Vice President, Consumer Products – Gaming, Collectibles and Emerging Technology - Major League Soccer

The Vice President, Consumer Products – Gaming, Collectibles and Emerging Technology will build a new team to lead the strategic product development, marketing, and community management of MLS Centralized NFT marketplace and manage the existing team responsible for MLS gaming and collectibles partnerships.

Primary Responsibilities

• Marketplace Partner Relationship Management
• Product Strategy & Economy Design
• Club Activation and Enablement
• NFT/Partner Community Management

Product Strategy & Economy Design

• Lead the product development, business strategy, and community management of MLS gaming, collectibles and other emerging consumer products marketplace serving as a thought leader, coach, mentor, and advocate for a high performing team.
• Partner with Emerging Ventures, Digital Marketing and Technology teams at MLS to integrate consumer product strategy into MLS’ broader gaming fan engagement strategy.
• Drive the web 3.0 consumer product roadmap and strategy, work closely with Marketplace partner to bring unique MLS product to market.
• Define and implement ambitious product and marketplace features that maximize key MLS calendar moments positioning MLS as an innovative market leader in the space.
• Inform the marketplace and product category performance scorecard critical metrics, communicate marketplace program progress, escalations, and issue analysis to league stakeholders; collaborate with emerging ventures to recommend and implement changes to processes, products, or business practices.
• Apply strong knowledge of macro and behavioral economics to inform marketplace partners or licensees creation of the product category economy and its monetary lifecycle (production, sinks, inflation).
• Partner with marketplace provider to influence design docs, drawings, diagrams, flowcharts, and any other vital documents to communicate design functionality aligned to MLS objectives.
• Relentlessly canvas and study the entirety of the gaming and collectibles entertainment/sports ecosystem/landscape to ensure MLS is continuously diagnosing and learning from industry trends and emerging technologies.

Commercial Marketing & Community Management

• Lead internal gaming and collectibles integrated marketing discussions to ensure mutually beneficial value creation for Licensees and MLS
• Drive the launch of NFT collectible, gaming drops with a variety of partners, as well as major product partnerships, especially those projects with more technically complex implementations.
• Define on-platform community strategy, continuous engagement loop to ensure engaged fans continued success as purchasers and traders in the marketplace.
• Lead league and club cross-functional launch and activation efforts partnering internally with Marketing, PM, Technology and Events to balance priorities.
• Grow relationships with new licensees and provide best-in-class support to help them best leverage the MLS marketplace.
• Build and maintain processes to help efficiently manage licensee launches, measure performance, and ensure licensees feel supported.

Required Skills

• Strong knowledge of macro and behavioral economics to inform marketplace partners or licensees creation of the product category economy and its monetary lifecycle (production, sinks, inflation).
• Strategic integrated approach to building business cases, understanding trends and business drivers for taking calculated risks to grow business, applying models relevant to Gaming, Collectible and Web 3.0 ecosystems.
• Strong analytical, research and financial modeling skills to formulate data-driven approach to decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team, operate and communicate effectively in both large, matrixed organizations, and in lean, “start-up like” environments.
• Proven ability to deliver aggressive critical metrics in defined timeframes.
• Command of contracts and experience working with legal professionals
• Strong communication and presentation skills to interact with both MLS partners and MLS senior leadership.
• High-quality interpersonal and influencing skills to work cross-functionally in a complex organization.
• Ability to travel 10-20%.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Desired Skills

• Understanding of sports marketplace dynamics.
• Flexibility to travel and work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Total Rewards

Starting Base Salary $200,000 - $250,000. MLS/SUM base salaries are contingent upon several factors including individual qualifications, market financials, and operational business needs.

We are committed to providing a Total Rewards package that attracts, supports, engages, and retains talent through the following:

Benefits – comprehensive and competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as a suite of programs to promote well-being including a $500 Wellness Reimbursement. A generous PTO offering, and hybrid work schedule are also offered to promote Work-Life balance.

Career & Professional Development – on the job training, feedback, and on-going educational opportunities to continue your personal and professional development.

Employee Engagement – office perks, discounts and employee events that go “beyond the traditional paycheck” to make you feel a part of the team and inspire you to elevate the Game!

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.