Manager, Football Business Strategy

The Manager, Football Business Strategy will plan, implement, and execute initiatives that support Football Operations strategic priorities. The role will lead the research, testing, and development required to evaluate and implement innovations across Future of Football workstreams, while managing a portfolio of high- impact projects. This role will also address a diverse set of football business challenges by partnering regularly with internal departments, clubs, vendors, sponsors and other external stakeholders. The Manager, Football Business Strategy may also oversee interns, rotational analysts, coordinators, or project-based contributors supporting Football Business Strategy and Operations.

Responsibilities

• Support the planning, execution, and oversight of strategic initiatives that support Football Operations priorities, including football innovation, game operations and policy, international growth, and long-range organizational planning.
• Manage the League’s Future of Football portfolio, including technology evaluations, pilot programs, stakeholder alignment, testing plans, implementation support, and performance reporting for Football Operations leadership and club stakeholders.
• Support Football Operations business planning, budget development, forecasting, enterprise risk management, KPI reporting, and strategic decision-making through financial, operational, and scenario analysis.
• Serve as the project manager for football technology and data initiatives, including club analytics devices, data-sharing programs, operational technology deployments, game day support, and vendor-supported innovation efforts.
• Develop executive-level presentations, recommendations, memoranda, and reporting for senior leadership, the Competition Committee, Future of Football Committee, Technology Committee, and other key stakeholder groups.
• Lead vendor evaluation, procurement, contract administration, payment tracking, and RFP processes across assigned workstreams, including technology platforms, football operations services, and innovation partnerships.
• Partner with internal and external partners to identify opportunities to improve football operations through emerging technologies, automation, data, and artificial intelligence.
• Support international football development initiatives programs that strengthen football ecosystems, expand participation pathways, and support the long-term growth of the game globally.
• Coordinate complex cross-functional projects and stakeholder engagement efforts, ensuring alignment across clubs, League departments, vendors, and external football organizations while delivering against established timelines and strategic objectives.
• Maintain detailed project plans, timelines, decision logs, budgets, and status reporting for assigned initiatives.
• Provide support across League tentpole events, football technology testing, and other Football Operations priorities.
• Demonstrate flexibility in addressing ad hoc projects and evolving organizational needs.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7+ years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience in football operations, sports technology, data, and AI, with familiarity across emerging technologies, integration, and adoption workflows.
• Experience managing strategic, operational, technology, or consulting projects with multiple stakeholders and concurrent workstreams.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, vendor management, procurement, contracting, or RFP processes preferred.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, judgment, and follow-
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor information for executive, club, technical, and operational audiences.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel; familiarity with project management and collaboration tools preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business, technical, and operational information into clear recommendations and executive-ready materials.

Other Key Attributes / Characteristics

•  Collaborative relationship-builder who can work effectively across a small team and lead cross- functional stakeholder groups.
• Proactive, adaptable self-starter who can manage ambiguity, prioritize competing demands, and drive work to completion.

Terms / Expected Hours of Work

• Ability to support game day, evening, weekend, and tentpole-event responsibilities when required by assigned projects.
• Approximately 25% travel, including travel to League and club events, meetings, technology tests, and other Football Operations activities.

 

Salary / Pay Range

This job posting contains a pay range, which represents the range of salaries or hourly rates that the NFL believes, in good faith, at the time of this posting that it might be willing to pay for the posted job in the location(s) specified. The NFL expects to hire for this position near the middle of the range. Only in truly rare and exceptional circumstances, where an external candidate has experience, credentials or expertise that far exceed those required or expected for the position, would the NFL consider paying a salary or rate near the higher end of the range.