Padel Brand Development Manager Americas H/F

Founded in Lyon, France in 1875 and family-run for five generations, Babolat has been inventing, innovating and developing complete equipment for tennis, badminton and padel for 151 years, starting with the creation of the world's first tennis string. In 2020, Babolat added Pickleball products to its lineup, including paddles and footwear.

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, strings, and paddles are the choice of some of the world's top players including Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassume, Leylah Fernandez and Juan Lebron. Today, Babolat is made up of almost 450 employees around the world.

Reporting to the Padel Category Business Leader, the Padel Brand Development Manager - Americas position is primarily responsible for building Babolat's padel relevance and community across the Americas through brand activation, category expertise and field engagement by performing the following duties:

Core duties and responsibilities include the following. It's not all-inclusive and there are likely additional duties and responsibilities for this job:

Brand Development & Regional Activation

• Translate the global Babolat padel strategy into regional activation plans, thereby strengthening brand visibility and premium positioning across the Americas.
• Develop and coordinate local brand initiatives, events, product experiences and community activations, in line with global brand guidelines.

Padel Market Expertise & Intelligence

• Act as the internal reference for the padel ecosystem across the Americas, monitoring market trends, competitors, consumer behavior and emerging opportunities.
• Share market insights and field feedback with Global Padel, Brand, Product and Marketing teams to support launches and future development.

Community, Ambassadors & Partnerships

• Build and develop relationships with key clubs, coaches, academies, players, tournament organizers and local opinion leaders.
• Support the identification and activation of relevant ambassadors, partnerships and grassroots initiatives to strengthen Babolat's presence and engagement within the padel community.

Regional Strategy & Partner Support

• Support the U.S. subsidiary and Latin American distributors in translating global brand priorities into locally relevant activation plans.
• Provide local teams with the expertise, product knowledge, tools and best practices needed to successfully implement brand initiatives and product launches, ensuring consistency with global strategy.

Performance & Reporting

• Monitor brand and activation performance through relevant KPIs, share market insights and recommendations, and identify opportunities to improve and scale successful initiatives across the Americas.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's Degree from four-year college or university (concentration in Marketing, Sports Management, Business Administration or related discipline), and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience and/or equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• In-depth knowledge of the padel industry in the U.S. and/or Latin America, with the ability to build strong relationships with clubs, players, coaches, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Strong brand-focused and consumer-oriented mindset; capable of transforming global strategies into effective local initiatives.
• Ability to work proactively and autonomously with excellent communication, networking, and project management skills.
• Experience working within an international and matrix-structured organization, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders across multiple markets and cultures.
• Fluency in English and Spanish is required; Portuguese language skills are a plus.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Approximately 40% - 60% of travel across North and Latin America is required.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Targeted Hiring Range: $80,000 - $100,000 annual base salary with 10% bonus potential based on both quantitative and qualitative objectives. Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision coverage, employer-matched 401(k) plan, disability/life insurance and more!