Sports Manager Jobs in Riverside, CA (NOW HIRING)

Project Manager, Sports & Entertainment (Onsite 5 days per week)

Overview:

The Project Manager, Sports & Entertainment is responsible for owning the strategy, planning, and execution of high-impact initiatives across the Sports & Entertainment vertical. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Sports & Entertainment, this role serves as a strategic partner responsible for translating business priorities into scalable programs, cross-functional operating plans, and measurable outcomes. This role leads complex initiatives across Marketing, Partnerships, Legal, Finance, Product, Creative, and Social teams, exercising independent judgment to drive alignment, resolve ambiguity, assess risks, and recommend solutions that support business objectives. The Project Manager will establish processes, influence stakeholders, and provide strategic oversight across campaigns, activations, talent partnerships, sponsorship initiatives, and live-event driven programs. Success in this role requires strong business acumen, strategic thinking, executive communication, and the ability to lead cross-functional workstreams in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment.

The impact you'll make:

• Own the strategic planning and execution of Sports & Entertainment initiatives, including campaigns, activations, talent partnerships, sponsorship programs, and live-event related projects.
• Translate business objectives into structured program strategies, project roadmaps, operating plans, milestones, and measurable success metrics.
• Lead cross-functional alignment across Marketing, Social, Partnerships, Legal, Finance, Creative, Product, and external stakeholders to ensure initiatives are strategically aligned and effectively executed.
• Develop and implement scalable workflows, governance models, and operating processes that improve efficiency, accountability, and consistency across the Sports & Entertainment vertical.
• Evaluate project scope, priorities, risks, dependencies, budget considerations, and resource needs; recommend tradeoffs and mitigation strategies to leadership.
• Serve as a strategic advisor and primary point of coordination for stakeholders, providing executive-level updates, decision support, and recommendations.
• Establish standardized frameworks for planning and executing talent activations, sponsorship campaigns, live events, partnership launches, and integrated marketing programs.
• Partner with Finance and business leaders to monitor budgets, evaluate resource allocation, support financial approvals, and assess return on investment.
• Analyze program performance, develop post-mortem insights, and recommend optimizations to improve future campaign effectiveness and business impact.
• Drive the  long-term strategic planning for the Sports & Entertainment vertical by identifying opportunities to improve operating models, scale execution, and increase measurable impact.

What you've accomplished:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sports Management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3-5+ years of experience in program management, project management, strategic operations, marketing operations, or business operations within sports, entertainment, media, technology, or marketing environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and business-critical timelines.
• Experience developing program strategies, operating frameworks, scalable workflows, and process documentation from the ground up.
• Strong ability to exercise independent judgment, assess risks, make recommendations, and drive decisions in ambiguous or fast-moving environments.
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management, presentation, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Strong proficiency with project and program management tools such as Asana, Monday.com, Jira, Smartsheet, or similar platforms.
• Ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives concurrently while maintaining focus on business outcomes, prioritization, and measurable impact.

Bonus points: 

• Experience supporting live events, sponsorship activations, athlete/talent partnerships, or entertainment-driven campaigns.
• PMP, Agile, Scrum, or similar project/program management certification.
• Experience working within a technology, digital media, cannabis, sports, entertainment, or high-growth startup environment.
• Familiarity with sports marketing, entertainment partnerships, influencer/talent activations, and digital campaign strategy.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience developing performance reporting, ROI analysis, and executive-facing recommendations.
• Comfort presenting strategic updates, risks, recommendations, and outcomes to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.

The base pay range for this position is $77,000 - $84,448 per year

 2026 US Benefits for Full Time, Regular Employees:

• Physical Health (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• 100% employer-paid premium for employees
• Up to 80% coverage for dependents
• Company HSA contribution with the High Deductible Health Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer will match contribution up to 3.5% of employee contribution)
• Basic Life, Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance options
• Supplemental, voluntary benefits
• Student Loan Repayment/529 Education Savings with a monthly company contribution
• FSA (Medical, Dependent, Transit and Parking)
• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Short- and Long-term Disability Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Identity theft protection
• Legal access to a network of attorneys
• PTO, paid sick leave, and company holidays (including a 2026 holiday shutdown)
• Paid parental leave