Manager, Entertainment and Sports Relations

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-first role; 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.