Tissot Sports Affiliate Manager

About Tissot

Tissot, founded in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland, is a distinguished Swiss watchmaker renowned for uniting traditional craftsmanship with accessible innovation. As part of the Swatch Group, the Maison offers employees the strength of a global luxury ecosystem while preserving a culture rooted in precision, authenticity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Tissot is celebrated for its pioneering materials, advanced movements, and longstanding role in international sports timekeeping. As an employer, it provides a dynamic environment where watchmaking expertise, digital excellence, retail sophistication, and brand storytelling converge, inviting talent to contribute to a heritage-driven company with a forward-looking, international outlook.

Tissot seeks a Sports Affiliate Manager to lead U.S. sports partnerships and activations, events, media integration, reporting and cross-functional initiatives. The role requires at least five years of relevant experience and a bachelor’s degree, with travel up to 60% of the time; annual salary is $100,000–$110,000 plus an annual merit bonus.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead the execution and management of all U.S. sports partnerships, including the NBA, NBA team partners, MotoGP, World Superbike, UCI and future sports affiliations.
• Oversee partnership activations, contractual deliverables, press conferences, ambassador appearances, media tours and special events.
• Manage relationships with sports properties, agencies, athletes, ambassadors and key stakeholders to maximize partnership value and visibility.
• Coordinate the brand’s presence at sporting events and ensure contractual assets and benefits are fully utilized.
• Identify opportunities to enhance existing partnerships and develop innovative activation strategies.
• Support partnership negotiations, renewals and evaluations in collaboration with headquarters and senior leadership.
• Plan and execute sports-related events, hospitality programs, appearances and promotional activities.
• Coordinate logistics with external agencies, sports organizations, partners and internal stakeholders.
• Represent the brand at industry events, partnership meetings, networking opportunities and sporting events.
• Facilitate watch consignments, product placement initiatives and promotional support for partnership activations.
• Ensure events and activations meet brand standards and organizational objectives.
• Coordinate press events, media interviews, partnership announcements and promotional campaigns.
• Work with internal and external public relations teams to secure earned media coverage across sports, lifestyle, luxury and business media.
• Support the development and distribution of press materials, media releases and partnership communications.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Social Media and Ecommerce teams to develop content that amplifies sports partnerships and drives consumer engagement.
• Support integrated campaigns across social media, digital, retail and experiential channels.
• Develop activation plans that leverage sports partnerships to drive brand awareness and retail traffic.
• Partner with headquarters and local management to align activities with global brand strategy and partnership objectives.
• Monitor partnership performance and report regularly on results, opportunities and project status.
• Attend recurring meetings and maintain communication with league partners, team partners, agencies and internal stakeholders.
• Analyze activation effectiveness and recommend improvements to future programs and investments.
• Partner with Marketing, Public Relations, Retail, Customer Service, Operations, Finance, IT and Global Headquarters to support partnership initiatives.
• Coordinate retail and trade marketing programs tied to sports partnerships.
• Support product launches, special projects, brand events and business initiatives as assigned.
• Ensure clear communication and alignment among internal and external stakeholders involved in partnership activities.
• Work in office and field environments; sit for extended periods at a computer, communicate effectively, attend meetings and events, and frequently stand, walk, reach and handle materials. The role may require lifting and carrying materials weighing up to 25 pounds, as well as frequent travel to support events, meetings, activations, partners and business objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Sports Management or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of the U.S. sports industry and professional sports landscape.
• Experience managing large-scale events, sponsorship activations or partnership programs.
• Demonstrated experience working with agencies, media partners, athletes, ambassadors or major sports properties.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally to execute business initiatives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook.
• Bilingual capabilities preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 60% of the time.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of sponsorship and partnership ROI.
• Creative thinking and ability to develop innovative activation concepts and solutions.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Self-motivated, resourceful and results-oriented.
• Professionalism, integrity and sound judgment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive business information.
• Enthusiastic team player with a positive attitude and willingness to support evolving business needs.

Skills

Experience

Minimum of five years of relevant experience in sports marketing, partnership management, event marketing, public relations or a related field.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Sports Management or a related field.

Workplace

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 100,000 to USD 110,000 per annum.

Benefits

Annual merit bonus; health, dental and vision insurance with employer contribution; immediate 401(k) participation and 100% vested employer match after one year (maximum 4% employer match with 5% employee contribution); company-paid life insurance and long-term disability; 18 days of PTO per year, increasing to one month after five years; annual sick time and extended paid medical, parental and military leave; holiday pay; voluntary FSA, STD and accident/hospital indemnity insurance; employee product discount.

Culture

Tissot fosters a workplace culture rooted in Swiss precision, innovation, and a deep respect for watchmaking heritage. As an employer, the brand encourages collaboration, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement, offering teams the opportunity to contribute to accessible yet high-quality timepieces with a global reputation.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.