U.S. Soccer Overview

We are U.S. Soccer and we are the future of sport in the United States. Our mission is to make soccer the preeminent sport in the United States. We embrace diversity, technology and global connections to drive the growth of our sport and serve our athletes and fans. We seek motivated, passionate, skilled people who can think, create and work on a team. 

U.S. Soccer is a growing company that looks for team members to grow with it. U.S. Soccer offers a comprehensive compensation package, casual work environment, an inclusive culture and an atmosphere for professional development.

The Federation’s core principles set organization-wide standards to identify and foster our culture and inform how we interact and hold each other accountable. These principles guide U.S. Soccer: We Win Together. We Aim High. We Champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. To be successful as a USSF employee, it is critical to demonstrate and live up to these principles every day and with every interaction with peers, stakeholders, and partners. 

The Federation’s core values are the individual attributes and characteristics that staff embody to uphold the organization’s principles and succeed. These values guide our employees: Integrity. Commitment. Teamwork. Respect.

Position Description 

With full autonomy and ownership of our commercial rights officially transitioned to the Federation (as of Jan ’23), U.S. Soccer is seeking a Manager, Partnership Innovation to be a key contributor within our growing, industry-leading team and help drive the growth of soccer in the United States. 

We are looking for a bright, collaborative Manager, Partnership Innovation to join our team to support a group of strategic marketers that 1) Drive new business in the form of new sponsors/partners of U.S. Soccer and 2) Create new platforms to help both existing and new partners connect directly with our fans and grow the game. This person will play a key role in driving financial growth through the development of new assets and platforms as well as ensuring the strength of the U.S. Soccer’s current platforms. The role will work closely with our Partnership Development and Consumer Insights leads to translate briefs and insights into opportunities across the entire marketing organization so that U.S. Soccer is seen as one of the most innovative, meaningful and fan-focused sports properties in the industry. This individual will also serve as the liaison between the Events group, Sporting, Marketing, Media, Consumer Products, Development and the Partnership group to ensure new saleable assets are being developed that meet the goals of U.S. Soccer and its partners. This role will require a strategic mind that is able to identify new streams of value using quantitative and qualitative data. This is a new function, where you will be required to define, build, and champion scalable and nimble solutions. The ideal candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity, have strong attention to detail, and be motivated by a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the asset development and management process, including collaboration with key internal stakeholders (i.e., Marketing, Events, Media, Sporting), cross-functional team-members, and external resources to develop new growth platforms – including identifying macro trends, scoping needs, developing strategic frameworks, creating implementation plans, timelines, deliverables, etc.
• Collaborate with content/marketing to ensure alignment between platforms and supporting media to further amplify and drive scale 
• Spearhead creative working groups (weekly deal team meetings) to develop and value new assets, maintaining a balance across new business, upsells, and renewals
• Support Director in leading consistent meetings with internal stakeholders to review progress, provide updates and vet any partner requests
• Learn and understand all phases of partnership prospect’s marketing objectives and present partner solutions recommendations consisting of ownable platforms, content ideas and thoughtstarters 
• Leverage insights to create data-driven strategies to help partners drive revenue, fan growth, and organizational acceleration 
• Work with Consumer Insights and Partnership Development to Develop pricing strategy for existing platforms and new sellable  assets
• Support Federation-wide initiatives from a commercial standpoint 
• Be a student of sports sponsorship programs and assets in order to be at the forefront of developing new sponsorship platforms
• Maintain strong understanding of Federation KPIs in order to develop key strategies & initiatives to achieve long-term and annual goals
• Support Partnership Development during the sales process (I.e., official proposal development)  
• Ensure Partnership Development priorities are being met and considered during the annual Federation strategic planning process

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree
• 4-6 years’ experience in sports or partnership innovation and strategy roles (either with a property, an agency, or at a brand in a similar role)
• Experience working in cross-functional environments with several stakeholders 
• Capable of working in fast-paced and demanding environments
• Must be able to connect “micro” details to the “macro” vision and mission
• Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook)

Desired Qualifications

• Passion for soccer
• Proven track record of innovation experience, taking high level conceptual-creative ideas from inception to execution
• A proven innovation track record with strong industry and third-party relationships and alliances.
• Experience advising brands or rights holders on corporate sponsorship strategy, measurement analytics, and/or strategic decision-making
• Proven track record of constructing sophisticated platforms and partner solutions
• Knowledge and expertise in the sports property, entertainment, or events space
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams and external agencies finding and having to connect insights to inform and optimize partnerships and campaigns
• Demonstrate strategic hustle and work ethic with diversity of thought.
• Show innate curiosity, proactive thinking, and ability to think creatively when planning strategy, considering partner objectives and new growth processes
• Excellent presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Familiarity with the media space inclusive of social and digital content strategy and distribution 
• Comfort with consumer insights tools and data with an ability to connect insights to actions 
• Ability to story tell, collaborate to build presentation materials/proposals and present to senior level audiences

U.S Soccer is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, military status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected under the law. This policy applies to all our employment practices within our organization. 

We strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQIA, veterans, parents, and persons with disabilities to apply.