Sr. Director, Strategic Initiatives - FIFA World Cup 26™

Who We Are:

On Location is a premium experience provider, offering world class hospitality, ticketing, curated guest experiences, live event production, and travel management across sports, entertainment, and fashion. From unrivaled access for corporate clients to guests looking for fully immersive experiences at marquee events, On Location is the premier and official service provider to over 150 iconic rights holders, such as the IOC (Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026, LA 2028), NFL, NCAA, UFC and PGA of America, and numerous musical artists and festivals. The company also owns and operates a number of unique and exclusive experiences, transforming the most dynamic live events into a lifetime of memories. On Location is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events, and experiences. The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation through entertainment agency WME; sports operations and advisory, event management, media production and distribution, and brand licensing through IMG; live event experiences and hospitality through On Location; full-service marketing through global cultural marketing agency 160over90; and sports data and technology through IMG ARENA and OpenBet. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company comprising UFC and WWE.

About the Role:

The Sr. Director, Strategic Initiatives  for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will ensure the alignment and execution of all revenue strategies in alignment with the SVP Sales and SVP Marketing. You will work closely with the leadership, executive team, and multiple stakeholders to drive revenue, and maximize ticketing and hospitality sales. This role requires a leader with a strong vision, strong organizational and strategic skills to ensure seamless integration of commercial initiatives and day-to-day operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Execution:

  • Collaborate with the SVP of Sales team to develop and implement sales strategies that align with FIFA's vision and the goals for the 2026 World Cup.

  • Serve as the right hand to both department leaders, helping to streamline processes, manage priorities, and ensure execution of initiatives on time.  Take broad scope ideas and align them to implementation.

  • Lead or oversee critical projects and initiatives that drive growth and operational efficiency within the marketing department.

  • Provide analysis, insights, and recommendations to support high-level decision-making.

• Cross-functional Collaboration:

  • Liaise between sales, marketing and other departments including marketing, legal, finance, and operations to ensure alignment on key initiatives.

  • Act as the communication bridge between executive leadership and sales/marketing teams, ensuring consistent information flow.

  • Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including corporate partners, sponsors, agencies, and host cities.

  • Support ad hoc deliverables across sales and marketing team function as needs arise through program.

• Project Management:

  • Lead and coordinate key sales-related projects and deliverables from conception through to execution.

  • Identify, assess, and manage risks to ensure project deliverables are met within scope, time, and budget.

  • Support SVP of Sales and SVP of Marketing in the management of priorities across stakeholders, on-going  initiatives, and other organizational design.

• Sales Performance Tracking & Reporting:

  • Ensure accurate reporting on key sales metrics and KPIs, providing actionable insights to the leadership team.

  • Monitor market trends, customer behavior, and competitor strategies to identify growth opportunities.

  • Support the creation and delivery of high-level presentations, reports, and strategic sales analyses.

• Leadership & Team Development:

  • Represent SVP Sales as needed for internal meetings

  • Mentor, coach, and develop junior team members within the sales function.

  • Cultivate a high-performing sales culture focused on collaboration, innovation, and excellence.

  • Create and align decks as needed.

  • Ensure alignment between regional and global sales strategies across all host cities.

Key Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, Sports Management, or a related field (MBA preferred).

• 6+ years of experience in sales, commercial strategy, or business development within major sporting events. Portion of professional experience within consulting preferred. 

• Proven track record in leading large-scale sales operations and delivering exceptional revenue growth.

• Strong leadership and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience in developing executive-level reports and presentations.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment while driving clarity amidst ambiguity.

• An understanding of FIFA’s commercial framework and previous experience in international sports events is highly desirable.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strategic thinker with a strong grasp of sales and marketing principles.

• High level project management skills with attention to detail.

• Strong financial acumen and an ability to understand revenue models, P&L, and forecasting.

• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to distill complex concepts into consumable formats.

• Executive level writing and presentation skills.

Travel Requirements:

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed, particularly to host cities and key markets during the lead-up and throughout the World Cup event.

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world’s diverse voices.  

Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.

Per local requirements and in the interest of transparency, the range shown below reflects the prevalent current hiring range for this position. Hiring pay rates are based on a number of factors, including location and may vary depending on job-related qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience.  Endeavor strives to provide locally competitive rewards packages, which include base rate along with, as applicable, short- and long-term incentives, growth and developmental opportunities, and robust benefits, such as health care, retirement, vacation and other paid time off, and additional offerings.

Hiring Range Minimum:

$131,250 annually

Hiring Range Maximum:

$175,000 annually