Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing - Johannesburg

Job Summary

• Delivers differentiated, data-driven client experiences that deepen relationships, drive engagement, and generate measurable business impact.
• Positioned at the intersection of strategic marketing, digital innovation, and experiential design, the role leverages sponsorships and events as platforms for trust-building, lead generation, and revenue growth.
• By integrating marketing strategy with customer experience and digital engagement, the manager ensures every touchpoint reflects AVAFs value proposition and strengthens connections with Strategic Partnerships. Through personalised, insight-led experiences, the role reinforces the Absa and OEM brand positioning, fosters client advocacy, and unlocks cross-sell and referral opportunities.
• The manager applies data and technology to enhance relevance and performance, while demonstrating clear commercial impact through creative metrics.

Job Description

KEY FOCUS AREAS

• Lead the strategic design and execution of sponsorships and events that reflect the organisations and OEM partner brand and resonate with priority client segments.
• Deliver flawless project management across multiple initiatives, ensuring timelines, resources, and risks are expertly handled.
• Use data and audience insights to personalise experiences and optimise sponsorship and event effectiveness.
• Integrate digital platforms such as CRM, Cvent, and social media to amplify reach and extend engagement.
• Manage budgets with a focus on cost efficiency, value delivery, and measurable ROI.
• Develop creative frameworks to track and communicate impact, linking engagement to pipeline growth and client retention.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align event objectives with business goals and market opportunities.
• Maintain strong relationships with strategic partner marketing teams, external vendors and partners to ensure seamless, high-quality delivery.
• Champion innovation in experiential design, using technology to elevate client experiences.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy Formulation and Execution

• Formulate sponsorship and event strategies that align with the organisations brand positioning, client engagement goals, and sector-specific business objectives.
• Translate strategic marketing plans into impactful client experiences, ensuring each event and sponsorship delivers measurable commercial value.
• Continuously refine execution through data insights, stakeholder feedback, and market trends to enhance relevance, performance, and strategic impact.
• Translate strategic objectives into operational plans with clear deliverables, timelines, and performance measures.
• Align team or practice area priorities with business goals, ensuring tactical execution supports broader strategic outcomes.
• Monitor progress, identify risks, and implement corrective actions to ensure delivery.

Customer Primacy

• Design personalised, insight-led experiences that reflect client needs, preferences, and expectations, ensuring every event and sponsorship deepens relationships and drives meaningful engagement.
• Embed customer-centric thinking into every touchpoint, using data and feedback to tailor experiences that resonate with institutional and corporate clients.
• Champion client advocacy through experiential marketing, positioning the organisations as a trusted partner by consistently delivering value and relevance.
• Use customer insights to inform service design and delivery improvements.
• Champion initiatives that enhance customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure consistent and differentiated customer journeys.

Sustainable Growth

• Design sponsorships and events that support long-term brand equity, deepen client relationships, and contribute to sustained business growth.
• Ensuring efficient use of resources and budget, delivering high-impact experiences that balance cost-effectiveness with strategic value.
• Leverage data and performance insights to continuously improve event effectiveness, drive client retention, and unlock cross-sell opportunities.
• Contribute to the development and execution of growth plans aligned with business unit priorities.
• Drive performance accountability within the team or practice area.
• Support investment decisions through analysis of operational impact and value creation.

Client-Driven Innovation and Change

• Design and deliver innovative sponsorships and events that respond to evolving client needs, market dynamics, and strategic priorities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to co-create experiences that reflect client insights, foster engagement, and support transformation initiatives.
• Continuously integrate emerging technologies and creative formats to elevate client experiences and position the organisation as a forward-thinking partner.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Lead change initiatives, ensuring readiness, engagement, and adoption.
• Support the implementation of new technologies, processes, and practices.

Operational Effectiveness

• Ensuring seamless end-to-end execution of sponsorships and events through meticulous planning, resource allocation, and risk management.
• Maintain high standards of delivery and consistency, ensuring all experiences meet brand, compliance, and quality benchmarks.
• Continuously improve operational workflows, leveraging tools, templates, and vendor partnerships to enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Translate business priorities into operational plans with defined KPIs and scorecards.
• Optimise processes for efficiency, quality, and alignment with customer needs.
• Resolve operational issues and ensure continuity of delivery.

Digital Adoption

• Integrate digital tools and platforms such as CRM, Cvent, and marketing automation to enhance event reach, personalisation, and engagement.
• Leverage digital channels and content strategies to extend the lifecycle of sponsorships and events, driving sustained client interaction and visibility.
• Continuously explore emerging digital technologies to innovate experiential design and improve operational efficiency.
• Promote the use of digital tools and platforms to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Identify opportunities for automation and digitisation.
• Support digital transformation initiatives and ensure effective adoption.

Good Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Establish formal approval processes for event concepts, partner selection, and budget allocations.
• Vet sponsorship partners to ensure alignment with the organisation's ethical standards, ESG commitments, and reputational risk thresholds.
• Document roles and responsibilities across internal stakeholders GMCA, Marketing, Coverage, Legal to ensure accountability and transparency.
• Implement governance, risk, and compliance frameworks within operational routines.
• Promote risk-aware decision-making and ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Monitor and manage operational risks, ensuring timely resolution and reporting.

Data Monetisation

• Define value-driven use cases for data that align with business strategy and client needs, ensuring monetisation efforts are purposeful and measurable.
• Establish data ownership and governance to manage quality, access, and ethical use of data assets across the organisation.
• Develop scalable data products or services e.g. insights, benchmarks, APIs that can be commercialised while protecting client confidentiality and regulatory compliance.
• Use data and analytics to inform decisions, improve performance, and identify opportunities.
• Ensuring data quality and relevance for reporting, insights, and operational planning.
• Apply performance insights to drive continuous improvement and value creation.

Stakeholder Management

• Align stakeholders across functions e.g. GMCA, Marketing, Coverage, Product to ensure event objectives support broader business goals and client strategie