Director, Strategy & Partnerships – NIL/College

About Players Health

At Players Health, we are on a mission to create the safest and most accessible environment for athletes to play the sports they love. This is not only our mission, but also our promise to sports. A promise we will not break. There are over 50 million youth athletes playing sports in the US and they are counting on us to ensure that the environment that they are coming into not only accepts them for who they are, but fills them with encouragement, love, inspiration, and so much more.

Players Health is a VC-backed, mission-driven, sports technology platform providing digital risk management services, reporting tools, and insurance products to sports organizations to comply with the changing athletic environment and responsibilities.

Our Core Values

We Cannot Achieve Our Mission Without Having a Strong Culture. We Believe That At The Core Of a Strong Culture Is a Shared Set Of Values. The Values That We Hold True And Look For Our Employees To Embrace Are As Follows

• Lead with Mission: Our mission always comes first. If we stay on mission as an organization then we believe we will be successful in our professional and personal lives.
• Results Driven: We're not satisfied with just "good enough" - we go above and beyond to achieve awesome results that impress and inspire.
• Operate like Owners: We believe in operational excellence. We take ownership of our work and approach every task with a sense of pride, responsibility, and commitment to excellence. We don't just rent our roles - we own them and strive to make a lasting impact.
• Virtue First: From the big decisions to the small details; honesty, integrity, and transparency are the bedrock of our culture and the foundation for everything we do.
• Service: We live to serve others with humility, empathy, and kindness. We put our customers, colleagues and community first, and always strive to exceed their expectations with a smile.
  
  
  

About The Role

The Director of NIL Strategy and Partnerships will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Players Health’s NIL strategy. This position is responsible for overseeing the development and management of partnerships, coordinating NIL-related insurance sales, and integrating our Salary Cap Management Consulting Services and Platform into our broader NIL offerings. The ideal candidate will be a seasoned strategist with a deep understanding of the NIL landscape, experience in partnership development, and a strong sales acumen.

Players Health offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, Flexible PTO, and 401k. This role is a full-time, exempt position with an annualized base salary between $115,000 - $150,000.

Responsibilities (are Inclusive Of But Not Limited To)

• Develop and implement strategies for managing salary caps within NIL deals.
• Monitor and adjust salary cap allocations to ensure compliance with NCAA regulations and university policies.
• Analyze financial data to project future salary cap availability and develop long-term budget plans.
• Collaborate with the Director of NIL Strategy and Partnerships to optimize salary cap usage and deal structuring.
• Oversee the administration of NIL deals for athletes, including contract management, compliance tracking, and deal execution.
• Manage the integration of risk management data, such as transfer probabilities and injury risks, into salary cap planning and player administration.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of NIL activities, including financial and compliance reports, to universities, brands, and regulatory bodies.
• Partner with legal, compliance, and financial teams to ensure all NIL contracts meet legal and ethical standards.
• Ensure all NIL activities comply with NCAA rules, university guidelines, and applicable laws. Monitor changes in NCAA regulations and state laws affecting NIL and adapt strategies accordingly.
• Collaborate with internal teams to implement risk management strategies, including insurance solutions for injury protection and NIL contract protection.
• Act as the primary point of contact for universities, athletes, and brands regarding salary cap management and player administration.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders to facilitate smooth NIL operations.
• Provide guidance and education to athletes and universities on salary cap considerations, financial planning, and risk management.
• Build and manage a high-performing team dedicated to NIL strategy and partnerships.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members.
• Facilitate and promote an inclusive and respectful work environment for all employees.
• Oversee and participate in the day-to-day operations of the Education & Advisory division.
• Partner with HR in the investigation and resolution of employee relations issues; responsible for regular 1:1 meeting cadence with direct reports, ongoing performance development, performance reviews, and coaching
• Hire, lead and develop direct reports.
• Act as a role model and own the company mission and values
• Utilize data analytics tools to track and analyze NIL deal performance, salary cap utilization, and player risk factors.
• Generate and provide regular reports and analysis on salary cap status, player administration, and compliance for internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and present insights and recommendations to executive leadership on optimizing NIL strategies and processes.
• Ability to travel up to visit clients, partners and teams
• Other duties as assigned
  
  
  

Minimum Skills & Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, or related roles within the sports industry.
• Proven track record of developing and managing successful partnerships within the NIL space. Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sports Management, Marketing, or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred.
• Strong understanding of NIL regulations, trends, and market dynamics.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Natural relationship builder with integrity, reliability, and maturity
• Demonstrated experience organizing and analyzing data to make strategic decisions
• Excellent verbal, and written communication skills, and continuous desire to improve.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and be comfortable with new technology, a curiosity to understand new systems
• Self-motivated, reliable, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
  
  
  

Desired Characteristics

• Experience in insurance sales or financial services is highly desirable.
• Strong emotional intelligence skills
• 3+ years in a manager or leadership position
• Prior experience in or desire to grow knowledge and experience in start-ups and/or scaling companies
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Insurance experience or strong desire to learn about insurance.
• A love of sports is a plus!
  
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel occasionally for team events, collaboration, engagement, conferences, or customer visits
• Must have a dedicated safe and secure remote work environment
• Must have the ability to work and be productive in a remote work environment
• Exceptionally self-motivated and ability to work autonomously
• Proactive communicator in all communication methods, including email (Outlook), verbal (in-person & phone), instant messaging (Slack & Teams)
• Willingness and ability to attend virtual meetings with camera on – we respect that there are times when employees may need to turn their camera off. We also have a great culture and want to engage with you! By regularly using cameras, we form connections and get to know each other, as well as promoting positive and respectful interactions amongst colleagues.
• Located in or willingness to work on Central or Eastern Time Zone
• Must be 18 or older
• Work location must be in the United States
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States
  
  
  

Players Health is committed to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.