Babolat - Business Leader/Marketing Director Pickleball - East Coast US/Strong Pickleball Community,UNITED STATES

Mission

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

At Babolat, tennis runs in our blood. Founded in Lyon, France in 1875, Babolat has been inventing, innovating and developing complete equipment for tennis, badminton and padel for 150 years, starting with the creation of the world’s first tennis string. Family-run for five generations, Babolat offers a full range of products including racquets, strings, footwear, bags, balls, apparel and accessories, and is marketed in over 160 countries. Pickleball products were added to Babolat’s lineup in 2020.

Babolat built its reputation as a premium brand by offering products at the forefront of technology and by supplying equipment to generations of champions who have won the most prestigious competitions. Today, Babolat racquets and strings are the choice of some of the world’s top players on the ATP and WTA tour, including Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Arthur Fils, Felix Auger-Aliassume, Sofia Kenin and Leylah Fernandez…not to mention Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Reporting to the Deputy Managing Director/Client Relations, the Business Leader/Marketing Director Pickleball position, based in a strong Pickleball community/East Coast US preferred, is primarily responsible for creating and driving the global Pickleball category strategy to improve market share and profitable growth through the design and implementation of an Operational Strategic Plan.

Activités

RESPONSIBILITIES:

This job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive. There will be additional duties, responsibilities and requirements assigned for this position.

Main Mission:

• Lead the overall implementation of Babolat’s strategy for the global rollout of Pickleball, with a focus on the US market, the native and mature market for Pickleball.
• Lead the organization and structure of Babolat in the sport of Pickleball, in connection with the American base camp, the headquarters in Lyon, France, and other international bases.
• Lead for positioning the Babolat brand in Pickleball, in direct line with the Company’s and brand’s ambitions for this sport and consistent with its strategy for other racquet sports.
• Define, manage and direct the team to ensure high performance and efficiency.

Marketing Strategy:

• Develop the vision and category strategy by analyzing marketing trends, competitor landscape and gaining deep insights into consumer profiles, needs and expectations.
• Lead product innovation and category strategy, working closely with the Innovation and Development Director and the Sales Leadership.
• Develop and execute pricing strategies in partnership with the Sales Leadership.
• Oversee communication strategies, ensuring alignment with category and brand values, in collaboration with the Brand Activation team.
• Identify and recommend new market opportunities, product ideas and service enhancements.
• Define the product range and pricing strategy in collaboration with key markets and the Sales Director.
• Lead product and service innovation in close partnership with the Innovation &amp Development team.
• Create and execute a comprehensive activation and communication plan to boost brand awareness within the category, ensuring alignment with the overall brand positioning and values.
• Manage the category’s P&amp L, driving financial performance in line with company strategy and key performance indicators.

Go-To-Market:

• Develop the annual category budget and KPI’s in collaboration with key countries, the Sales Leadership and the Executive Leadership Team.
• Play an active role in the S&amp OP process to ensure clear and accurate marketing demand planning.
• Create and execute the marketing plan, including defining the product range structure, marketing mix and launch strategy to ensure on-time launches and achievement of KPI’s.
• Collaborate with the sales team to ensure the right product ranges are sold with optimal margins, aligned with the category strategy.
• Develop and manage marketing operating budgets in coordination with the sales team, ensuring alignment with the overall category strategy.
• Monitor, analyze and report on brand and product range performance, evaluating the ROI of marketing initiatives.
• Make data-driven adjustments to plans based on performance results and evolving market conditions.

Profitability/ROI:

• Oversee the profitability of the category by managing the P&amp L, ensuring goals for revenue and profit margins are met or exceeded.

Team Leadership:

• Define, develop and lead a diverse team both locally and internationally, working closely with the leadership team to drive performance and collaboration.

Partner &amp Agency Management:

• Manage relationships with external agencies and partners to ensure effective collaboration and delivery of marketing initiatives that support business goals.

Profil

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s Degree from four-year college or university with a concentration in Business/Marketing is required (MBA is a plus) and a minimum of seven years related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Experience working in the pickleball/sporting goods industry is required.
• Strong understanding of on-and-offline distribution is required.
• Experience working internationally is required.
• Proven experience across multiple marketing disciplines, including product development, operational marketing, category management, pricing strategy, brand strategy and marketing intelligence is required.
• Demonstrated success in project management and budget oversight is required.
• Strong oral and written communication skills are required.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrated resourcefulness, creativity, and continued willingness to take initiative a must.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Approximately 30-35% travel time is required for both international and domestic locations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Targeted Hiring Range: $130,000 – $160,000 annual base salary with bonus potential based on both quantitative and qualitative objectives for total of $146,900 – $180,800 max annual earning potential. Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision coverage, employer-matched 401(k) plan, disability/life insurance and more!