Director, Marketing Partnerships Lead – NBA Canada

WORK OPTION: The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week.

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Position Summary

The Marketing Partnerships Lead is responsible for leading the end-to-end management of the NBA’s commercial partners across the region.

This role ensures that all contractual commitments are delivered to the highest standard, while building strong, long-term relationships with partners. Acting as the primary interface between the NBA and its sponsors, the Marketing Partnerships Lead guarantees seamless execution of rights, activations, and benefits, thereby maximizing partner satisfaction and retention.

In addition to managing day-to-day partner relationships, this position plays a critical role in identifying upsell opportunities, creating added value within existing agreements, and driving contract renewals.

This role is also responsible for developing and mentoring a high-performing team, ensuring best-in-class servicing standards, and fostering collaboration with the Business Development, Marketing, Events, and Merchandising/Licensing teams to deliver integrated solutions.

Ultimately, is pivotal in ensuring that commercial partnerships not only meet expectations but also evolve and grow over time, contributing directly to the NBA’s revenue growth and brand equity in Canada.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead the Marketing Partnerships team responsible for managing the NBA’s commercial partners in Canada.
• Oversee the fulfillment of all contractual obligations and commercial rights, ensuring flawless execution of sponsorship activations and deliverables.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for partners, maintaining strong relationships and acting as a trusted advisor.
• Collaborate with Business Development to ensure a smooth transition of newly signed partnerships into servicing.
• Drive additional revenue by identifying upselling opportunities and developing proposals to enhance existing agreements.
• Lead negotiations and renewals of partnership contracts, securing long-term commitments and strengthening relationships.
• Coordinate closely with cross-functional teams (Marketing, Events, Media, Merchandising, and Licensing) to deliver integrated and impactful activations.
• Monitor partnership performance through KPIs and reporting, providing insights and recommendations to partners and senior leadership.
• Build, manage, and mentor a high-performing Marketing Partnerships team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence.
• Ensure:
  • Flawless delivery of contractual assets
  • Best-in-class partner experience
  • Consistent measurement, reporting and value demonstration
  • Maximization of renewals and upsell opportunities

Required Skills/Knowledge

• Ability to build and maintain strong, long-term partnerships.
• Skilled in negotiating and influencing at senior levels.
• Deep understanding of sponsorship agreements and rights delivery.
• Ability to ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
• Identifying upsell opportunities and creating added value.
• Strong understanding of revenue drivers and ROI for partners.
• Ability to foster collaboration across departments (Marketing, Events, Licensing).
• Managing multiple activations and campaigns simultaneously.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to present strategies and results to internal and external stakeholders.
• Understanding of sponsorship models, fan engagement, and brand activation.
• Familiarity with the Canadian market dynamics and cultural nuances.
• Knowledge of integrated marketing campaigns, digital strategies, and experiential activations.
• Ability to interpret performance metrics and provide insights for optimization.
• Awareness of regional regulations impacting sponsorship and consumer promotions.
• Budget management and forecasting for partnership activations.

Experience Needed

• Minimum of 8+ years of sales and/or business development experience, and account management.
• Strong understanding of branded content, digital storytelling, and partnership marketing within the sports and entertainment industry.
• Strategic thinker – able to shape, develop, and execute the strategy for the NBA.
• Strong persuading and negotiation skills.
• A credible communicator, adept at operating at the board level.
• Commercially minded and results driven.
• Excellent presentation skills (verbal and written).
• Ability to work well within a matrixed organization.
• A passion for sports is preferred.
• English fluency.

Educational Background Required

• A bachelor’s degree is required.

Salary Range:

Job Posting Title:

Director

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The NBA considers applicants for all positions on the basis of merit, qualifications, and business needs, and without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, alienage or citizenship status, ancestry, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, 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.

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2026-27 season featured 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries across six continents. The NBA's digital assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.5 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. The NBA's Tap to Watch provides seamless access to local, national and global live game telecasts via the NBA App, NBA.com, third-party digital platforms and NBA partner platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA's global social impact platform, drives change on issues facing fans and communities in the areas of health and wellness, civic engagement, social justice and inclusion, and sustainability.