Excel Sports Management is an industry-leading sports agency representing top-tier talent, blue-chip brands and marquee properties. Our success is rooted in our people, our high character reputation and our commitment to creating a diverse and welcoming workplace. We focus on team chemistry, collaboration, strong relationships, valuable networks, and ambitious ideas to deliver innovative solutions that keep our clients and agency ahead of the curve.
Excel Sports Management is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).
Position Summary
As an Account Director, you are the business lead across assigned account(s), responsible for shaping partnership direction, driving revenue growth, and strengthening long-term client relationships. You translate client ambition into strategic roadmaps, ensuring our work delivers measurable business impact while expanding the scope and scale of our engagement.
You serve as the primary strategic partner to senior client stakeholders while working in close partnership with Program Directors, who lead operational planning and executional excellence.
This role supports a leading technology client, with a focus on driving strategic impact across their sponsorship portfolio in Formula 1 and football (soccer), partnering closely with rights holders, teams, and leagues to activate culturally relevant, business-driving work.
What You’ll Do
Strategic Business Leadership
- Serve as the business lead across account(s), owning partnership vision, performance, and growth.
- Develop a deep understanding of each client’s business, industry landscape, competitive dynamics, and objectives to proactively shape strategic direction.
- Develop multi-year account roadmaps aligned to client business objectives and evolving category dynamics.
- Provide proactive, insight-driven counsel to mid-to-senior client stakeholders.
- Identify risks and growth opportunities early, developing action plans in partnership with agency leadership.
- Create and activate formal growth plans for account(s), aligning internal teams and capabilities to drive measurable impact.
Client Partnership & Influence
- Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders grounded in credibility, foresight, and strategic thinking.
- Confidently navigate complex organizational dynamics and decision-making structures.
- Elevate conversations beyond execution toward long-term brand and business impact.
- Lead annual planning conversations, QBRs, and senior-level presentations.
- Guide partnerships with strong relationship leadership, building trust, influencing decisions, and helping clients prioritize the right opportunities.
Creative & Strategic Stewardship
- Partner with Strategy and Creative to ensure work solves meaningful business problems and capitalizes on cultural opportunity.
- Champion bold, insight-driven thinking tied to measurable performance outcomes.
- Connect capabilities across the agency to build integrated solutions that elevate impact beyond individual tactics.
- Advocate for investment where necessary to protect creative ambition and deliver maximum impact.
- Ensure integration across disciplines while Program Management leads operational orchestration.
Financial & Commercial Accountability
- Own overall account revenue health and commercial performance.
- Partner with Program Director on scopes and financial frameworks while maintaining ultimate business accountability.
- Identify incremental revenue opportunities and lead expansion conversations.
- Participate in new business and cross-sell initiatives.
- Manage the business of the business including agreements, pricing approach, profitability stewardship, and deal negotiation in partnership with senior leadership as appropriate.
Team Leadership
- Lead and mentor Senior Account Managers and Account Managers.
- Model executive presence, strategic curiosity, and partnership excellence.
- Foster a collaborative, integrated environment across Business and Operational tracks.
- Actively build and maintain an external network and industry relationships across sports, music, entertainment, and culture to identify emerging opportunities, strengthen client partnerships, and elevate the agency’s relevance.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong business acumen and category fluency; able to quickly grasp client industry dynamics and uncover opportunity.
- Demonstrated ability to drive account growth and commercial expansion.
- Confident communicator with executive presence.
- Ability to operate at both strategic altitude and practical decision-making levels.
- Skilled at influencing cross-functional teams.
- Outcome-oriented approach that ensures work ladders to measurable business impact.
- Commercial acumen across agreements, pricing, profitability, and deal negotiation.
- Strong industry and cultural expertise, bringing knowledge of sports, music, entertainment, and cultural trends to inform strategy and identify new opportunities.
- Passion for culturally relevant work that drives real business outcomes.
Minimum Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in agency, brand marketing, sponsorship marketing, or integrated communications.
- Proven experience leading senior client relationships.
- Demonstrated ability to drive account growth and manage commercial health.
- Experience leading integrated, cross-channel campaigns.
- Strong financial literacy related to scopes, revenue forecasting, and profitability.
This position is not eligible for sponsorship.
Excel Sports Management provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, leaves of absence, compensation and training.