Chief Business Officer, Professional Women’s Soccer Team
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Reference #JL-17961
In the heart of our vibrant city, a new era in sports is about to begin as they unveil our very own professional women’s soccer team! The Atlantic Women’s Football Club (AWFC) is building a team in Halifax that will compete in a newly created Canadian professional women’s soccer league. This league is the only professional women’s sports league in the country and will be playing at the highest levels of soccer. As one of the founding teams in this league, their guiding principles are: Inspiration, Opportunity, and Legacy. The AWFC, which is a sporting and entertainment company, will be a prominent club known for its excellence both on and off the field.
With a commitment to their athletes’ experience and our communities engagement, we are currently recruiting for a dynamic leader to serve as Chief Business Officer (CBO) on behalf of our client. Based in Halifax, NS, this role will drive their company and soccer team to success both on and off the field. This is an opportunity to lead and shape the future of the national soccer team, travel and network within the global soccer community, and have an impactful role in promoting national pride and unity through sports.
With support from an engaged Board of Directors, Owners, and the President, the CBO will be responsible for helping to define, execute and oversee all business, events and revenue-generating operations for this company. Working alongside the Sporting Director you will form the executive leadership committee for the company and be responsible for sourcing and growth of revenues and building, motivating and leading a cohesive, high-performing team. With a focus on guiding the company towards achieving its goals of having a highly competitive team and financially sound business model while ensuring alignment with the company’s broader vision and goals.
Key Areas of Oversight and Responsibility:
Leadership:
• Oversight of all business operations of the company, setting a standard of accountability within the team to develop achievable yet aspirational goals with structured plans for success.
• Build and lead a high-performing business operations team, providing mentorship, guidance, and support to foster professional growth and drive team success while elevating and sustaining the company’s culture.
• Support the development, execution and monitoring of the program’s business plan, ensuring effective delivery of services and efficient administration in support of the company’s objectives.
• Assist with maintaining, fostering and developing all partnerships both inside and outside of the company.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with corporate partners, help negotiate partnership agreements and identify new sponsorship opportunities to drive incremental revenue and brand exposure.
• Collaborate with the sporting staff to align business operations with the team’s on-field success, ensuring a cohesive and integrated approach.
Operations and Finance:
• Manage the P&L, establish all business processes, systems, tools and technology to meet the demands of a growing company.
• Ensure that the company is operating with a sound financial plan and with processes, disciplines and timely reporting.
• Develop and manage the annual budget for the business operations, ensuring financial targets are met while maintaining a high standard of quality and service.
• Lead the HR function including; recruitment, contracts, retention and evaluations, developing role descriptions that clearly define the duties and accountability for each position and ensuring the company is appropriately.
• Have oversight of the relationships with all external suppliers including; legal, auditing, financial planning and accounting.
• Ensure the organization adheres to all obligations to industry regulations and standards.
• Oversight of the funding, grant identification and application process.
• Oversee the team’s merchandise and retail operations, ensuring a diverse product range and effective distribution channels.
Marketing, Branding and Fan Experience:
• Oversee the development and execution of marketing campaigns, brand initiatives and digital media strategies to increase fan engagement and enhance the team’s brand presence locally, nationally and internationally.
• Working with the marketing team to develop and implement initiatives to deepen fan loyalty, enhance the fan experience, and grow the team’s fanbase through community outreach, fan events, and digital engagement platforms.
• Develop pricing strategies, manage ticketing operations, and oversee hospitality programs to optimize ticket sales revenue and deliver exceptional matchday experiences for fans and guests.
• Oversee all aspects of the creation of exceptional game day experiences for the fans, athletes and key stakeholders.
CBO of the AWFC:
As the ideal CBO, you are a highly results oriented and experienced leader with strong organization skills, business and financial acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit. You are excited to create and grow a company and to make a mark on the world. You have demonstrated success leading a multi-faceted team and scaling a company. You are open to taking on any and all challenges that are presented to you, finding solutions and acting quickly and decisively. You will bring exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
Qualifications and Experience:
• 8-10+ years’ experience at a senior leadership level, with a proven track record of driving revenue and improving results in a sustainable manner, showing competence financially, commercially and operationally.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate and empower teams to achieve ambitious goals.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate market trends, identify opportunities and develop innovative solutions to drive growth and success.
• Demonstrated success maintaining positive relationships with all stakeholders in an organization.
• Experience with a sporting or entertainment organization is an asset.
• Passion for soccer and understanding of the game is an asset.
Skills and Attributes:
• Ability to be hyper organized and multitask/prioritize.
• Understand the benefit of low ego and being a “get it done” leader who supports however is needed.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evening and weekends, to accommodate team events and activities.
• Have an entrepreneurial mindset and leadership style.
• The desire to grow a company.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.
• Wanting to make a mark in our community, country and internationally.
• Believing in the growth possibilities in the Halifax area.
• Wanting to create a world that inspires young women to pursue their talent within their own country.
• Building opportunities for growth of employees, players and the company.
• Believing in leaving a legacy for future generations.
To express interest in this opportunity please apply online directly by clicking 'Apply Now' below.
If you have any questions, please contact Brittany Beale, Consultant, at bbeale@kbrs.ca or Jeff Lanthier, Partner, at jlanthier@kbrs.ca. If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know.
Meridia Recruitment Solutions connects leading organizations with top talent by building strong relationships and creating ideal matches with candidates because we are only successful when you are. We appreciate your interest in this opportunity.
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