What are the responsibilities and job description for the Executive Director position at Happy Valley United?
About Blueprint Sports: Since 2021, Blueprint Sports Agency has raised and paid out over $100M to NCAA student-athletes through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Blueprint Sports Agency simplifies the Wild West, which is today's college athletics, by offering an easy-to-use and comprehensive solution that sets the standard for NIL and commercial sports marketing. We are exceptional at raising commercial NIL funds, handling complex contracts for athletes, powering payments to athletes, and providing the data and solutions to manage your NIL budgets. By choosing Blueprint Sports, you're not just selecting a service provider; you're partnering with a leader in the NIL field, committed to empowering student-athletes and reshaping the future of college sports.
About Happy Valley United: Happy Valley United is the NIL collective that serves all 31 sports and over 850 student-athletes at Penn State. NIL opportunities allow student-athletes to engage with charitable causes and participate in business engagements, to build their brands while making a positive impact. The collective connects fans, alumni, businesses, and charities with student-athletes while harnessing the power of Nittany Nation. Supporters can connect with their favorite Blue and White teams through memberships, community events, and corporate sponsorships. NIL opportunities allow Penn State student-athletes to focus on representing their school at the highest level of college athletics and their education without worrying about additional expenses. Happy Valley United connects these student-athletes with a wealth of opportunities to earn compensation while furthering their professional and personal development.
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:
The Executive Director will be responsible for generating revenue on behalf of Happy Valley United at Penn State University. The person in this role will work on-site with the Happy Valley United staff and Penn State Athletics staff to pitch and close commercial NIL partnership agreements, develop, lead, and execute specialty revenue concepts and revenue-driving events, and develop comprehensive revenue strategies to support Happy Valley United and incremental revenues for the athletic department.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Identify potential sponsors for Happy Valley United through networking with university stakeholders & business partners and researching local, regional & national companies
- Partner with the athletics department to develop and execute a revenue plan to meet and exceed revenue goals for Blueprint Sports and Happy Valley United at Penn State
- Manage profit and loss & budget reports to maintain and exceed EBITDA budget
- Build and lead a growing team supportive of a growing NIL collective
- Evaluate the success of the organization in reaching its goals
- Prospect, meet, and close a significant number of new and renewal high-level NIL partnership deals.
- Work with Blueprint Sports leadership and Penn State Athletics to create sales inventory, revenue projections, and overall revenue strategy
- Develop sales presentations for new NIL marketing partners by incorporating research, category dynamics, and an understanding of the partner’s marketing goals
- Create sales proposals and draft/negotiate contracts with NIL sponsors
- Develop key marketing objectives with clients through needs assessment and a collaborative sales process
- Create NIL special event programming specially curated and custom programmed to drive revenues and NIL engagement
- Entertain and cultivate sponsors in non-game related settings
- Prepare end-of-year recaps for partners
- Represent Happy Valley United, Penn State athletics, and Blueprint Sports in a professional manner
- Research sports sponsorship and the NIL industry and stay current with relevant market trends and conditions
- Build a strong understanding of all Blueprint Sports business units and offerings in order to leverage new business areas, leads, and categories
- Other job-related duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will possess the following characteristics, traits, and experience:
- Bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited college or university, Penn State alumni, and/or former student-athlete preferred but not required
- At least seven (7) years of experience in corporate sponsorship sales, sports marketing, marketing/advertising/influencer strategy, media/agency/radio/TV sales, talent representation or B2B sales
- Demonstrated understanding of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) as it relates to the collegiate athletics space preferred but not required
- Proven track record of quickly developing and maintaining strong and lasting relationships with relevant internal and external stakeholders
- Strong sales and presentation skills with the ability to follow up, negotiate, influence, and close deals quickly
- Possess a conscientious attention to detail and excellent problem-solving skills
- Demonstrate a high level of integrity and honesty and has a reputation as a person who always does the right/fair thing
- Be proactive and self-motivated by a will to achieve results and win
- Must possess an entrepreneurial mindset
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and deliver high-level results
- Ability to work nights/weekends/sporting events and travel (<10%) as needed
- Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Suite(s)
- Role is based in the Happy Valley United offices located in State College, PA
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.