VP, Strategy & Business Development

Vice President, Strategy & Business Development

The Vice President, Strategy & Business Development leads the identification, evaluation, negotiation, and execution of organic and inorganic growth opportunities that expand NESN & Sports Net Pittsburgh's (SNP) reach, revenue, and relevance across a rapidly changing sports media landscape. Reporting to the Chief Marketing & Digital Officer with a dotted line to the Chief Executive Officer, this leader is responsible for building a disciplined, data-informed pipeline of strategic commercial opportunities — non-traditional distribution and carriage arrangements, direct-to-consumer growth, content and rights partnerships, adjacent-market ventures, and strategic alliances.

This is a builder's role. The successful candidate brings a demonstrated record of sourcing and closing complex deals in sports, media, or broadcasting; the analytical rigor to separate real opportunity from noise; and the executive presence and relationships to represent NESN & SNP credibly with team ownership, league offices, partners and agencies.

Strategy & Opportunity Development

• Partner with the CEO and executive team to define and refine the Network's growth strategy, translating enterprise priorities into a prioritized set of actionable corporate and business development initiatives.
• Continuously scan the sports, media, and technology landscape to identify emerging revenue models, distribution channels, content formats, and partnership opportunities.
• Maintain and manage a documented, stage-gated pipeline of opportunities with clear ownership, probability weighting, and expected value.

Deal Origination & Execution

• Source, structure, negotiate, and close strategic commercial agreements including DTC and streaming partnerships, content licensing and rights arrangements, and joint ventures.
• Source, prioritize, and make the investment case for strategic acquisition opportunities to the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Lead deal teams end to end: modeling, diligence, term sheet development, negotiation strategy, and coordination with external partners, Legal, Finance, Programming, Ad Sales, and Engineering through execution and handoff to operations.
• Own post-close performance tracking against the business case, and lead renegotiation, divestment, or restructuring where there is underperformance.

Analysis & Business Casing

• Build and pressure-test financial models, market sizing, and scenario analyses that quantify revenue, margin, and strategic impact.
• Prepare and present investment-grade recommendations to the CEO, executive team, and Board of Directors, with clearly articulated assumptions, risks, sensitivities, and alternatives.
• Establish the analytical standards, templates, and evaluation criteria the organization uses to assess opportunities consistently.

Relationship & Market Leadership

• Serve as a visible ambassador for the Network with leagues, teams, ownership groups, distributors, agencies, brands, technology platforms, and the broader sports media community.
• Cultivate and maintain an active network of senior industry relationships that generates proprietary deal flow.
• Represent the Network at industry conferences, league meetings, and partner forums.

Leadership & Team Development

• Model collaborative, cross-functional leadership; influence effectively without direct authority across Programming, Ad Sales, Marketing, Digital, Finance, and Operations.
• Contribute to enterprise decisions beyond the scope of this function.

Qualifications:

Required

• 10+ years of progressive experience in business development, corporate development, strategic partnerships, or commercial strategy, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership capacity.
• Substantive experience in sports, broadcasting, media, or entertainment, with working fluency in rights, distribution economics, audience measurement, and the regional sports network business model.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree in business, finance, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated personal record of originating, negotiating, and closing complex commercial transactions — candidates should be prepared to speak in detail to…