Head of Sponsorships and Experiential Marketing

Job Purpose 

The Head of Sponsorships and Experential Marketing sets the strategic vision and direction for the organisation’s sponsorship portfolio, ensuring it delivers measurable brand and business impact.

This role provides strong leadership across the sponsorship function, driving the delivery of high value projects and establishing influential partnerships both internally and externally.

As a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, the incumbent provides expert guidance, strategic insight, and thought leadership, while empowering and developing a high performing sponsorships team.

Key Reponsibilities include, but not limited to:

Leadership & People Development

• • Lead and develop a high performing team, fostering continuous learning, professional growth and a culture of excellence.
  • Encourage creativity and innovation by providing clear guidance, coaching, mentorship and strategic support.
  • Ensure the team remains motivated, engaged and challenged, with a strong focus on wellbeing and performance.
  • Oversee overall team performance and effectiveness, offering ongoing advice, expertise and best practice insights to empower the team to achieve goals.
  • Exceptional communication skills—both verbal and written—with the ability to influence, inspire, and lead diverse stakeholders at all organisational levels, including C-Suite executives, across internal and external environments.
  • Strong presentation and public speaking skills, with a track record of delivering persuasive messages that influence decision-making and foster stakeholder buy-in.

Commercial and Financial Management

• • Own the annual budget for the portfolio, ensuring efficient planning, allocation and control of financial resources.
  • Develop and present robust business cases to secure required financial support.
  • Approve and sign off budgets in line with organisational guidelines and strategic priorities.
  • Proven ability to negotiate and secure robust commercial rights across all sponsorship agreements, ensuring maximum value, strategic alignment, and long-term partnership success

Thought Leadership & Strategic Direction

• • Lead the development of the organisation’s sponsorship strategy in collaboration with key stakeholders.
  • Stay informed of global best practices, industry trends and emerging opportunities, integrating insights into sponsorship and marketing strategies.
  • Identify, evaluate and negotiate impactful and innovative sponsorship opportunities.
  • Conceptualise unique ways to showcase Discovery’s products, benefits and value proposition through sponsorship assets.
  • Oversee and guide the group-wide ambassador strategy, ensuring alignment to brand and business objectives.
  • Provide strategic leadership for thought leadership events across the organisation.

Sponsorship, Ambassador & Experiential Marketing Execution

• • Drive the successful implementation of Discovery Group’s mass participation event sponsorships.
  • Leverage sponsorship assets and rights to create meaningful Discovery brand and product benefit opportunities through activations, competitions and integrated marketing campaigns.
  • Lead the execution of the organisation wide ambassador strategy, ensuring consistent delivery and brand alignment.

Qualifications

• 1. Required: Completed tertiary qualification (NQF level 7 equivalent)
  2. Preferred: Completed Masters Degree, South African Chartered Marketer Qualification

Experience

• 1. Required: A minimum of 10-15 years experience heading up a Sponsorships function at a large corporate or serving as a Head of Marketing

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY   
                             
The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.