Chief of Staff and Strategic Growth

This is a Full Time Job

Position Overview

The Charlotte Hornets are seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff & Strategic Enterprise Growth to serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the President, Executive Leadership Team, and business helping to shape the future of one of the NBA's most dynamic organizations.

Reporting directly to the President, you will play a critical role in identifying opportunities that accelerate business growth, strengthen organizational performance, expand our audience, deepen fan engagement, and enhance the Charlotte Hornets' impact throughout the community and across the business and civic landscape.

This role goes well beyond traditional Chief of Staff responsibilities. It is designed for a strategic leader who combines analytical rigor with business acumen and exceptional communication skills to influence enterprise-wide decisions. The Chief of Staff & Strategic Enterprise Growth will identify opportunities, conduct research and analysis, develop business cases, present executive recommendations, and lead cross-functional initiatives that drive measurable results.

Working closely with the executive leadership team and key stakeholders across Hornets Sports & Entertainment, you will ensure that the organization's highest priorities move from strategy to execution while helping leadership make informed, data-driven decisions.

To be successful in this role you will need to be intellectually curious, highly analytical, an outstanding presenter, and an exceptional collaborator who thrives in a fast-paced, high-performance environment.

Hornets Values
• We operate with the highest level of integrity, driven by moral standards that guide us in everything we do.
• We communicate with full candor; openly, honestly, and respectfully with clarity.
• We hold ourselves accountable, and responsible to raise high levels of expectations of ourselves and our team.
• We compete at the highest levels and strive to be the best at everything we do.
• We act with resilience and thrive in the face of challenges bringing others along with us.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Growth & Business Development
• Partner with the President and executive leadership team to identify opportunities that accelerate business growth and strengthen organizational performance.
• Evaluate emerging business opportunities, market trends, consumer behavior, and industry best practices across sports, entertainment, media, technology, and adjacent industries.
• Identify new opportunities to expand audience reach, increase fan engagement, enhance revenue generation, strengthen corporate partnerships, and deepen community impact.
• Develop strategic recommendations that position the Charlotte Hornets for sustained long-term growth.
• Evaluate competitive trends and benchmark innovative practices from leading sports organizations and world-class consumer brands.

Enterprise Strategy
• Support the development and execution of the organization's strategic priorities.
• Translate long-term objectives into actionable initiatives with measurable outcomes.
• Build comprehensive business cases that evaluate opportunities, investments, organizational initiatives, and strategic partnerships.
• Help leadership prioritize initiatives based on business impact, organizational readiness, and long-term value.
• Ensure strategic initiatives remain aligned with the organization's vision and business objectives.

Executive Analysis & Decision Support
• Conduct sophisticated research, market analysis, financial analysis, and organizational assessments that support executive decision-making.
• Gather and synthesize complex information into concise, actionable recommendations.
• Anticipate strategic opportunities, risks, dependencies, and operational challenges.
• Prepare executive briefings, strategic memorandums, board materials, and leadership presentations.
• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the President by providing objective analysis and strategic counsel.

Cross-Functional Leadership
• Partner with leaders across every business function to advance enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Coordinate complex projects involving multiple departments and stakeholders.
• Create alignment across teams while establishing accountability, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Remove organizational barriers that hinder execution and facilitate effective collaboration.
• Monitor progress on strategic initiatives and provide regular updates to executive leadership.

Organizational Effectiveness
• Improve organizational alignment by connecting strategic priorities with operational execution.
• Recommend process improvements that increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop systems that improve visibility into enterprise priorities and organizational performance.

Required Skills, Experience and Abilities

To perform the job successfully, you should demonstrate the following competencies:

Experience
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Strategy, Analytics, or a related discipline.
• MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• 10 years of progressive experience in strategy, management consulting, business operations, corporate development, finance, professional sports, entertainment, media, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success advising senior executives and leading enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
• Experience conducting market research, business analysis, financial modeling, and strategic planning.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional projects from concept through execution.
• Experience working in fast-paced, highly visible organizations requiring executive-level judgment and discretion.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and travel as required for games and special events.

Strategic Thinker
• Sees opportunities others miss and develops innovative strategies that accelerate organizational growth and strengthen competitive advantage.
• Balances long-term strategic vision with disciplined execution.

Analytical Problem Solver
• Uses research, financial analysis, business intelligence, and sound judgment to solve complex business challenges.
• Comfortable working with both quantitative and qualitative information to develop thoughtful recommendations.

Exceptional Executive Communicator & Presenter
• An outstanding communicator who can transform complex research, analytics, and business data into clear, concise, and compelling executive presentations.
• Possesses exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills with the ability to present confidently to ownership, executive leadership, board members, corporate partners, civic leaders, and other key stakeholders.
• Expert in developing executive-level PowerPoint presentations, business cases, dashboards, and strategic recommendations that clearly communicate the "what," "so what," and "now what."

Collaborative Influencer
• Builds trusted relationships across every level of the organization.
• Influences decisions through credibility, insight, and collaboration rather than authority alone.
• Works seamlessly across departments to align priorities and deliver enterprise-wide results.

Results-Oriented Leader
• Moves quickly to drive results and achieve organizational goals.