Sports Partnership Manager

Bluesky's vision is to make social more like the web itself. We're building a social media app, but beyond that, we've created a protocol that supports a broad ecosystem of applications and clients. Imagine a network of applications — from microblogging to photos to video to long-form writing — all interconnected and accessible with a shared identity. About the Role: Sports conversation is moving to Bluesky, and we need someone to accelerate that shift. As Sports Partnerships Manager, you'll be the connective tissue between Bluesky and the sports world: building relationships with journalists, media outlets, leagues, teams, and athletes, and making sure they don't just show up on Bluesky but thrive here. You should be equally comfortable DMing a beat reporter, pitching a league's digital team on a custom feed integration, or sitting with our product engineers to shape how live sports conversation works on the platform. You'll work closely with the partnerships lead and cross-functionally with growth and product teams to turn Bluesky into the place fans go first when the game is on. You’ll also be the conduit between sports partners and the Bluesky team. This role demands taste—the ability to spot when a pain point reveals a platform-wide gap, when a feature request from one league could transform how we serve all sports communities, and how to translate partner conversations into crisp product and growth priorities. Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage relationships with key stakeholders in the sports-social space.
• Grow our sports community through programmatic activations during live events.
• Own planning and execution for how Bluesky engages with major sporting events, across IRL and digital campaigns.
• Collaborate cross-functionally. Work with product, marketing, and comms teams to translate partner insights into actionable recommendations. Advocate for community needs internally.
• Track and report on performance. Define success metrics for sports partnerships, track your inputs and outputs, and report clearly on what's working. Your data will inform our priorities and resource allocation.
• Leverage data to develop an engagement strategy that identifies opportunities to strengthen how we serve our community of creators

You might be a good fit if you have:

• 5+ years of experience in content partnerships, creator/talent management, or business development roles.
• Have deep knowledge of the sports content ecosystem. You have existing relationships and know how to build new ones quickly.
• Have worked in high-velocity startup environments where you ship fast and iterate often.
• Are fluent in social — you don’t just “manage partnerships,” you get the internet
• Have a track record of leading campaigns that moved the needle on awareness, sentiment, and/or growth
• Can operate autonomously, move fast, and deliver results in ambiguous or rapidly evolving spaces

We're especially excited if you:

• Are already familiar with Bluesky, AT Protocol, or the decentralized social landscape
• You have experience with the commercial aspects of the content industry
• You’ve worked directly in sports media, at a rightsholders, or at an agency
• Can show us a portfolio of partnerships campaigns you’ve previously worked on

Additional Notes: The anticipated base salary range for this position is $136,000-175,000 USD excluding equity. Equity will be considered in the total compensation package. Final base salary for this role will be based on the individual’s geographic location, as well as experience level, skill set, training, licenses and certifications.