Youth Fan Development Lead

About the role

The Youth Fan Development Lead will serve as TMBO’s primary day-to-day subject matter expert and strategic advisor on youth fan development, helping NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League teams use youth participation and engagement to grow their businesses and develop the next generation of fans. Working closely with the senior leader responsible for TMBO’s Marketing & Digital Strategy function, the Lead will advise teams using research, benchmarking, best-practice development, and innovation; translate league priorities into practical team strategies and business opportunities; and lead league-managed resources and forums that enable teams to execute effectively.

The Lead will advise teams on engagements across youth touchpoints spanning grassroots basketball participation; content, social media, gaming, and digital experiences; live and in-arena experiences; school and community programs; and other channels, helping teams connect these efforts to measurable outcomes across fan acquisition, first-party data acquisition, CRM growth, ticket sales, partnership value, and long-term customer development. The Lead will also advise teams on broader Marketing & Digital Strategy initiatives and contribute to TMBO advisory efforts as department priorities evolve.

The role requires strong strategic consulting, project management, communication, analytical, and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as TMBO’s primary day-to-day subject matter expert and strategic consultant on Youth Fan Development, advising NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League teams on how youth participation and engagement can drive team business growth and develop the next generation of fans.
• Lead TMBO’s Youth Fan Development research, benchmarking, best-practice development, and innovation agenda, identifying emerging trends, technologies, external partners, and market opportunities relevant to teams.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships across the youth basketball and youth sports ecosystem.
• Develop and share practical playbooks, toolkits, benchmarks, case studies, and executive-ready recommendations that help team and league leadership implement integrated strategies across participation, marketing, content, digital, CRM, ticketing, partnerships, and broader fan development.
• Advise teams on acquiring, engaging, and retaining youth and family audiences, and on connecting youth strategies to measurable business outcomes, including fan acquisition, first-party data acquisition, CRM growth, group ticket sales, partnership value, attendance, and long-term customer development.
• Identify and share best practices related to public-private partnerships, grants, municipalities, school systems, and other external resources that can expand accessible participation and support sustainable Youth Fan Development strategies.
• Serve as TMBO’s primary day-to-day liaison with league colleagues across Basketball Operations, Social Responsibility, Marketing, Partnerships, Communications, Data Strategy & Analytics, Digital Consumer Products (DTC), WNBA, NBA G League, and other departments on youth-focused initiatives, aligning cross-functional expertise and priorities with team consulting needs.
• Advise teams on leveraging league- and team-owned digital platforms – including the NBA App and team digital properties – as well as on audience segmentation, lifecycle marketing, and emerging technologies to deepen youth engagement and strengthen fan acquisition.
• Lead partnerships with league and team content, marketing, and social teams to identify, develop, and amplify compelling youth-focused content that strengthens Jr. NBA, Jr. WNBA, and team Youth Fan Development initiatives while creating scalable content opportunities across league and team platforms.
• Lead workshops, webinars, working groups, peer forums, market visits, and other team-facing engagements that surface benchmarks, share best practices, and encourage collaboration and innovation across teams.
• Support additional TMBO Marketing & Digital consulting projects as department priorities require.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 6+ years of experience in strategy or management consulting; business strategy, analytics, or research; sports business; marketing, content, or digital media; youth sports or youth engagement; ticketing, partnerships, or fan development; or a related field.
• Experience working directly with team or league personnel preferred.

Skills

• Strong understanding of youth basketball, youth sports, the broader participation ecosystem, and family audiences, including how youth engagement can drive fan development and team business outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinking and consultative problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify opportunities and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to establish credibility with team executives, league stakeholders, and external partners.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple team engagements, priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Strong knowledge of team business operations, marketing, content, digital platforms, CRM, ticketing, partnerships, and fan development.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize data, qualitative insights, team practices, and external research into clear strategies, benchmarks, and business cases.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to create clear and compelling materials for senior audiences.
• Professional presence and confidence leading team consulting conversations, workshops, executive presentations, and discussions with external partners.
• Ability to work effectively across a fast-paced, collaborative, and matrixed organization.
• Self-starter mentality and comfort building new capabilities, processes, and resources in an evolving environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed.

Benefits

• Annual discretionary performance bonus, awarded at the sole discretion of the Company.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 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.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid time off including vacation, sick time, and personal days.

Pay

Salary Range: $150,000–$175,000

Schedule

Eligible employees currently have the option of working remotely one day per week.

About the team

The Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) Department is a unique in-house consulting group within the NBA league office that drives best practices and innovation across all NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, and NBA2K teams. TMBO is a fast-paced, collaborative department focused on all aspects of team business operations, and seeks dynamic, intellectually curious, and organized team members who believe and live TMBO’s core values: Add Value, Build Trusted Relationships, and Root for Each Other.