Senior Director, Football

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Develop APAC’s football and commercial strategy in partnership with Global Football leadership and APAC Commercial and Strategy teams Identify new revenue opportunities across traditional and non-traditional business models to drive growth in the APAC region Identify football rightsholders where IMG can deliver value and expand its football portfolio across APAC Act as the senior commercial lead for football in APAC, including leadership of key properties such as AS Roma and support across the wider football portfolio(e.g. Chinese Super League) Lead major regional initiatives and projects that have material impact on the business at both regional and international levels Work closely with Production and Digital teams to identify rightsholders and partners that would benefit from the full breadth of IMG’s services Set annual sponsorship revenue targets and define go-to-market plans, including pricing, tiering, and packaging, in partnership with Sales Operations and cross-functional teams Drive sponsorship sales across the IMG Football portfolio in APAC by developing senior-level client relationships and new commercial opportunities Consistently identify target brands and generate senior-level client meetings, both face-to-face and virtual Lead sponsorship presentations and commercial negotiations through to contract execution Maximize revenue opportunities to achieve or exceed regional targets Partner with sponsorship account managers to ensure successful contract delivery and support renewals Work collaboratively with the wider IMG sales organization to share best practices and support team development Ensure sales pipelines and deals are accurately maintained in CRM systems Maintain strong awareness of competitor activity, market trends, and relevant sponsorships in APAC Provide weekly and monthly forecasting and reporting to senior divisional leadership within Strategic Partnerships Represent IMG Football at major football and sports industry events across the APAC region Management of internal stakeholders across marketing, events, operations, sales and account management Knowledge and Experience: Extensive sponsorship sales experience with a demonstrable track record of sourcing new business and opening doors Proven track record in sponsorship sales and as a relationship builder, having an expansive existing contact base and existing network Experience in negotiating high value, complex, commercial contracts and global sponsorship/partnership deals across multiple platforms Proven track record of successful client relationships and strategic account management/engagement Experience developing business plans and tracking pipelines to ensure sales are delivered Experience initiating and driving sales with limited hands-on guidance Track record of leveraging referrals, developing leads, and securing meetings with prospective suppliers and partners through research, outbound calls, and building an industry network profile Demonstrable knowledge of accurate forecasting and revisiting business plans regularly Effective communication skills with a broad range of audiences. Experience in presenting partnership opportunities to and engagement of senior and c-level executives and targeted companies and brands Experience in the development of bespoke and tailored propositions to suit the needs of individual companies A thorough understanding of the end-to-end sales process and the customer buying process(including awareness of the emotional connections required by brands) Working knowledge of closing deals including negotiation of commercial terms and working alongside the legal team to negotiate and conclude contractual agreements Demonstrable knowledge of the digital landscape in sports, sponsorship activation across all platforms and trends on consumer behavior to spot opportunities for new business