Account Director, Sports- Brand Consulting

Job Description
Who We Are
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is the leading entertainment and sports agency, with global expertise in filmed and live entertainment, digital media, publishing, sponsorship sales and endorsements, licensing, media finance, consumer investing, fashion, trademark licensing, and philanthropy. Distinguished by its culture of collaboration and exceptional client service, CAA’s diverse workforce identifies, innovates, and amplifies opportunities for the people and organizations that shape culture and inspire the world. The trailblazer of the agency business, CAA was the first to build a sports business, create an investment bank, launch a venture fund, found technology start-up companies, establish a philanthropic arm, build a business in China, and form a brand marketing services division, among other innovations.
The Role
The CAA Brand Consulting Account Director will lead the day-to-day account team for a key Brand Consulting client, focusing specifically on the strategic concepting, management, and execution of Olympics and Paralympics partnerships.
Serving as a primary client lead, the candidate will direct day-to-day client relations, manage and mentor junior team members, and drive cross-functional collaboration across internal functional teams, external agencies, vendors, and key rights holders within the global Olympics ecosystem (including IOC/TOP, USOPC, NGBs, OCOGs, and talent). Additionally, the Account Director will be responsible for bringing proactive strategic ideas, innovative activation concepts, and new commercial opportunities to the client to drive ongoing account growth and brand impact.
Responsibilities
Partnership Strategy & Management
• Strategic Oversight: Provide senior account leadership in the day-to-day strategy and management of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships, including TOP Sponsors, USOPC, NGBs, and Organizing Committees (OCOGs).
• Strategy & Value Creation: Develop and lead comprehensive Olympic partnership strategies, identifying, communicating, and maximizing sponsorship assets to deliver measurable value for clients and secure key stakeholder buy-in.
• Rights Holder Negotiations: Lead negotiations with Olympic rights holders—including OCOGs, NOCs/USOPC, NGBs, talent, and beyond—demonstrating a proven history of delivering successful commercial outcomes.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Direct management of Olympic sponsorship portfolios, serving as the primary executive point of contact across client leads, rights holders, host committees, and external agency partners.
• Client Advisory: Own and manage senior client relationships, serving as a trusted strategic advisor throughout the multi-year Olympic partnership lifecycle.
• Integrated Marketing: Oversee the development of integrated marketing and sponsorship activation plans—showcasing how digital, social, PR, retail, and experiential channels come to life—working seamlessly with internal account teams, client teams, and external agencies.
• Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify new Olympic Movement opportunities, including Paralympic expansion, NGB partnerships, athlete talent strategies, and emerging sports properties that align with client objectives.
• Team Leadership & Development: Oversee, mentor, and inspire account teams managing day-to-day partnerships, ensuring operational continuity, strategic creative thinking, and active problem-solving.
Activation, Cross-Functional Leadership & Measurement
• Lead Activation Planning: Lead overall activation planning and execution across global events and activations, pulling in specific functional teams as needed to ensure all contractual rights and brand goals are met.
• Data & Analytics Oversight: Partner with Insights & Analytics to establish partnership KPIs, measurement frameworks, ROI reporting, and optimization strategies.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with other internal team functions (e.g., Creative, Experiential, Social Impact, Insights/Trends, PR, Digital) to ensure client goals and overarching partnership objectives are met.
• Account Operations & Growth: Oversee key project deliverables—including overall budgeting, briefings, and C-suite presentations—while playing a key role in driving year-over-year account growth.
Qualifications
• Bachelor's Degree preferably in Marketing, Communications, Business or similar discipline.
• 8–10+ years of experience in sports marketing, brand partnerships, sponsorship consulting, media rights, and agency leadership.
• Proven, hands-on track record of negotiating and managing high-stakes Olympics and Paralympic partnerships.
• Demonstrated experience managing major global sports sponsorships, including strategic planning, contract negotiation, rights management, activation execution, stakeholder coordination, international hospitality, and partner fulfillment.
• Established relationships throughout the sports landscape, including governing bodies, media rights holders, athlete representatives, and key industry partners.
• Proven ability to develop partnership strategies that drive client investment, measurable ROI/ROO, and long-term commercial success.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex sponsorship agreements and managing partnerships end-to-end from contract execution through activation, measurement, and renewal.
• Ability to lead and execute integrated sponsorship programs across governing bodies, property rights holders, media partners, brand sponsors, and athlete talent.
• Strong understanding of global sports governance, ambush marketing guidelines, athlete marketing regulations, and the evolving sports media landscape.
• Exceptional client service and relationship management skills across clients, brand partners, internal stakeholders, and external agencies.
• Recognized as a strategic thought leader capable of influencing C-suite executives and senior stakeholders with data-driven recommendations.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing account teams.
• Proven experience managing sponsorship budgets, financial forecasting, P&L responsibility, and reporting.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Highly collaborative and solution-oriented, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure agency environment.
• Outstanding verbal, written, presentation, and executive communication skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively and work non-standard hours (evenings and weekends) as required by major sporting events and global client activations.
Preferred Skills:
• Agency experience highly preferred
• Experience in tech/AI, a plus
Location
This role will be located in our New York or Los Angeles office. The Brand Consulting department offers a flexible work schedule and requires a minimum three days per week on-site.
Compensation
The annual base salary range for this position is as follows:
Los Angeles, CA -$115,000 to $165,000.
New York, NY -$115,000 to $165,000.
This position is also eligible for benefits and a discretionary bonus. Ultimately, the salary may vary based upon factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in the role, business sector, and geographic location, among other criteria. Please talk with a CAA Recruiter to learn more.
Benefits
At CAA, we offer a competitive compensation and benefits* package for all regular full-time employees:
Benefits where the company pays 80%-100% of the cost include:
Medical Insurance
Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
Telemedicine
Employee assistance and mental health counseling in person, virtually or through text
Paid Vacation / Holidays
Paid Sick Time
Paid Parental Leave and Other Paid Leaves of Absence
NICU leave
Bereavement resources
Adoption Benefits
Educational Assistance
Mental Health Resources
Employee Assistance Plan
Employees may also elect to participate in voluntary benefits
Dental, Vision Insurance
401K Plan
Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care and Dependent Care)
Health Savings Account
Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
Employee Perks
Commuter Benefits
*Benefits offered also include other statutory mandated benefits
Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers.
Creative Artists Agency, LLC (the “Company”) is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate on the basis of race (inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, creed, gender or sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age, ph