About the job

At the NBA, we’re passionate about growing and celebrating the game of basketball. Through the intensity of the game and the amazing athletic skill of our players, we deliver excitement to hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

As a global sports and media business, the NBA is so much more. While Basketball Operations runs the league’s on-court activities, other departments manage relationships with television and digital media partners, develop marketing partnerships with some of the world’s most recognizable companies, oversee the licensing of NBA merchandise, and handle a wide range of responsibilities that drive the NBA’s success.

The NBA is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace. To safeguard our employees and their families, our visitors and the broader community from COVID-19, and in consideration of recommendations from health authorities and the NBA’s own advisors, any individual working onsite in our New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including having received a booster when eligible. The NBA will discuss accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance.

Position Summary:

The Manager of Growth Planning & Business Optimization will use demonstrated strategic planning and process optimization skills to contribute to the operational and commercial evaluation and implementation of key business initiatives, partnerships, and corporate improvements across the Events Department. This role requires an analytical skillset, strong presentation skills, and proven project management experience.

The optimal candidate will execute strategies across both the Event Operations team (e.g., venue operations, transportation, ticketing operations, hotels) and the Event Management team (responsible for the growth and execution of marquee events such as All-Star and Finals, youth events, affiliate league events, and fan-driven engagement programs).This manager will articulate strategic priorities and execution plans, identify key performance metrics, innovate workflows and processes, and conduct market and consumer research to support growth in existing and new business lines.

It is inherently a cross-functional role, demanding collaboration and influence with every member of the Events Department and many of our most important stakeholders. The optimal candidate will partner with Event leadership to support key league priorities, communicate the progress of business initiatives, and assist in the preparation of material for key internal and external partners.

Major Responsibilities:

• Support highly visible projects and work cross-departmentally to analyze key short-term efficiency opportunities and long-term growth platforms Lead the creation and implementation of department-wide business planning, reporting, and dashboards
• Develop business cases, operating plans, business models, and go-to-market strategies for global event business initiatives
• Collaborate with diverse project teams and exhibit best-practice project management skills, thought leadership, and analytical rigor
• Create executive-level presentations that articulate opportunities, recommendations and/or solutions that achieve key business objectives
• Champion the objective and key result (OKR) process - support cross-departmental teams by assisting in the establishment of a shared definition of excellence and measurements and tracking for key strategic and operational initiatives from the point of adoption to completion
• Conceptualize and conduct business market research and analysis
• Support departmental GMs with project work to align strategic objectives across the group
• Identify and evaluate external vendors that provide industry-leading event services and deliver insights into best practices that will drive internal efficiency and support workload variances
• Assess, champion, and support concepts and processes alongside department leaders to implement positive team member and stakeholder experiences
  
  

Required Skills/Knowledge:

• Demonstrated quantitative, financial, research, modeling, and project management skills
• Creative problem solver with ability to design and optimize new processes and solutions that find efficiencies and growth opportunities
• Self-starter who is resourceful, results-driven, and has the proven ability to efficiently analyze and assess problems independently as well as within a team environment
• Strong analytical orientation and ability to oversee analyses to evaluate opportunities, recognize patterns, and long-term issue spot
• Experience working and multi-tasking in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Effective communicator and presenter, both orally and in writing
• Advanced aptitude with project management software and all Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Deep commitment to continued learning and being a sense-maker for the team
• Enterprising energy, integrity, and humility
• Experience in the sports, entertainment, media, and technology industries preferred
  
  

Education:

• 2+ years of professional experience at a top-tier consulting firm, investment bank or corporate strategy in media/entertainment preferred
• Bachelor's degree required
• Additional language skills preferred
  
  

We Consider Applicants For All Positions On The Basis Of Merit, Qualifications And Business Needs, And Without Regard To Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Gender Identity, Age, Disability, Alienage Or Citizenship Status, Ancestry, Marital Status, Creed, Genetic Predisposition Or Carrier Status, Sexual Orientation, Veteran Status, Familial Status, Status As A Victim Of Domestic Violence Or Any Other Status Or Characteristic Protected By Applicable Federal, State, Or Local Law.