Talent Academy Associate – Organizational Strategy

The Talent Academy is a transformative cohort program designed to invest in the next generation of sports and entertainment professionals. The program aims to grow well-rounded individuals who are equipped with a strong foundation in professional skills, industry knowledge, and a commitment to Impact. Throughout the program, Associates will get a behind-the-scenes look at the business operations for NBA and USL franchises, as well as professional event management. Associates will be assigned to specific business units tailored to their areas of interest, experience, academic achievements, and aligned with organizational needs.

The Talent Academy Associate program is a 1 to 2-year program intended for recent college graduate candidates. For this specific Talent Academy Associate, the individual will be partnered directly with a high-level SS&E leader and immersed in their day-to-day responsibilities directly impacting strategic achievement of organizational goals.  This will be an experience with enhanced access and exposure to organizational leadership and strategy.  Associates can expect to be fully involved in ambitious projects and partner with other Talent Academy Associates to grow and develop through attending SS&E University (SSEU) courses and volunteer engagements with Spurs Give.

The program will start in Summer/Fall 2025. 

What You'll Do: 

• Learn to organize effective leadership meetings for the purposes of taking on the lead role for follow-up items with designated departments under your Executive Leader's oversight.  This includes organizing logistics, building prep materials and agendas, follow-up on action items, and outlining next steps. 
• Facilitate communication by being a bridge to Executive Leaders and the organization and/or Executive Leader and teams and managing logistics, preparing materials and agendas, tracking follow-up items, and outlining / driving next steps.
• Drive business outcomes by cross-collaborating with leaders in Business Analytics and Strategy and Technology departments to manage initiatives, monitor deliverables, and support decision-making processes through research and execution. 
• Bridge the business progress gap by driving results in support of your assigned Executive Leader's business units.  The Associate will be empowered to collaborate with business unit leaders to support the management of initiatives across the company and make progress on priority workstreams, advising the leader on key decisions, tracking deliverables, conducting research, etc. 
• Provide day-to-day organization and execution of various administrative support duties for Leader as it relates to meeting attendance, note taking, meeting setup, calendar administration and general correspondence. 
• Participate regularly in developmental classes and growth opportunities through "SSEU", our in-house professional development university, to gain individual and leadership focused training.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with key stakeholders daily to support daily business operations and strategic projects associated with organizational goal achievement.

Who You Are:

• Bachelor's degree in the areas of Business, Strategy and Organizational Leadership (or a similar field).  
• 3+ years' combined experience working within research, analytics, project management, strategy, or operations through work experience, internships, related coursework, and/or through student leadership roles.
• Proficient with productivity tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams, and similar programs such as One Drive, Google Drives, and Box.
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills, and the right temperament to work in a fast-paced, high expectations environment.
• Strong presentation skills include the ability to draft both short and long-form executive communications.
• Strong research and analytics skills to conduct benchmarking and additional external industry and non-industry research to drive insights and recommendations.
• Proficiency in managing multiple tasks under deadlines while balancing shifting priorities.
• Schedule flexibility and willingness to work non-traditional hours as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual – Spanish
• Strong cross-functional project collaboration and decision-making skills.
• Experience working directly with leadership teams.
• Familiarity with sports and entertainment industry.

Physical Requirements:

• Stand/Sit/Walk for extended periods of time. 
• Ability to lift/push/pull 25 lbs. occasionally
• Reaching, bending, or crouching occasionally (e.g., to access low file drawers)
• Fine motor skills (e.g., typing, writing, using a mouse, handling documents)