Director, Strategy & Growth
The Director, Strategy & Growth will sit within the Strategy & Growth team and focus on developing the frameworks, sector views, market intelligence, and intellectual capital that brand partnerships needs to keep scaling. This is a strategic role, not a sales role.
Key Responsibilities
- Build the strategic infrastructure brand partnerships needs to scale.
- Develop sponsorship valuation methodologies, sector frameworks, market intelligence, and repeatable approaches for pitches, renewals, and new business.
- Develop sector views (e.g., automotive, financial services, tech, luxury) that explain how brands in each category think about sport and where the opportunities sit.
- Lead consulting mandates in sponsorship strategy, commercial model design, and brand portfolio strategy.
- Take engagements from scoping through to delivery, drawing on the same intellectual capital used internally.
- Win new consulting work in this space.
- Lead proposals, develop hypotheses and investment recommendations, and contribute to business development alongside the wider consulting practice.
- Work alongside the brand partnerships team on the most complex commercial questions, where an outside‑in perspective and analytical depth makes a real difference.
- Work with the data and insights team to build proper evidence around fan engagement, reach, and brand impact.
- Develop IMG’s understanding of media and creative agencies and how they make decisions, both as a market‑intelligence function and as input to consulting work.
- Contribute to broader Strategy & Growth projects when brand or sponsorship expertise is useful.
Qualifications & Experience
- 8–12 years in sports sponsorship, brand strategy, or commercial strategy.
- Ideally a mix of advisory or consulting experience and operating experience on either the agency, brand, or rights‑holder side.
- A genuine understanding of how brands think about sport and why a CMO would make investment decisions.
- Experience building sponsorship valuations, activation strategies, or commercial propositions for major sports properties or brands.
- Credibility with senior commercial people.
- Breadth across multiple sports, geographies, or brand categories.
- Deep expertise in one area is fine, but ability to work across IMG’s full portfolio is required.
- Deep expertise in media rights and how sponsorship and media strategies overlap.
- Experience with sponsorship measurement tools (e.g., Nielsen Sports, GumGum, Relo Metrics) and digital/social activation in sport.
- MBA preferred.
Core Skills
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including sponsorship valuations, market sizing, and ROI analysis.
- Ability to build a case and drive evidence, not just argue.
- Excellent communication skills – able to write pitches, build clean decks, and present confidently to senior audiences.
- Collaborative – adept at building relationships across IMG.
- Proactive and highly organized; able to juggle multiple projects and initiatives.
- Interest in brands and sport; keen to keep up with industry developments and share insights.
Working Conditions
Permanent position located in IMG offices in Chiswick Park, London, with flexibility for remote working as appropriate. Working hours are 9:00–17:00, Monday to Friday; unsocial hours may be required to attend meetings or travel to other IMG locations.
EEO Statement
TKO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding non‑discrimination in employment. TKO makes employment decisions based on merit and qualifications, without considering an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under federal, state or local laws governing non‑discrimination in employment in every location in which the Company has facilities. TKO also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state or local laws.
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