WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

Nike Global Communications delivers breakthrough stories of sport and innovation where consumers are—across the right channels and conversations. We craft authentic, innovative narratives that inspire action, spark engagement, and amplify the message of our relentless pursue to create the best for the athlete, worldwide. This role reports into the Senior Director Communications, Nike Football.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a Lead Professional of Brand Communications to join the Global Nike Football Brand Communications team in Beaverton, OR. This person will proactively develop, author, and support strategic communications plans and ongoing storytelling in service of Nike Football’s global innovations, products, and athletes across key business priorities. They will support in the development of a long-term strategy and narrative to proactively reach consumers and fans and shape a positive brand reputation for Nike Football. This position will engage directly with cross-functional teammates across global and geo communications, business, brand management, sports marketing, league and federation partners and internal stakeholders.

The right candidate has significant experience driving communications strategy in the global sports industry and understands the evolving landscape of audiences, media, and communities. Is highly collaborative, exhibits high-level critical thinking, and can manage multiple and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. The ability to track and share insights, trends, and best practices around evolving storytelling practices is critical.

This person has a proven track record of success in communications, mastering the fundamentals of earned storytelling, preferably working for a consumer brand, sports organization, teams and/or communications agency with a focus on sports and new audiences. Key competencies of the role include:

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, with the ability to craft compelling narratives, cut-through messaging, and media strategies around Nike Football initiatives

• Ability to pre-empt global media, creator, and sports trends, news, and stories, and share them across a fast-paced, team-focused environment

• Strong awareness of new age media and influence landscapes across sports, preferably for football, as well as of the network of key opinion leaders that shape the pulse of sports and social media, content, experiences, gaming, etc.

• Experience working with global athletes, teams, and leagues to develop and execute communications strategies

• Strong understanding of the global sports industry against the backdrop of new media, including consumer and digital trends, challenges, and opportunities

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

You will be building and driving communications strategies and storytelling that builds energy, connection, and signaling for Nike as the leading brand in global football:

• Support the global communications strategy for Nike Football, developing key story maps, message hierarchy, and seasonal story architecture

• Ideate and execute content line plans and story maps that connect product pipelines, athlete/club/fed moments, and cultural insights across channels and markets

• Craft compelling narratives and messaging frameworks for global initiatives, ensuring consistency and buy-in from Nike teams across geographies

• Support and execute storytelling strategies across earned media, creators, speaking engagements in support of the various stakeholders and geographies

• Oversee and evolve global event strategies, including product launches and athlete activations, ensuring long-term and short-term strategic objectives are met

• Build and maintain multi-season project plans, calendar, and status updates

• Manage budgets and allocate resources to deliver high-impact storytelling and activations.

• Develop strategic actions to engage key opinion leaders, creators, and gaming communities shaping football culture

• Oversee agency ecosystems, setting scopes, creative direction, and performance standards for global football moments

• Define success metrics (SOV, sentiment, tier-1 placements, creator amplification) and lead post-mortems to optimize future work

• Serve as a subject matter expert on football industry trends, new media behaviors, and digital opportunities to inform strategic decisions

• Handle seasonal product ordering, submissions, and sample management to support communications and event needs

• Monitor global football news, cultural moments, and social trends; recommend agile adjustments to keep campaigns relevant

• Collect and report performance metrics (coverage, sentiment, engagement) and contribute insights to improve future campaigns

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communication, business or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience or training.

• A minimum of 6+ years relevant work experience

• Has an enterprise mindset with the ability to "see the bigger picture" and navigate risk, issues and opportunities

• Ability to develop and execute strategic communications plans, manage and proactively drive brand reputation and deliver narrative-led storytelling

• Excellent verbal and written skills, and the ability to articulate them in a digital landscape

• Media relations background or experience

• Ability to paint a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to take action

• Proactive, flexible, and eager to respond and adapt to a rapid-paced environment and circumstances, seeking clarity and problem solving at every step

• Sport, cultural and societal acumen- able to leverage critical thinking skills to identify/assess dynamic and evolving cultural/social/political moments, events, trends

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.