Retail Strategist

ABOUT US

The mission of Smith Entertainment Group is to strengthen and uplift Utah communities, create world-class experiences, and win professional sports championships. Our portfolio includes the Utah Jazz, Utah Hockey Club, and Delta Center. Our values include Transparency, All In, Community-Obsessed, One Team, and Scrappy, and we look for individuals who live by these values.

JOB SUMMARY

Smith Entertainment Group is looking for a Retail Strategist to support the Utah Jazz, Utah Hockey Club, and Delta Center events. We are seeking applicants who have a passion for sports and entertainment and understand the importance of creating a retail environment with the goal of elevating brand awareness, fan affinity, engagement, and revenue for each entity. The ideal candidate should possess the ability to make data-led decisions about inventory, audience segments, and sales reporting, working closely with our third-party retail partner. Qualities of importance include excelling in a fast-paced environment, communicating effectively and professionally, and displaying the ability to collaborate cross-functionally

• Strategic Planning: Create and execute complementary retail strategies that enhance annual marketing and brand plans for both teams. This could include the planning of retail offerings for themed nights, items of the game, collaborations, sponsor fulfillment, pop-up experiences, and product drops.
• Customer Analysis: Work with third-party retail partners and internal teams to understand customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns to identify opportunities for growth and improvement (adding opportunities to buy flow experiences, for example).
• Sales Optimization: Identify opportunities to maximize revenue by including retail in current or new offerings and experiences. Analyze how retail offerings perform and suggest opportunities for improvement. Work toward specific sales goals outlined by the department leader.
• Omnichannel Integration: Work with stakeholders to develop promotional plans to align across team-owned channels, third-party channels, and physical retail locations. Ideate and execute retail marketing campaigns to drive fan engagement and conversion.
• Internal Stakeholder Collaboration: Work across departments, including marketing, brand, revenue, CounterPoint (our private label), and operations, to align strategies and implement retail initiatives effectively. Serve as the main point of contact internally that oversees coordination of promotional product sourcing and ordering for the organization. Provide regular retail business reviews with internal stakeholders to assess retail performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Work closely with the partnerships team to develop and execute retail-focused sponsorship activations.
• External Stakeholder Collaboration: Serve as the main liaison with our third-party retail partner to ensure arena store operation, e-commerce, and buying runs smoothly for all parties. This includes consumer products categories as well as official licensees on product assortment details and approvals. Collaborate on product assortment decisions to balance team-branded staples, limited-edition drops, and trend-driven merchandise. Maintain direct communication with the NBA, NHL, and official licensees to ensure team-branded product releases align with league guidelines.
• Brand Integrity: Work closely with the brand team and third-party partners to ensure retail offerings are on brand and represent our teams correctly. Additionally, grow our brands by identifying and implementing retail offerings that are relevant to our fan base and help outfit more fans locally and nationally.

COMPETENCIES

• Builds Networks- Effectively building formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization
• Business Insight- Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals
• Plans and Aligns- Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Retail Management, Operations, or a related field
• 3 years' experience in a retail marketing or business setting. Retail buying experience preferred
• In-depth understanding of retail operations, marketing, promotions, project management, and consumer behavior
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders
• Must be willing to multi-task, handle multiple projects at once, be self-directed, work independently, and handle feedback
• Creative problem-solving abilities and a results-oriented mindset
• Is agile and able to respond effectively to the rapidly changing needs of a fast-paced organization
• Ability to work within a collaborative, team-driven, and goal-based environment
• Hours are variable and can include evenings, weekends, and some holidays in addition to the traditional Monday through Friday hours

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to communicate and express yourself both written and verbally
• Must be able to observe, inspect, estimate, and assess
• Must be able to sit or stand for long periods of time
• Must be able to lift 20 pounds

Smith Entertainment Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Note: The need may arise to revise, supplement, or rescind portions of this job description, and Smith Entertainment Group reserves the right to do so at any time. Employees shall be required to meet the qualifications and perform the duties of any revised job description.