Account Director, Sports- Brand Consulting

Job Description

Who We Are

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is the leading entertainment and sports agency, with global expertise in filmed and live entertainment, digital media, publishing, sponsorship sales and endorsements, licensing, media finance, consumer investing, fashion, trademark licensing, and philanthropy.  Distinguished by its culture of collaboration and exceptional client service, CAA’s diverse workforce identifies, innovates, and amplifies opportunities for the people and organizations that shape culture and inspire the world.  The trailblazer of the agency business, CAA was the first to build a sports business, create an investment bank, launch a venture fund, found technology start-up companies, establish a philanthropic arm, build a business in China, and form a brand marketing services division, among other innovations.

The Role

The CAA Brand Consulting Account Director will lead the day-to-day account team for a key Brand Consulting client, focusing specifically on the strategic concepting, management, and execution of Olympics and Paralympics partnerships.

Serving as a primary client lead, the candidate will direct day-to-day client relations, manage and mentor junior team members, and drive cross-functional collaboration across internal functional teams, external agencies, vendors, and key rights holders within the global Olympics ecosystem (including IOC/TOP, USOPC, NGBs, OCOGs, and talent). Additionally, the Account Director will be responsible for bringing proactive strategic ideas, innovative activation concepts, and new commercial opportunities to the client to drive ongoing account growth and brand impact.

Responsibilities

Partnership Strategy & Management
•    Strategic Oversight: Provide senior account leadership in the day-to-day strategy and management of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships, including TOP Sponsors, USOPC, NGBs, and Organizing Committees (OCOGs).
•    Strategy & Value Creation: Develop and lead comprehensive Olympic partnership strategies, identifying, communicating, and maximizing sponsorship assets to deliver measurable value for clients and secure key stakeholder buy-in.
•    Rights Holder Negotiations: Lead negotiations with Olympic rights holders—including OCOGs, NOCs/USOPC, NGBs, talent, and beyond—demonstrating a proven history of delivering successful commercial outcomes.
•    Stakeholder Alignment: Direct management of Olympic sponsorship portfolios, serving as the primary executive point of contact across client leads, rights holders, host committees, and external agency partners.
•    Client Advisory: Own and manage senior client relationships, serving as a trusted strategic advisor throughout the multi-year Olympic partnership lifecycle.
•    Integrated Marketing: Oversee the development of integrated marketing and sponsorship activation plans—showcasing how digital, social, PR, retail, and experiential channels come to life—working seamlessly with internal account teams, client teams, and external agencies.
•    Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify new Olympic Movement opportunities, including Paralympic expansion, NGB partnerships, athlete talent strategies, and emerging sports properties that align with client objectives.
•    Team Leadership & Development: Oversee, mentor, and inspire account teams managing day-to-day partnerships, ensuring operational continuity, strategic creative thinking, and active problem-solving.

Activation, Cross-Functional Leadership & Measurement
•    Lead Activation Planning: Lead overall activation planning and execution across global events and activations, pulling in specific functional teams as needed to ensure all contractual rights and brand goals are met.
•    Data & Analytics Oversight: Partner with Insights & Analytics to establish partnership KPIs, measurement frameworks, ROI reporting, and optimization strategies.
•    Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with other internal team functions (e.g., Creative, Experiential, Social Impact, Insights/Trends, PR, Digital) to ensure client goals and overarching partnership objectives are met.
•    Account Operations & Growth: Oversee key project deliverables—including overall budgeting, briefings, and C-suite presentations—while playing a key role in driving year-over-year account growth.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor's Degree preferably in Marketing, Communications, Business or similar discipline.
•    8–10+ years of experience in sports marketing, brand partnerships, sponsorship consulting, media rights, and agency leadership.
•    Proven, hands-on track record of negotiating and managing high-stakes Olympics and Paralympic partnerships.
•    Demonstrated experience managing major global sports sponsorships, including strategic planning, contract negotiation, rights management, activation execution, stakeholder coordination, international hospitality, and partner fulfillment.
•    Established relationships throughout the sports landscape, including governing bodies, media rights holders, athlete representatives, and key industry partners.
•    Proven ability to develop partnership strategies that drive client investment, measurable ROI/ROO, and long-term commercial success.
•    Demonstrated experience negotiating complex sponsorship agreements and managing partnerships end-to-end from contract execution through activation, measurement, and renewal.
•    Ability to lead and execute integrated sponsorship programs across governing bodies, property rights holders, media partners, brand sponsors, and athlete talent.
•    Strong understanding of global sports governance, ambush marketing guidelines, athlete marketing regulations, and the evolving sports media landscape.
•    Exceptional client service and relationship management skills across clients, brand partners, internal stakeholders, and external agencies.
•    Recognized as a strategic thought leader capable of influencing C-suite executives and senior stakeholders with data-driven recommendations.
•    Experience leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing account teams.
•    Proven experience managing sponsorship budgets, financial forecasting, P&L responsibility, and reporting.
•    Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
•    Highly collaborative and solution-oriented, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure agency environment.
•    Outstanding verbal, written, presentation, and executive communication skills.
•    Willingness to travel extensively and work non-standard hours (evenings and weekends) as required by major sporting events and global client activations.

Preferred Skills:
•    Agency experience highly preferred 
•    Experience in tech/AI, a plus
 

Location

This role will be located in our New York or Los Angeles office. The Brand Consulting department offers a flexible work schedule and requires a minimum three days per week on-site.

Compensation

The annual base salary for this position is in the range of $115,000 to $165,000. This position also is eligible for benefits and discretionary bonus. Ultimately, the salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, business sector, and geographic location, among other criteria. Please talk with a CAA Recruiter to learn more.

Creative Artists Agency, LLC (the “Company”) is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate on the basis of race (inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, creed, gender or sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, family and medical care leave status, military or veteran status, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation, an employee’s or their dependent’s reproductive health decision making (e.g., the decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical service), or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The absence of a permanent address is not a bar to employment. The Company does not discriminate against individuals based on housing status, including the absence of a fixed address.

The Company also complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws with regard to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.

CAA does not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless they were contractually engaged by CAA to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any such employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the acknowledgement and agreement that CAA will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.