Associate Manager, Business Development

About the role

Bespoke is seeking an Associate Manager, Business Development to support new business growth through pipeline management, prospect research, pitch development, and opportunity coordination.

Responsibilities

• Support business development efforts by managing and maintaining new business pipelines, tracking prospective opportunities, key contacts, next steps, timelines, and internal ownership.
• Conduct research on prospective clients, brands, industries, properties, and market trends to help identify new business opportunities across sports and entertainment.
• Aid in developing strategic, creative, and customized pitch materials, capabilities decks, proposals, scopes of work, and other new business deliverables.
• Apply strong copy editing, deck design, and pitch framework skills to strengthen Bespoke’s new business materials.
• Partner with internal teams to gather relevant case studies, insights, budget considerations, and creative concepts that strengthen pitch narratives and client recommendations.
• Help facilitate new business conversations by preparing meeting agendas, discussion materials, follow-up notes, recaps, and action items for internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain strong working relationships across internal teams, agency partners, properties, and prospective clients to help advance opportunities through the business development process.
• Demonstrate strategic and creative thinking, problem solving, and initiative in identifying ways Bespoke can deliver tailored solutions for prospective and existing clients.
• Stay current on the sports, media, entertainment, sponsorship, and brand marketing landscape to bring forward timely insights and opportunity areas for new business efforts.
• Maintain an organized library of competitive insights, internal best practices, case studies, and reference materials to support business development efforts.
• Support the organization, refinement, and ongoing improvement of business development tools, templates, credentials, and best-practice materials.
• Provide timely updates, pipeline reporting, meeting recaps, and opportunity summaries to internal leadership and cross-functional teams as needed.
• Collaborate with account, strategy, experiential, hospitality, creative, and leadership teams to ensure new business materials are accurate, compelling, and aligned with Bespoke’s capabilities.
• When applicable, support in-person pitch meetings, prospect meetings, industry events, and client-facing opportunities on behalf of the business development team.
• Cooperatively take on other duties, roles, or responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• College degree with 3+ years of relevant experience in business development, marketing, consulting, sponsorship, agency, brand, team, league, or sports property environments.
• Strong understanding of sports, media, entertainment, sponsorship, and brand marketing landscape with a clear understanding of the sports business landscape and desire to continue to learn.
• Excellent business writing and presentation skills, with the ability to translate insights and ideas into clear, compelling pitch materials with strong communication skills.
• Experience supporting prospect research, pipeline tracking, proposal development, capabilities decks, scopes of work, or new business deliverables.
• Highest level of organizational and detail-oriented skills, with the ability to manage multiple opportunities, timelines, workstreams, and stakeholders at once.
• Ability to perform well under pressure, act with urgency, and confidently engage with internal and external executives.
• Strategic, creative, and solution-oriented mindset with the ability to problem solve quickly and contribute thoughtful recommendations.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with confidence working across internal teams, agency partners, sports properties, and prospective clients.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, especially PowerPoint, Word, and Excel for pitch development, proposal support, reporting, and budget-related materials.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, evolving environment with shifting priorities and deadlines.
• Willingness to travel for prospect meetings, industry events, client opportunities, and on-site activations as needed.