Los Angeles Lakers
Executive Director, Strategic Capabilities
Job Title: Executive Director, Strategic Capabilities
Department: Strategy & Data Systems, Basketball Operations
Manages: N/A
Reports to: Vice President, Salary Cap Strategy
Position Summary: The Executive Director, Strategic Capabilities is responsible for advancing the organization's basketball strategy by leading the development and implementation of strategic systems, processes, and tools that enhance decision-making across Basketball Operations. This role serves as the bridge between salary cap strategy, legal and contractual expertise, and technology, ensuring the front office has best-in-class capabilities to evaluate transactions, manage roster construction, and execute long-term organizational strategy. Working cross-functionally with Basketball Strategy, Data Systems Development, Legal, Finance, and Basketball Operations leadership, this position transforms complex strategic concepts into scalable operational solutions.
Essential Functions (Duties & Responsibilities**):
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, prioritization, and execution of strategic capability initiatives that strengthen the organization's basketball operations infrastructure.
- Manage project timelines, requirements, dependencies, and risk across the full portfolio of Basketball Strategy tools and systems.
- Translate complex NBA salary cap rules, collective bargaining agreement (CBA) provisions, legal considerations, and player contract structures into practical strategic frameworks and technology solutions.
- Identify opportunities to improve basketball operations through new strategic capabilities, leading projects from concept and business case through design, implementation, testing, and deployment.
- Partner closely with the Data Systems Development team to design and deliver technology solutions that support roster construction, trade analysis, contract modeling, salary cap planning, and transaction management.
- Initiate, develop, and oversee complex salary cap strategy projects that build scalable systems supporting contract evaluation, trade simulations, free agency planning, and long-term roster management.
- Collaborate with Basketball Operations leadership to ensure strategic tools align with the organization's competitive objectives across short-, medium-, and long-term planning horizons.
- Provide strategic guidance and feedback on cross-functional Basketball Operations initiatives to ensure projects support organizational priorities and future decision-making capabilities.
- Establish governance, documentation, and best practices for strategic systems, ensuring data integrity, consistency, and usability across departments.
- Monitor evolving NBA rules, CBA interpretations, and league trends, proactively incorporating changes into organizational strategy and supporting technologies.
- Foster collaboration among Strategy, Basketball Operations, Analytics, Legal, Finance, and Technology teams to ensure successful execution of strategic initiatives.
**Responsibilities subject to change based on organizational needs and direction from management.
Previous Experience:
- A minimum of seven (7) year’s experience with NBA salary cap rules, collective bargaining agreement, player contracts, and roster construction strategies
- Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in business, law, analytics, computer science, sports management or related field preferred
Knowledge, skills, abilities:
- Proven experience leading complex cross-functional projects from planning through implementation.
- Demonstrated ability to translate highly technical or legal concepts into actionable business and basketball strategy.
- Strong understanding of project management methodologies, strategic planning, and systems implementation.
- Experience working closely with software development or data systems teams.
- Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple high-priority initiatives in a fast-paced professional sports environment.
Physical Demands: N/A
Location: El Segundo (offices M-F), downtown Los Angeles (Crypto.com Arena for all Laker home games)
The pay range for this role is $280,000 - $300,000 annually. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience and certifications. In addition to those factors, we consider the relative pay of our current employees in similar positions when making a final offer.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
