ABOUT THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Founded in 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL®) is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
With more than 1500 employees across the US and Canada, the NHL is a global sports and entertainment organization committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey. At the NHL, we are looking for dynamic, energetic and impactful individuals who are committed to doing the same by sharing in our philosophy that Hockey is for Everyone.
WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU
SUMMARY
The Director, Media Rights Compliance is responsible for supporting day-to-day media rights compliance across League and Club media partners. This role also supports media-related interactions across advertising sponsorship, innovation, and content production. The Director partners closely with the VP to manage relationships with national media partners and ensure alignment with contractual obligations.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Rights Compliance: Manage day-to-day media rights compliance across League and Club media partners, ensuring alignment with contractual obligations
- Sponsorship & Advertising Integrity: Verify that live broadcasts and shoulder content include required sponsor elements, in-show branding, and advertising deliverables in accordance with League and sales agreements.
- Content Review & Approval: Monitor live programming for editorial consistency, proper sponsor placements, legal disclaimers, and league-mandated visuals (e.g., logos, “Presented By” language).
- Deliverable Verification: Confirm in-game and post-game packages (e.g., highlights, player features, interviews) meet internal standards and league usage guidelines, particularly regarding music rights, clip length, and archival access.
- Documentation & Reporting: Review NHL programming and maintain detailed records of all compliance checks, flag discrepancies, and escalate unresolved issues to production, legal, or distribution teams.
- Stakeholder Communication: Serve as a liaison between NHL’s Programming, Ad Sales, Legal, and Partnership teams to track deliverables and enforce contractual requirements in real-time.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge Areas/Experience
Required
- 10+ years of experience working on the business side of sports media
- Familiarity with sponsorship tracking and advertising deliverables
- Background in compliance, rights management, or business affairs within a media company
- Passion for sports broadcasting and distribution, with an understanding of its structure, schedule, and fan base
Preferred
- Knowledge of Media Rights business agreements and content deliverables is a plus
- Legal experience a plus but not required
Education/Certifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Media, Business Administration, Sports Management, Communications, or a related field
Required Skills
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational and documentation skills
- Effective communicator across departments (production, sales, legal, league contacts)
- Flexibility to work non-standard hours (evenings, weekends and holidays) during NHL season, playoffs, and special events
CORE COMPETENCIES
These core competencies reflect the underlying values that are necessary to represent the National Hockey League:
- Accountability
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Inclusion
- Professionalism
- Teamwork & Collaboration
The NHL offers U.S. regular, full-time employees:
Time to Recharge: Utilize our generous Paid Time Off (PTO) to focus on your well-being and ensure a healthy work/life balance. PTO includes paid holidays, vacation, personal and sick days, plus an extra day off for your birthday.
Ability to Focus on your Health: Along with competitive salaries, the NHL offers comprehensive health benefits to employees and their eligible dependents effective on their first day with us – there is no waiting period. The NHL subsidizes a large portion of the health benefits costs, therefore your cost for medical, dental and vision coverage is minimal.
We also offer our employees and members of their household access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support mental, physical, and financial health. In addition, employees have access to a digital wellness resource designed to improve health and happiness through courses in sleep, movement, and focus. These services are confidential and at no-cost to our employees.
Childcare Leave: Because your family is the NHL family, employees are offered comprehensive Childcare Leave to welcome your new addition. The primary caregiver to the child is entitled to up to 12 weeks of paid Childcare Leave, at full pay, following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
Employees that are not the primary caregiver to the child are entitled to up to 6 weeks of paid Childcare Leave, at full pay, which must be taken within the first 6 months following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
Confidence in your Retirement Goals: Participate in the NHL’s Savings Plan which includes a 401K (pre-tax and Roth options) plus non-elective (employer) contributions to keep your retirement goals on track.
A Hybrid Work Schedule: The NHL recognizes the value of flexibility in work locations/schedules to help our employees balance work/life priorities. Hybrid work schedules are available for a majority of our roles.
Our New Headquarters: Our new, state of the art, offices are located at One Manhattan West in Hudson Yards. When you’re in the office, you can conduct meetings in one of our high-tech conference rooms, have lunch with a view or play in the game room. Employees can also enjoy New York’s newest neighborhood that is home to more than 100 shops, culinary experiences, and public artwork.
A Savings for Commuting: Participate in the NHL’s pre-tax commuter benefit plan which helps offset the financial cost of traveling to and from our office.
NHL Partner Rates: Unlock exclusive pricing from our Partners that include savings on travel, consumer goods and services, plus the NHL Store.
Life at the NHL: In your first few days, you meet with your new teammates and the HR Team. You have the opportunity to learn more about the NHL and our workplace culture. Employees are invited to play hockey during our Tuesday Night Skate at Chelsea Piers, join our Employee Resource Groups and more. You are a part of our team and we encourage you to be your authentic self, adding to our dynamic workplace culture.
SALARY RANGE:
$125-150K
Actual base pay for a successful candidate will be determined based on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to: experience/training, market demands, and geographic location.
When applying, please be sure to include a cover letter with your salary expectations for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity, however only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. NO EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
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.
