Director of Brand Strategy, Yahoo Sports

Yahoo serves as a trusted guide for hundreds of millions of people globally, helping them achieve their goals online through our portfolio of iconic products. For advertisers, Yahoo Advertising offers omnichannel solutions and powerful data to engage with our brands and deliver results.

A Little About Us Yahoo Sports is one of the world s leading sports destinations and the original pioneer of fantasy sports, connecting tens of millions of fans to the games, players, and moments they care about most. Yahoo Sports delivers real-time scores, breaking news, highlights, and expert analysis across desktop, mobile, and streaming platforms, powering millions of fantasy leagues every season across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, and college basketball.

With original editorial voices, award-winning programming, daily fantasy and sports betting experiences, personalized alerts, and deep first-party fan data, Yahoo Sports gives brands a direct line to passionate, high-intent audiences at the emotional peaks of the sports calendar.

About the Role The Director of Brand Strategy for Yahoo Sports is someone who enjoys the product as much as they enjoy the business of selling it. They will lead and inspire a high-performing team responsible for developing innovative, client-focused advertising solutions for Yahoo Sports  direct ad sales business. This role combines strategic vision, collaboration across orgs, operational excellence, and a deep understanding of digital advertising to create impactful products, programs, and proposals that meet client objectives and drive business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Team Development Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.
Set and execute a strategic vision for the Brand Strategy team, aligning on business objectives and delivering innovative client solutions.
Serve as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders and clients, driving effective strategies and tactics that meet business goals.
Drive AI adoption and innovation within the team, identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies to enhance strategy, creativity, and operational efficiency.

Cross-Functional Collaboration Cultivate strong relationships with key internal stakeholders - including Sales, Account Management, Operations, Editorial, Business Development, and Product - to ensure seamless execution of strategies.
Serve as the primary liaison between Editorial and Sales to develop new ideas and content offerings across tentpole moments, season-long franchises, and live event programming.
Partner with the Product and Fantasy teams to shape and innovate roadmaps that drive commercial growth, including in-game, in-app, and betting-adjacent ad experiences.
Align with Pricing, Yield Management, and Finance teams to develop scalable, high-impact revenue strategies that account for the seasonality of the sports calendar.

Brand Storytelling & Problem Solving Develop tailored, client-centric solutions by deeply understanding client business objectives, marketing goals, and challenges.
Craft high-impact marketing materials, pitches, and presentations, integrating cultural insights, fandom dynamics, and data-driven strategies to captivate audiences.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Editorial, Product, and Marketing to design innovative sponsor ships, branded content, and advertising solutions across all formats - anchored to tentpole moments such as NFL Kickoff, fantasy draft season, March Madness, and the playoffs.

Executional Excellence & Insights Gain and leverage deep insights into marketplace trends, competitive landscapes, and customer needs to guide the development of innovative ad products and GTM strategies.
Monitor and analyze campaign performance, identifying opportunities for optimization and ensuring alignment with client KPIs.
Actively drive brainstorming sessions and client workshops, fostering creativity and trust with key decision-makers.

Qualifications:

Experience & Expertise Minimum of 10 years of experience in sales strategy, brand strategy, account management, or related roles, with at least 6 years leading teams in the sports category or at an endemic sports company or agency. Proven track record of leading and motivating high-performing teams, achieving ambitious revenue targets, and building long-term strategic client relationships. Working knowledge of the sports media landscape - rights and…