga Sports Properties is looking to add a high impact team member who will focus on navigating the property through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). With the NCAA policy change in July 2021, student-athletes across the country, for the first time ever, can receive payments for NIL. This has provided a new opportunity for brand partners to access influencer marketing with student-athletes in their sponsorship package (i.e. appearances, social media, etc.).

In this role, you will support Gonzaga Sports Properties with business development and NIL deal activation for brand partners. The NIL Business Manager will be asked to achieve pre-defined KPIs centered around revenue generation for Gonzaga Sports Properties (via property new business or existing partner upsells), brand partner NIL activation, and other metrics as the role and NIL evolve. This role will report to the General Manager for Gonzaga Sports Properties, who leads the NIL efforts of our Learfield team embedded at Gonzaga University and will work closely with the rest of the property staff. This role will also have key relationships with the Gonzaga’s Athletic Department staff.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with property and local brands to understand their marketing needs and develop potential marketing campaigns that can be executed with student-athletes

• Serve as a subject matter expert to ideate and pitch NIL campaigns alongside sales staff. This will include opportunities for new and existing partners as well as collaborative deals (combined NIL + MMR deals)

• Work with Athletics to ensure student-athlete compliance with NIL deals is being monitored, disclosed, and reported

• Support activation of NIL deals, leveraging the Compass platform where applicable, and ensuring student-athletes participate and fulfill activation obligations with brand partners at fair market value

• Assist in the creation of content for various platforms including but not limited to multimedia audio/video, animation, graphics, and sponsorable content

• Stay informed on NIL news, including student-athlete deals across the country, legislation changes (at State and National levels), and ongoing trends. You will also participate in the Learfield corporate NIL working group to share best practices and successful sales concepts across the country

• Support General Manager to protect school partner IP value and monitor student-athlete NIL IP usage

• Manage sponsorship relationship with local NIL collective partner(s) including their sponsorship activation with Gonzaga Sports Properties, as well as their sponsorship conversations with student-athletes

• Coordinate and liaise between Gonzaga, student-athletes, Gonzaga Sports Properties, brands, and collectives

• Represent Gonzaga Sports Properties, with existing brand partners and Gonzaga Athletics staff to align resources and priorities

• Collaborate with other stakeholder groups across Learfield and Gonzaga to ensure success

• Complete other sales, fulfillment and operations responsibilities as assigned by GM

• Assist with Gonzaga Sports Properties, gameday operations, including home basketball games and other home events

• As NIL is a fluid and evolving topic, the responsibilities for this role and the work expectations in coordination with Gonzaga Athletics will continue to be defined over time

Qualifications

• A minimum of 2+ years of client-facing and/or business development focused work

• Must be able to work 40 hours per week including home games, select sporting events, and NIL appearances and activations that occur outside of traditional work hours

• Experience in Sports / NIL / College Athletics and/or sponsorship is a plus, but not required

• Prefer knowledge of graphic, motion design, photography, and video and podcast editing/production (including Adobe Creative Cloud)

• Ability to take end-to-end responsibility of sales cycle from pitch development to sponsor activation

• Must possess a high level of professionalism and discretion due to access to sensitive student-athlete NIL compensation information

• Ability to establish a deep understanding of client’s objectives and goals, and the ability to problem solve as needed

• Experience working with brand image and promoting value through client activation

• Ability to operate effectively and autonomously across multiple projects in situations of ambiguity, with only high-level direction

• Strong commitment to building a learning culture

• Proven track record of developing and maintaining strong, lasting relationships with partners

• Manage time effectively and oversee multiple tasks simultaneously

• Effective communication (both verbal and written), organization, presentation, and listening skills

• Ability to influence and motivate others through leading by example

Pay Transparency

The approximate base pay range for this position is $45,000 to $55,000. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Individuals may also be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus and/or sales compensation. Actual compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience as well as geographic location.

Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (including Parental Leave), Paid Holidays, 401(k), and Short/Long Term Disability.

Learfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race; color; sex; gender identity; sexual orientation; religious practices and observances; national origin; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; status as a protected veteran or spouse/family member of a protected veteran; or disability.

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