Director of Player Relations, Phoenix Mercury

Director of Player Relations, Phoenix Mercury

Mercury Headquarters

Phoenix, Arizona

Job Summary:

Player 15 Group includes several companies and many collaborative departments that support the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, and Footprint Center.

Would you like to win championships and create sustained success? Player 15 Group is looking for individuals who are committed to pursuing excellence, win championships, create sustained success and desire to play a role in creating memorable experiences.

We are seeking a Director of Player Relations to join the Phoenix Mercury! The Director of Player Relations serves a key role within the Phoenix Mercury Front Office. The role leads the oversight of off-court player development, requiring the active creation and maintenance of professional connections within the WNBA and women’s basketball. This position also serves as the primary contact on matters requiring collaboration between Basketball Operations and Business Operations, to ensure that player advocacy is at the forefront of initiatives within the larger Phoenix Mercury organization. Finally, the Director will contribute to all front office functions, such as scouting trips, booking / adjusting travel arrangements, collaborating with the coaching staff, and interacting with agents and personnel throughout the league or other franchises.

What You Will Do:

• Builds relationships with roster of Phoenix Mercury players by creating personal connections and providing professional mentorship to enhance off-court player development opportunities.
• Establish and maintain network of connections across the WNBA, College Basketball, and international teams to create unique intel gathering opportunities.
• Collaborates with Player 15 Group Business Operations to balance interests of Mercury players with the needs of the organization through partnerships, fan engagement, and community involvement.
• Provides both in-person and video scouting of college and professional players.
• Contributes to all standard Front Office responsibilities, including organizing plans for scouting trips, maintaining contact list of agents and league personnel, and engaging with coaching staff for off-court responsibilities.

• Maintains a flexible schedule to allow frequent travel with the team or on trips related to front-office activity.

What We Need from Our Director of Player Relations:

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills are essential.
• Knowledge of the WNBA, NCAA, and international players and teams.
• Must demonstrate a high level of confidentiality and professionalism.
• Must be very detail-oriented, intuitive, a self-starter, and work with minimal supervision, often requiring making decisions with incomplete information.
• Demonstrates the ability to problem solve and prioritize based on organizational experience.
• Must be able to appropriately prioritize workload, as well as demonstrate flexibility and poise when responding to unanticipated events.
• Constructively engages with others who have different views.
• Facilitates collaboration and teamwork among people who depend on each other to succeed.
• Engages in meaningful and candid development-focused conversation that helps people know where they stand against expectations and opportunities.
• Ability to coach and develop other leaders with both direct and indirect reporting relationships.
• Requires strong MS Office with an emphasis on PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Word.
• Knowledge of the Collective Bargaining Agreement provisions is a bonus.

What You Can Expect:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by the Director of Player Relations to optimally perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Significant travel is required in this role - flexible schedule to include weekends, evenings, and holidays to meet the needs of the team and front office.
• Will be exposed to large crowds, loud noises, and flashing lights consistent with high-capacity live entertainment events.
• The physical demands are representative of those required for the employee to be successful in performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to assist individuals with disabilities.
• The Phoenix Mercury are an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V
• Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check and drug screen.
• This position works mainly indoors, removed from extreme weather; exposure to weather is <5%
• S-Sedentary Work – Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally.
• Must be able to carry on a conversation both on the phone and in-person.
• Ability to Read, Write & Speak in English
• Perks:
• Discounts at Fanatics Team Shop
• Visit our Culture page to learn more about our culture and work environment

Player 15 Group is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

Please note this job description is not crafted to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

For questions about this career opportunity, please contact the People & Culture Recruiting team at recruiting@suns.com