OVERVIEW
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an MLS soccer club serving the greater Los Angeles area. LAFC is dedicated to building a world-class soccer club that represents the diversity of Los Angeles and is committed to delivering an unrivaled experience for fans. LAFC’s ownership group is comprised of local leaders and innovators of industry with intellectual capital, financial prowess, operations expertise, and success in the fields of entertainment, sports, technology, and media. LAFC is invested in the world’s game and Los Angeles, constructing, and developing the 22,000 seat BMO Stadium and a top-flight training center on the campus of Cal-State Los Angeles.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is seeking a dynamic and driven individual to join our Partnerships team as Manager, Global Partnerships, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. This role is responsible for generating new sponsorship revenue by building and closing strategic, multi-year partnerships with brands headquartered internationally – particularly in Korea and the broader APAC region. The ideal candidate brings a proactive sales mindset, cultural fluency, and the ability to build trust and value with both domestic and international partners. Success in this role will be measured by net-new revenue generated, successful execution of partnership campaigns, and contribution to international brand growth. As a result, this role’s compensation is composed of a base salary with additional competitive commission opportunities.
Fluency in Korean (written and verbal) is required, as this role will involve direct engagement with Korean-speaking clients, partners, and community stakeholders.
Candidate must be authorized to work in the U.S. and able to travel internationally without restrictions.
This role reports to the VP, Corporate Partnerships
LAFC is currently operating on a hybrid work model with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week. Please note that this may vary by role, and your scheduled in-office days are up to the discretion of your supervisor.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Sponsorship Sales and New Business Development
- Identify and secure new sponsorship opportunities across LAFC and BMO Stadium assets, including digital and permanent branding placements, hospitality, digital media, and on-site event activations.
- Lead outbound sales efforts - including cold calling, networking, and event based outreach - to engage decision-makers at the local, national, and international levels.
- Build customized, data-informed proposals aligned with brand marketing objectives and measurable ROI.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams (Marketing, Stadium Operations, Data and Strategy, etc.) to shape integrated partnership solutions.
- Leverage LAFC matchdays and BMO Stadium events to host and convert prospective partners.
Account Management and Partner Activation
- Oversee execution of assigned partner deliverables across media, experiential, digital, and in-stadium platforms.
- Support renewals and upsell conversations by demonstrating value and deepening existing relationships.
- Work in tandem with the Data Strategy team to refine outreach strategy, lead segmentation, and sales targeting.
Reporting and Engagement
- Maintain accurate and timely sales pipeline activity, forecasting, and progress tracking in Salesforce and KORE software.
- Represent LAFC at partner meetings, networking events, and industry functions – including occasional travel.
Other duties as assigned by Supervisor/Management.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university; degree in Business, Marketing, or Sports Management preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in sponsorship/partnership sales at a high profile venue, agency, or professional sports team required. MLS or major sports team experience preferred.
- Fluency in Korean (written and verbal) is required.
- Deep understanding of international business norms and cultural etiquette, especially in the APAC region.
- Proven track record of success in in closing high-value, multi-year partnership deals, including seven-figure sponsorship sales.
- Knowledge of the sports business landscape and familiarity with stadium partnership assets and inventory.
- Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to confidently engage C-level executives and global brands.
- Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to manage multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
- Self-starter with a team first attitude and result driven mindset.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, Salesforce, KORE Software, and industry prospecting tools.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally for partner meetings, networking events, and activations as needed.
- Flexible schedule with the ability to work nights, weekends, and holidays as the event calendar requires.
SALARY RANGE
At LAFC, we carefully consider a wide range of factors to determine a fair and equitable compensation package. The final offer amount will consider a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to skill sets; relevant experience and training; and other business and organizational needs. Pursuant to state and local pay disclosure guidelines, the compensation range for this role is $80,000 - $85,000 per year. This position is an exempt position with additional compensation available through competitive commission opportunities.
HIRING PRACTICES
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
LAFC strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.
Applicants for employment in the U.S. must possess work authorization, which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa.