Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Lead Commercial Insights

• Lead the full Commercial Insights function across Local/property support and Corporate/National Sales, establishing clear priorities, service models, operating rhythms, and accountability across each audience.
• Set the commercial insights agenda across brand demand, category trends, consumer behavior, sponsorship decision-making, and competitive dynamics; develop the team to translate research and data into interpretation, storytelling, and actionable commercial implications.
• Provide strategic direction, coaching, and development to the Commercial Insights team while building strong partnerships across Sales, Brand Strategy & Creative, Inventory, Valuation & Pricing, Measurement, Revenue Planning & Analytics, and Sales Technology & AI.

2. Convert Insights into Enterprise Opportunity

• Translate emerging brand needs, consumer shifts, category demand, sales feedback, and competitive signals into specific commercial opportunity areas for Learfield.
• Identify gaps between what the marketplace increasingly values and what Learfield sells today, framing high-potential opportunities around the target buyer, value proposition, enterprise applicability, and commercial potential.

3. Lead Commercial Innovation & Growth

• Continuously scan professional sports, global sports, entertainment, venues, experiential marketing, media, technology, and adjacent industries for new commercial models, premium concepts, and ideas that can translate into college athletics.
• Turn the strongest observations into defined commercial concepts, business cases, pilot plans, and scalable enterprise offerings - moving opportunities from identification through assessment, design, pilot, proof, and scale.

4. Partner on Commercial Value Assessments & New Inventory Development

• Partner with the Director of Inventory and other commercial leaders on targeted property and venue assessments to identify new inventory, premium experiences, campus opportunities, and commercialization whitespace.
• Distinguish property-specific opportunities from repeatable concepts with enterprise potential, helping determine when an idea should remain local, become a pilot, or scale across Learfield.

5. Mine the Learfield Ecosystem for Untapped Value

• Build strong understanding of capabilities across Learfield, including Paciolan and other internal products, technology, data, content, fan engagement, and operational capabilities, identifying opportunities that are under-commercialized today.
• Connect capabilities and teams in new ways to create differentiated enterprise propositions such as national brand platforms, premium assets, fan experiences, and technology-enabled offerings.

What Success Looks Like

The ultimate measure of success: Learfield uses marketplace intelligence to act earlier and more decisively - and creates meaningful new commercial products, assets, or programs because this leader and team connected insight to action.

• Commercial Insights consistently strengthens Local and Corporate/National Sales and influences real product, inventory, and enterprise decisions.
• Learfield has a clear, differentiated point of view on brand demand, consumer behavior, category opportunity, and the evolving sports marketplace.
• A visible pipeline of new commercial opportunities is generated and prioritized, with the strongest ideas advancing into pilots and scalable enterprise offerings.
• Insights, Inventory, Brand Strategy, Valuation, Measurement, RP&A, and Sales operate as a more connected commercial development system.

Experience & Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in commercial insights, sponsorship strategy, sports business, brand strategy, commercial innovation, consulting, partnership development, consumer insights, or a related commercial leadership field.
• Strong understanding of how brands evaluate sponsorship opportunities and how sports properties create, package, value, and commercialize assets.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex research, data, and marketplace signals into clear strategic recommendations and business actions.
• Track record of identifying market opportunities and translating ideas into products, programs, pilots, or other commercially viable offerings.
• Demonstrated ability to move from an initial opportunity or insight to a clearly defined, market-ready offering that a sales organization can understand and sell.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including the ability to assess commercial potential, scalability, feasibility, and business tradeoffs.
• Exceptional executive communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and stakeholders across functions.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives and mobilize stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong external orientation and intellectual curiosity, with an interest in emerging trends across sports, entertainment, technology, media, and adjacent industries.
• Ability to operate effectively in an entrepreneurial environment, balancing analytical rigor with the ability to act amid ambiguity.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing scalable sponsorship products, media or digital offerings, premium experiences, hospitality programs, or other repeatable commercial solutions.
• Experience within sports, entertainment, sponsorship, media, or a related industry.
• Experience working across enterprise sales, strategy, analytics, product, inventory, and/or commercial functions.
• MBA or related graduate degree.

Learfield offers a full spectrum of benefits for eligible employees including Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance and Other Insurance Plans, Flexible Paid Time Off (minimum 10+ days annually), including Parental Leave, 20 Paid Holidays, 401(k) + Match, and Short/Long Term Disability. Leave benefits are consistent with state and local laws, including the Colorado Health Families and Workplaces Act.