Manager, Commercial Planning – Analysis

The Athletic

Manager of Commercial Planning and Analysis overseeing complex commercial initiatives for The Athletic. Focused on financial modeling, deal construction, and performance tracking.

Posted 5/1/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $130,000 - $140,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Commercial planning and analysis: You will translate dense financial data and analysis into high-impact visual narratives for discussions with The Athletic’s leadership team. You'll articulate the "why" behind every major investment.
Modeling and evaluation: Build clean, flexible financial models to value complex and integrated deals and commercial initiatives across licensing and advertising, as well as other revenue streams.
Deal construction: Analyze and aid in negotiation of deal mechanics, focusing on minimum guarantees (MGs), revenue shares, and recoupment schedules. You will partner closely with Legal and Accounting to ensure term sheets translate into sound financial realities.
Post-close performance tracking: Own the "full-lifecycle" of the deal. Once a partnership is live, you are on the hook for tracking actuals vs. benchmarks, managing P&L impact, and providing the FP&A oversight needed to course-correct or double-down.
Forecasting and variance analysis: Integrate live deal performance into our broader rolling forecasts, explaining variances to leadership and identifying trends in audience monetization and rights costs.

Requirements

What you’ll need

5+ years of experience in corporate development, strategic finance, consulting or investment banking.
Analytically rigorous individual with experience performing high stakes evaluation of potential deals, ideally including content licensing.
Deep understanding of the leverage points in a negotiation; can anticipate how a legal clause might impact a financial outcome.
Someone who understands the value of accuracy; whether it's a pre-deal valuation or a post-deal performance report, you own the numbers from start to finish.
Genuinely motivated by *The Athletic’s* mission; you understand the value of premium sports journalism and the gravity of the shifting media landscape.
Expert-level financial modeling.
Strong executive presentation development skills.
Deep understanding of commercial deal terms, negotiations, and deal processes.
Experience with key FP&A processes (budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis).
BS in Finance/Economics, MBA a plus.

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental and vision benefits
Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s)
a company-matching 401(k) plan
paid vacation
paid sick days
paid parental leave
tuition reimbursement
professional development programs

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

financial modelingvariance analysisbudgetingforecastingdeal constructionnegotiationP&L managementdata analysisperformance trackingcontent licensing

Soft Skills

analytical skillspresentation developmentattention to detailcommunicationstrategic thinkingcollaborationmotivationleadershipproblem-solvingnegotiation skills

Certifications

BS in FinanceBS in EconomicsMBA