Basketball Strategy & Operations Manager
About the role
The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week.
Responsibilities
- Lead strategic and operational support for cross-functional initiatives, including workplans, milestones, resource planning, decision tracking, and executive updates, with an immediate focus on automated officiating and other on-court technology priorities.
- Manage vendor relationships and contracting for data labeling, basketball research, and other technology-enabled initiatives.
- Support basketball data capture events that advance the automated officiating product and inform benchmarking of leading industry technologies.
- Drive execution of early-stage basketball technology initiatives, including NBA Launchpad portfolio support, marquee event planning, and pilot project management across priority use cases.
- Develop clear, executive-ready communications and presentations for senior leadership across the League and its teams.
- Cook up external research collaborations and academic partnerships, including scope, timelines, deliverables, meetings, and follow-up.
- Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify emerging sports technology solutions aligned with the NBA’s innovation priorities.
- Contribute ideas and analysis to initiatives that enhance the game and deepen fan engagement.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, transparency, and cross-functional coordination across League Operations and Basketball Strategy & Growth.
Requirements
Required Skills/Knowledge:
- An analytical approach - Strong quantitative skills; the ability to be creative and possess effective problem-solving abilities.
- Project Management - Ability to translate ambiguous priorities into clear workplans, timelines, owners, milestones, and operating rhythms.
- Communication - Excellent ability to clearly and succinctly synthesize and communicate ideas orally, in writing, and through visual presentations.
- Technology and AI Fluency - Comfort learning technical concepts and using modern AI, productivity, and collaboration tools to improve speed, quality, and leverage.
- Detail-Oriented Execution - Aligning communication, accountabilities, resource capabilities, internal processes, and ongoing measurement systems to ensure strategic priorities yield measurable and sustainable results.
- Dedication - Driving high standards for individual, team, and organizational accomplishment; tenaciously working to meet or exceed ambitious goals.
- Sports Industry Knowledge/Experience - Demonstrating strong interest in and knowledge of the sports industry and the game of basketball.
- Collaboration - Working flexibly with product, software, data, operations, officiating, research, and external partner teams to advance shared goals.
- Confidentiality - Recognizing the necessity of appropriate confidentiality regarding officiating, player health, vendor, and league information.
- Adaptability - Maintaining efficiency when experiencing changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
- Character - Maintaining a strong commitment to organizational ethics, integrity, and compliance.
- Technical Skills - Strong proficiency in drafting documents and using Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel); experience with project management, data analysis, and collaboration tools is a plus.
Skills
2+ years of work experience, ideally with a background in management consulting, corporate strategy, private equity, startup business operations, or a related field.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Economics, Finance, Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a closely related field is required.
Benefits
Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company-sponsored employee benefit programs: medical; dental; vision; life/AD&D insurance; short- and long-term disability; fertility and family-forming assistance; wellbeing allowance; educational assistance; mental health coaching/therapy; tax advantaged accounts such as HSA and healthcare/dependent care FSAs; a 401(k) retirement plan; and time off benefits that include vacation, sick time, and personal days.
Pay
$110,000-$125,00
Schedule
Not specified