Senior Principal, Sports Marketing Investments

The Sports Marketing team helps shape and advance Nike's next generation of athlete, team, league, and sport ecosystem partnerships - identifying new ways to deepen relationships, unlock innovation, and create long-term value for Nike and our partners.

We are looking for a team member to partner on the development of high-priority Sports Marketing partnership opportunities, working closely with Sports Marketing Leadership, Geographies, and cross-functional partners to build modern partnership models that extend beyond traditional sponsorship and turn bold ideas into action.

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

You will work at the center of Nike's Sports Marketing ecosystem, collaborating with:

• Global and Geography Sports Marketing Leadership Teams

• Athlete Development & Services and sport-focused teams

• Partners across Finance, Legal, Corporate Development, Consumer, Product, Marketplace, Brand, and Operations

• Athletes, agents, teams, leagues, advisors, operators, and external investment partners

This role serves as a trusted thought partner to leaders responsible for Nike's most important sports relationships and the new partnership opportunities that can strengthen them for the future.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking a highly capable Sports Marketing leader to help define and deliver Nike's approach to athlete, team, league, and sport ecosystem investments. This role is ideal for a leader who combines rigorous problem-solving and commercial judgment with strong relationship instincts, and who is motivated by creating new partnership models that deliver meaningful value for Nike and our partners.

The ideal candidate brings strong analytical rigor, clear judgment, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while leading complex, cross-functional work. They understand that the strongest opportunities start with the relationship and know how to translate athlete and partner ambition into actionable opportunities with clear strategic, financial, and relationship value.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.

• 9+ years of directly relevant work experience, e.g.: Sports Marketing, athlete or partner development, corporate/business-unit strategy, management consulting, corporate development, business development, or investment.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex strategic or partnership initiatives from opportunity definition through executive decision-making and execution support.

Preferred Requirements

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

• Experience working in, or directly with, global, matrixed organizations.

• Familiarity with the sports ecosystem and consumer, retail, or brand-led businesses.

• Demonstrated success leading teams and influencing senior stakeholders.

• Experience developing and implementing partnership, investment, or strategic processes and frameworks.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and change leadership skills.

• Experience managing multiple opportunities, portfolios, or initiatives, and operating in a role that requires balancing diverse stakeholder needs and delivering tailored solutions.

• Strong storytelling ability through both written and verbal communication, as well as presentation-building and presenting skills.

• Strong analytical skills and comfort with business cases, investment economics, modeling, and forecasting.

WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON

As a Senior Principal on the Sports Marketing Investments team, you will lead and contribute to Nike's highest-priority athlete, team, league, and sport ecosystem opportunities, including:

• Lead Sports Marketing Investment Opportunities: Partner on the delivery of complex partnership and investment opportunities tied to Nike's most important Sports Marketing relationships and priorities. Define scope, structure analyses, partner across cross-functional teams, assess relationship and financial value, and synthesize recommendations for leadership.

• Build the Future of Sports Partnerships: Develop frameworks, insights, and opportunity scenarios that help Nike move beyond traditional sponsorship into equity partnerships, joint ventures, athlete ventures, and other emerging models. Identify opportunities to create deeper alignment, stronger retention, and more compounded long-term value with Nike's most important partners.

• Strengthen Nike's Sport Relationship Ecosystem: Evaluate opportunities through the lens of athlete and partner engagement, relationship value, strategic learning, activation efficiency, economic benefit, and alignment with Nike's priority sport ecosystems. Protect relationship dynamics while helping Nike identify where it can uniquely create and capture value.

• Drive Alignment and Execution: Partner with Sports Marketing, Finance, Legal, Corporate Development, and other cross-functional teams to move opportunities from concept through diligence, decision, and execution. Help define success metrics, create roadmaps, track progress, manage risk, and adjust course as needed to ensure impact and accountability.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS ROLE

• Work on some of the most important athlete, team, league, and sport ecosystem opportunities facing Nike.

• Help shape the future of Sports Marketing partnerships and investment at Nike.

• Gain exposure and influence across a global organization and the broader sports industry.

• Operate with high autonomy and high expectations.

• See your work directly strengthen important relationships and shape real decisions and outcomes.

• Join a small, high-caliber team that values relationships, rigor, curiosity, creativity, and impact.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.