Specialist, Brand Partners (AFL)

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

This is a chance to be right at the heart of adidas Brand Partners in Australia. As the day-to-day adidas contact for our athletes, you will work closely with them every day, with a primary focus on AFL and additional support for athletes across other sports. You will make sure they have the product, kit and support they need to perform and represent the brand at their best.

From preparing kit for players and coordinating product orders and entitlements to tracking athlete deliverables and supporting reporting, you will keep our partnerships running smoothly and our athletes ready to go. You will also help bring our athletes, teams and associations to life across key brand moments, campaigns and storytelling opportunities, supporting an industry-leading Brand Partners portfolio and the positive development of the adidas brand.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide high-quality day-to-day service and support to the Brand Partners asset portfolio, including athletes, teams and associations, with a primary focus on AFL and additional support for athletes across other sports.
• Build close working relationships with athletes through regular, direct contact, acting as their day-to-day adidas point of contact.
• Handle the day-to-day admin that comes with athlete servicing, including preparing kit for players, processing product requests and keeping records up to date.
• Track product entitlements for athletes in line with agreed budgets, contractual requirements and internal guidelines.
• Coordinate product ordering and distribution to athletes and partners, including campaign seeding, key footwear drops and annual product drops.
• Look after the Brand Partners product order hold and storage facility, keeping allocations accurate and product organised and easy to access.
• Track athlete deliverables, including social posts and annual appearance usage, against contractual entitlements and campaign guidelines.
• Support asset activity across brand moments, product launches and campaigns, and compile reporting on asset activity, product usage and partner deliverables, including input into Brand Marketing reporting.
• Support partners in wearing and representing adidas product in line with the Marketing Plan.
• Work with internal stakeholders to support smooth delivery of Brand Partners initiatives and resolve operational issues quickly and professionally.

KPIs:

• Product seeding, ordering, kit preparation and distribution requirements are delivered accurately and on time, with AFL athletes as the main priority.
• Athletes, teams and associations receive prompt, professional day-to-day service and support, with requests handled in a timely way.
• Product entitlements, order holds, storage and inventory are tracked accurately and kept up to date, in line with agreed budgets and guidelines.
• Athlete deliverables, including social posts and appearance usage, are tracked, documented and reported accurately.
• Internal stakeholders receive clear, timely and accurate updates to support planning, reporting and execution.

Key Relationships:

• AFL athletes (primary) for close, regular contact on kit, product and day-to-day requests
• Athletes from other sports for product and servicing support
• Teams and associations for product, entitlements and partner deliverables
• Brand Partners team for day-to-day coordination of athlete, team and partner activity
• Brand Marketing for campaigns, brand moments and reporting input
• Customer Service for product orders and distribution
• Sales for product availability and alignment on partner activity
• Finance for budgets, orders and invoicing
• Agencies and other external partners for athlete and partner activity

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong understanding of sport, athletes and teams, ideally including AFL, with good awareness of the local sporting landscape and key sporting moments.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines and product requirements across ordering, record keeping and entitlement tracking.
• Strong service mindset, proactive and able to work independently, handling day-to-day athlete requests quickly and professionally.
• Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to build positive, professional relationships with athletes through regular, close contact, as well as with internal teams and external partners.
• Discretion and professionalism when working with high-profile athletes and handling sensitive information.
• Flexibility to support game days, events and the occasional out-of-hours request.
• Comfortable using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, to support reporting, tracking and presentations.

Requisite Education & Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree preferred, ideally in Marketing, Business or a related discipline.
• Direct experience working with athletes is essential, either through an agency that works with athletes directly or through a sporting club. AFL experience is highly regarded.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in sports marketing, partnerships, sponsorship or a similar coordination role.
• Strong interest in sport, athlete culture and the adidas brand.