Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

Job Summary

The role designs and 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 the organisations value proposition and strengthens connections with institutional and corporate clients. Through personalised, insight-led experiences, the role reinforces 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. Ultimately, this role positions the organisations as a trusted, innovative partner in the eyes of its clients and industry peers.

Job Description

KEY FOCUS AREAS

• Lead the strategic design and execution of sponsorships and events that reflect the organisations 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 external vendors and partners to ensure seamless, high-quality delivery.

• Champion innovation in experiential design, using technology to elevate client experiences.

• Ensuring every touchpoint reinforces the organisations value proposition and strengthens client trust and advocacy.

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.

Leading Talent

• Inspire and mentor team members and partners, fostering a culture of excellence, creativity, and continuous learning in experiential marketing.

• Lead cross-functional collaboration, guiding internal teams and external vendors to deliver high-quality, client-centric sponsorships and events.

• Champion professional development, sharing knowledge, best practices, and innovative approaches to elevate team capability and performance.

• Develop team or practice capabilities to meet current and future business needs.

• Foster a culture of performance, inclusion, and continuous learning.

• Manage performance, development, and succession planning.

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 strategies.

• Maintain proactive communication through structured updates, feedback sessions, and clear reporting to keep all parties informed and engaged.

• Foster collaborative relationships by understanding stakeholder priorities and co-creating experiences that reflect both market opportunities and client needs.

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Align delivery with stakeholder expectations and business priorities.

• Communicate progress, risks, and outcomes effectively.

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Business, Commerce and Management Studies, Bachelor's Degree: Marketing, Bachelor's Degree: Tourism and Hospitality, Certificate FET (Private and Public): Digital Media, Certificate FET (Private and Public): Project Management

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised