Manager Entertainment and Sports Relations

### Who We Are: Our vision is to grant the wish of every eligible child. Through our mission, we are uniting communities to grant life-changing wishes. As the world’s largest wish-granting organization, we strive to create a sense of community and an environment where we warmly embrace our wish families, volunteers, and colleagues. Joining Make-A-Wish means becoming part of a mission that believes in the power of a wish. ### Location: _Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We do not sponsor employment visas or other immigration processes to attain or maintain employment eligibility._ _Remote positions are open to applicants based anywhere in the continental U.S. Hybrid positions are open to applicants based in the Phoenix, Arizona area._ ### Position Summary: The Manager, Entertainment & Sports Relations serves as a key liaison between the sports and entertainment industries and Make-A-Wish chapter representatives, managing the end-to-end coordination of celebrity and sports-related wishes experiences. With experience in project management and a strong background in entertainment, sports, or event planning, this role requires a high level of professionalism, emotional intelligence, and commitment to providing world-class customer service to internal and external partners and wish families. ### Core Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: * Demonstrated success in managing complex projects and coordinating logistics in fast-paced environments. * Exceptional customer service and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholders. * Ability to work collaboratively with high-profile industry professionals, talent representatives, and nonprofit chapter staff. * Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and meet critical deadlines. * Sound judgment and discretion when working with sensitive information or high-visibility individuals. ### Key Duties and Responsibilities: * Manages the fulfillment of celebrity and sports-related wishes**,** acting as a primary point of contact between Make-A-Wish chapters and talent representatives, including agents, publicists, and team PR managers. * Delivers high-touch customer service to Make-A-Wish chapters and international affiliates, ensuring all logistics are handled with empathy, professionalism, and responsiveness. * Coordinates multiple aspects of the wish experiences**,** including scheduling, talent communication, onsite support (where-needed), and contingency planning. * Builds and maintains relationships with key entertainment and sports contacts to support ongoing and future wish opportunities. * Ensures that wish experiences are tailored to the unique needs and preferences of each wish child and family, with close attention to medical, mobility, or scheduling requirements. * Leads cross-functional planning and logistics for wishes involving athletes, celebrities, influencers, or media properties, ensuring alignment with Make-A-Wish brand values. * Maintains and updates Salesforce CRM records**,** tracking wish statuses, follow-ups, and industry engagement; generates reports to support planning and workload management. * Attends select events and wish experiences**,** providing onsite support and relationship management when appropriate; identifies and deploys local volunteers when travel is not feasible. * Collaborates with internal and external teams to gather stories and visuals from wish experiences for potential media and promotional use, obtaining all necessary approvals and releases. * Creates and maintains celebrity and talent contact profile database. * Performs other related duties as assigned to support the Entertainment & Sports Relations team and broader organizational goals. ### Qualifications: * Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Event Planning, or a related field required. * Minimum of 5 or more total years of professional experience * 3+ years of specialized experience working in the sports, entertainment, event production, or talent management industries * Proven project management responsibilities and experience. * Experience working in or alongside nonprofit organizations is highly desirable. * Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is required; experience with Salesforce or other CRM tools is strongly preferred. * Ability to work independently and thrive in a remote-first environment with a collaborative, mission-driven team. ### Working Environment: * This is a remote-firstrole; candidates must reside in the U.S. and be able to work across multiple time zones. * Occasional travel to attend annual all-staff meetings and to host wishes or events (up to 15%). * May require work outside a traditional Monday – Friday work week, including nights and weekends. This Role's Hiring Range $61,916—$68,000 USD ### What We Offer: **Benefits** * **Comprehensive benefit package, **effective day 1**: Medical, Vision\*, Dental\*, Wellness** * **Competitive compensation with annual incentive potential**  * **Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account Options**  * **Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by [Make-A-Wish America](https://himalayas.app/companies/make-a-wish-america)** * **Short Term Disability\*, Long Term Disability\* and Life Insurance** * **Additional Insurance Plans: Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance through Figo** * **401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with 5% match after one year of service** * **Eligibility for student loan forgiveness through the [Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program](https://studentaid.gov/pslf/)**  * **The organization will send a laptop, 24” monitor, and a docking station/adaptor to new hires** ### **Time Off** * **Competitive PTO starting at 15 days, with enhanced time off for senior roles** * **10 Sick Days** * **11 Paid Holidays** * **2 Volunteer Days after one year of service** * **2 Personal Days accrued annually** * **Parental Leave**  ### **Also...** * **Employee Awards and Recognition Programs**  * **Individual and Leadership Development**   * **Discounts and special offers for theme parks, events, hotels, concerts, and movie tickets** **\*Monthly premiums paid for the employee for vision, dental, and short/long term disability.** Originally posted on [Himalayas](https://himalayas.app)