Commercial Director - Kings League Italy

ABOUT THE KINGS LEAGUE

Kings League has become a global phenomenon that has revolutionized and elevated sport and entertainment to a new dimension. A new 7-a-side football league with teams chaired by the world's best streamers and content creators, with revolutionary rules aimed at uniting the best of football and e-sports. Passionate, optimist, open-minded and disruptive, we reimagine the game every day, all together.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Commercial Director will own and drive the company's commercial strategy across the Italian market, leading sales, business development, and key account management functions. This role is responsible for revenue growth, market expansion, and managing a high-performing commercial team, while ensuring full alignment with local regulatory, cultural, and business practices in Italy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the commercial strategy for Italy while developing high-value commercial proposals focused on performance and ROI.
• Lead the commercial team in pre/post sales phases.
• Represent the company as the senior commercial leader in the Italian market, including with key clients, partners, and industry bodies.
• Serve as a member of the local/regional leadership team, contributing to broader business strategy.
• Identify and develop new business opportunities, partnerships, and market segments.
• Lead negotiations for major contracts, key accounts, and strategic partnerships.
• Monitor competitor activity and market trends to inform pricing, positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
• Negotiate complex contracts (rights, exclusivity, activations, durations, pricing, cash flow).
• Foster a high-performance, results-driven culture.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to sales managers and account executives.
• Build and maintain relationships with key clients, distributors, and strategic partners in Italy.
• Act as the primary escalation point for major client relationships.
• Identify and leverage the work with agencies.
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Product, Finance, and Operations teams (locally and at HQ/regional level) to ensure commercial execution.
• Provide regular reporting on sales performance, pipeline, and forecasts to senior leadership.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of experience in sports sponsorship sales or high-value commercial partnerships.
• Proven track record of successfully closing high-value sponsorship and commercial partnership deals.
• Build strong commercial strategy and leading the execution.
• Experience in a sponsorship agency, sports property, media platforms or brand with strong commercial exposure.
• Hunter mentality, highly results-oriented and target-driven.
• Excellent negotiation and commercial storytelling skills.
• Established network of decision-makers in the sports and sponsorship ecosystem.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, demanding, and entrepreneurial environment.
• Fluent in Italian and English.

Diversity & Inclusion commitment

At Kings League we strongly believe in building an inclusive and diverse work environment, where everyone can develop their full potential. We are committed to integrating people with any profile, independently of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, origin and/or disability status, and fostering a team where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and grow.