Vice President, Consumer Brand, Sports - Burson

More about the role:

The Consumer Brand team partners with some of the world's most recognized sports brands, properties, leagues, and organizations to create culturally relevant communications programs that drive conversation, engagement, and business impact. We operate at the intersection of sports, earned media, entertainment, influencer engagement, athlete partnerships, and brand storytelling to help clients connect with consumers through compelling narratives, strategic partnerships, and integrated communications campaigns.

We are seeking a Vice President, Consumer Brand Sports to serve as a senior communications leader responsible for developing and executing integrated earned media and brand communications programs for a diverse portfolio of sports and consumer brand clients. This role will lead strategic communications initiatives that generate meaningful earned media results, elevate brand reputation, and connect clients with consumers through sports, culture, talent, and experiences across diverse consumer audiences.

The ideal candidate brings established relationships with key media outlets, publishers, journalists, producers, influencers, and industry stakeholders, along with expertise in athlete marketing, sponsorship activation, sports business trends, and culturally relevant storytelling that helps brands authentically engage consumers.

This individual will lead account teams in the development and execution of media relations campaigns, athlete and brand partnership programs, experiential events, press trips, and integrated communications initiatives. They will serve as a trusted counselor to senior clients, delivering strategic recommendations, executive communications support, and compelling presentations while building long-term relationships and driving client growth.

The Vice President will manage and mentor team members, collaborate across agency disciplines, and contribute to agency growth through business development, client expansion, innovative communications strategies, and thought leadership.

The preferred locations for this role are Los Angeles (Hybrid), Southern California (Remote), or San Francisco (Hybrid).

What you'll do:

Lead Client Communications Programs

• Develop and execute integrated earned media and communications programs for leading consumer brands, sports properties, and entertainment clients.
• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to clients, providing senior-level counsel on media strategy, reputation management, athlete partnerships, sponsorship activations, and brand storytelling.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key client stakeholders while proactively identifying opportunities to deepen partnerships and grow business.

Drive Earned Media Excellence

• Lead earned media strategy and execution across sports and consumer brand accounts, driving impactful coverage and measurable business outcomes.
• Leverage deep knowledge of key sports, consumer, lifestyle, entertainment, and business media outlets, publishers, journalists, podcasts, newsletters, broadcast partners, and emerging media platforms.
• Develop media strategies that generate earned coverage, cultural relevance, and audience engagement across traditional, digital, social, and emerging channels.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with sports, consumer, lifestyle, entertainment, and business media.

Lead Athlete Activations and Experiential Programming

• Develop and execute athlete activation programs that align with client business objectives and brand narratives.
• Identify and manage athlete, ambassador, influencer, and talent partnerships that drive visibility and engagement.
• Lead the planning and execution of press trips, media tours, product launches, experiential activations, sporting event programs, and marquee consumer experiences.
• Partner closely with talent agencies, athlete representatives, leagues, teams, and industry partners to maximize program impact.

Provide Team Leadership

• Manage, mentor, and develop account teams while fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance culture.
• Provide ongoing coaching and career development support to junior and mid-level team members.
• Lead cross-functional teams across strategy, creative, social, influencer, analytics, and production disciplines to deliver integrated client solutions.

Contribute to Agency Growth

• Play an active role in business development, including prospecting, pitch strategy, proposal development, and presentation delivery.
• Lead or contribute to new business opportunities by developing communications strategies and presenting recommendations to prospective clients.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships through strategic counsel and innovative programming.
• Partner with account leadership to identify organic growth opportunities, support account planning and resource management efforts, and contribute to the overall financial success of the business.
• Represent Burson as a subject matter expert in sports communications, athlete partnerships, consumer brand marketing, and integrated communications.

Experience that contributes to success:

• 10+ years of experience in sports communications, consumer brand marketing, earned media, public relations, or integrated communications, preferably within an agency environment.
• Deep understanding of the consumer sports landscape, including major leagues, teams, athletes, media ecosystems, sponsorship trends, fan engagement strategies, and cultural moments that drive conversation.
• Proven relationships with leading sports, consumer, lifestyle, business, and entertainment media outlets, publishers, and journalists.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing integrated earned media campaigns that generate impactful coverage and measurable results.
• Significant experience planning and executing press trips, media events, product launches, experiential activations, and large-scale event communications programs.
• Proven success leading athlete activations, sponsorship campaigns, endorsement programs, and talent-driven consumer marketing initiatives.
• Strong client-facing presence with exceptional presentation, storytelling, and executive communication skills.
• Experience counseling senior executives and marketing leaders on communications strategy, media engagement, and reputation management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead integrated teams and collaborate effectively across disciplines to deliver business results.
• Experience attracting, managing, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of agency business operations, including account management, staffing, financial oversight, and resource planning.
• Proven success supporting and winning new business opportunities, including developing pitch strategies, presenting recommendations, and building relationships with prospective clients.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong attention to detail, and sound judgment in high-pressure situations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a strategic mindset and delivering exceptional client service.
• A passion for sports, culture, communications, and storytelling, with a pulse on emerging trends and opportunities shaping the industry.

Burson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

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