JOIN THE BEST TEAM ON THE FIELD IN SPORT, SPIRIT & ACHIEVEMENT
At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our three distinct brands – BSN SPORTS, Varsity Spirit and Herff Jones – and our network of 9,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with schools, colleges and universities across the country to transform the student journey in SPORT, SPIRIT and ACHIEVEMENT.

Are you looking to play an important role on a winning team? Are you looking for more than “just a job,” but a place where you can truly thrive and have your daily contributions make a real difference in someone’s life? At Varsity Brands we’re a growing company where you can lend your skills and talents in support of a greater mission. In return, you get to work with great people on challenging assignments that will accelerate your professional growth.

VARSITY BRANDS: JOIN THE BEST TEAM ON THE FIELD IN SPORT, SPIRIT & ACHIEVEMENT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our three distinct brands – BSN Sports, Varsity Spirit, and Herff Jones – and our network of 9,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with schools, colleges, and universities across the country to transform the student journey in SPORT, SPIRIT, and ACHIEVEMENT.

VARSITY SPIRIT: THE DRIVING FORCE IN SPIRIT ACROSS CHEER, DANCE AND BAND

Varsity Spirit is the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team and performing arts. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, and competitions, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s 5,000+ employees have been dedicated to celebrating school spirit through its brands since 1974. Our continued success relies on hiring extraordinary talent, with a passion for making a difference to help us elevate the student experience.

BAIN CAPITAL: A LEADING PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNER

Bain Capital is one of the world’s leading private multi-asset alternative investment firms, with ~$155B in assets under management that creates lasting impact for investors, teams, businesses, and communities. Founded in 1984, Bain Capital pioneered a consulting-based approach to private equity investing, partnering closely with management teams to offer the insights that challenge conventional thinking, build great businesses, and improve operations. Varsity Brands, including Varsity Spirit, has been a Bain Capital Private Equity portfolio company since 2018.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Varsity Spirit is looking to recruit an SVP, Service Operations to lead all event operations across Varsity Spirit camps, competitions, and special events, spearheading Varsity Spirit’s strategic growth in this area. The SVP, Service Operations will report to Varsity Spirit’s Chief Transformation Officer and will collaborate closely with other senior executives across the Varsity Brands enterprise. In addition, the role will sit on the Varsity Spirit Leadership Team (VLT) and Varsity Brands Leadership Council (VBLC).

The position can be based in either Memphis, TN (preferred) or Dallas, TX, and will be a hybrid home/office role.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

The SVP, Service Operations will lead extensive event operation transformation across the portfolio of Varsity Spirit’s hundreds of competitions and thousands of summer camps. The role will partner with Varsity Spirit executive team members to assess existing operations, identify targeted improvement opportunities, and execute targeted implementation plans, across both School and All Star divisions. We are looking for an individual with extensive operations experience who is enthusiastic about impact and value creation, and someone who brings insatiable curiosity to learn quickly and collaboratively influence teams and organizations to drive improvement across all operational channels.

Success in this role will be measured by improvements in operational processes, implementation of digital technologies and tools, value-add enhancements to customer experience, and streamlined yet inclusive decision-making.

The role will provide leadership and significant budget leadership across three primary areas:

Operational Shared Services: Lead Varsity Spirit’s operational shared services teams. Team members are responsible for venue logistics and operations, including venue procurement, contracting, and venue relationship management; event registration and customer service; security and safety; event ticketing; capacity planning; staffing and scheduling; and more.

Camp & Competition Operations: Lead operations teams responsible for executing thousands of camps and hundreds of competitions. The role will oversee all operational aspects of camps and competitions and will manage teams that are responsible for operational execution of camps and competitions across all Varsity Spirit brands (e.g., UCA / UDA, NCA / NDA, USA). Additionally, the role will provide operational oversight and best practices to Varsity’s All Star division across five regional offices charged with execution of competitions. Operational requirements include season planning; venue preparation and set up; in-event operations; and post-event tear-down across hundreds of live events annually.

Special Events Operations: Lead operations for Varsity Spirit’s Special Events programming, including multiple international trips of students, sponsors, and parents. Operational requirements include destination selection, travel partner management, pricing and packaging, etc.

The role will require proven expertise in live event operations, preferably in a touring event environment and/or through experiences based on operating in multiple types of venue locations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 15 years’ experience within event operations, live events, touring events, and/or hospitality
• Experience executing large-scale live events, with a direct, on-the-ground, production role experience
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and communication skills – a strong ability to engage and interact with various types of individuals, ranging from venue executives to seasonal operations staff
• Ability to make decisions utilizing a data-driven approach, with a strong understanding of operational KPIs to drive both efficiency and desired customer experience
• A direct orientation to problem solving and a bias to taking concrete actions
• Deep curiosity and humility that can lead to quickly learning the nuances of the Varsity Spirit business
• Exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills for relationship building at all levels of the organization, including cross-departmental colleagues and leadership at Varsity Spirit and Varsity Brands
• Experience in live events required; no prior experience in cheerleading, dance, or performing arts required

TRAVEL & LOCATION EXPECTATIONS

Travel may be significant, with out-of-the-area and overnight travel required for specific events – particularly in the beginning stages of the job, as it will be important for the SVP Service Operations to become immersed in Varsity Spirit events and operations. However, on-site operational execution requirements will be limited. This role is expected to be a hybrid office role, meaning an expectation of some on-site and some remote work as mutually agreed.

The position can either be based in Dallas, TX or Memphis, TN.

Skills:

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.