Group Sponsorships Manager at Sasol

1. Support shaping Sasol’s reputation and corporate brand by driving the development of a group sponsorship strategy aligned to Sasol's overall group strategy, Corporate Affairs objectives and the corporate brand strategy
2. Manage a defined group sponsorship portfolio by professionally managing relationships with rights holders, ensuring delivery on contractual obligations and effectively utilising leveraging funds to achieve business objectives through the use of appropriate integrated marketing communication channels
3. Drive initiatives that support the creation and functioning of Group Sponsorships as a Centre of Excellence with respect to the development of protocols, frameworks, governance processes and measurement tools
4. Provide strategic and specialist/expert knowledge and support for the management and execution of group and OME sponsorship activities by advising senior leaders and Corporate Affairs practitioners on their sponsorship requirements and support the execution of those requirements, where necessary

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategy

• Support the shaping of Sasol’s reputation and corporate brand by driving the development of a group sponsorship strategy aligned to Sasol's overall group strategy, Corporate Affairs objectives and the corporate brand strategy
• Deliver robust integrated marketing and communications plans to cost effectively leverage Sasol’s portfolio of group sponsorships to increase brand awareness and return on marketing spend
• Define appropriate metrics to measure the performance of Sasol’s sponsorship portfolio and utilise data to continuously find ways to improve brand awareness and return on marketing spend

Sponsorship Management

• Define and implement a group-wide governance framework and approach for considering sponsorship proposals
• Oversee and manage the group sponsorship portfolio as per Sasol’s existing sponsorship assets
• Carefully manage the release of funds as per agreed rights fees, document all financial disbursements and track/report on payments for audit and statutory reporting purposes
• Develop innovative and cost- effective integrated marketing and communication plans to leverage Sasol’s sponsorship assets to meet agreed objectives in line with approved funding to increase brand awareness and return on marketing spend
• Collaborate with the broader Group Communication and Brand Management team to drive the development of content to effectively position and profile Sasol’s sponsorship assets through the use of appropriate activation mechanisms and communication channels
• Professionally manage external sponsorship marketing agencies to ensure timeous execution in the development of content, creative designs and activation plans, in line with written briefs and agreed budgets
• Monitor, measure and report on the performance of Sasol’s sponsorship assets against agreed objectives and demonstrate value of leveraging spend in enhancing the positive associations and awareness to the Sasol brand

Governance, monitoring and research

• Drive the setting and enforcement of the group sponsorship policy, standards, guidelines, tools and assurance processes for sponsorship of marketing assets
• Conduct research to determine exposure and awareness levels to determine ROI and the contribution towards business goals
• Monitor the effectiveness of sponsorship initiatives through measurement by analysing sponsorship research to evaluate activity against set key performance indicators
• Monitor, measure and report on the performance of Sasol’s sponsorship assets against agreed objectives and demonstrate value of leveraging spend in enhancing the positive associations and awareness to the Sasol brand
• Provide guidance to the group on the identification, evaluation and management of sponsorship opportunities for the group

Centre of Excellence

• Drive initiatives that support the creation and functioning of a Centre of Excellence in sponsorship management
• Design and implement systems, processes and tools/templates that streamline, simplify and standardise sponsorship management and related activities across the organisation

Cross-functional support and liaison

• Advise and counsel Executives/OME heads and functional counterparts across the organisation on sponsorship management and, where necessary, support the execution of those requirements through the appropriate deployment of resources from the Group Sponsorship team and/or wider Group Communication and Brand Management team

Project and financial management

• Maintain and track the Group Sponsorship budget
• Establish a highly professional standard of service delivery across the organisation
• Drive the effective implementation of sponsorship strategies and leverage with budgets and objectives
• Ensure effective and expedient execution of sponsorship related projects.
• Report and provide feedback to executives, OME heads and Subject Matter Experts that demonstrates sound insight, analysis, and solutions
• Ensure the alignment of sponsorship messaging to business plans, strategies and priorities.
• Manage relationships, contracts, briefing and the delivery of work from external service providers for sponsorships

Leadership and Values

• Manage the Group Sponsorship team
• Implement and manage performance agreements, performance management and appraisals, and recruitment for the team
• Provide and assist with career management and personal development
• In terms of valuing and promotion of Diversity and Inclusion the incumbent ensures that participation, dialogue and open communication is at the centre of this. In addition to continuously challenge own and others’ stereotypes and biases and address this in an emotionally intelligent fashion
• Acting with Respect and Integrity always, implies that the incumbent is consistent in decision making and action, keep to commitments, professional in conduct and take care with respect to confidentiality
• In terms of Ownership and Accountability for individual performance, the incumbent ensures that commitments are maintained, deadlines respected, and rework is kept to the minimum. In addition, that continuous feedback and reporting regarding progress, as well as challenges are prioritised and communicated in an open and transparent fashion
• By delivering on promises to Customers, Shareholders and Other Stakeholders the incumbent ensures that advice, support and solutions show a clear line of sight to the growth, profit optimisation and sustainability goals of Sasol

Relationships, Teamwork and Collaboration

• Professionally manage relationships with rights holders of sponsorship assets and ensure delivery on all contractual obligations

Cross-functional support and liaison

• Maintain strong and supportive relationships with relevant Sasol OMEs to improve leveraging activities across Sasol’s sponsorship assets
• Direct and design/develop forums that foster greater collaboration with the Corporate Affairs practitioners in the businesses and functions for sponsorship management

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Any B degree (Marketing, Advertising or Communications focus preferable)
• Advantageous: post-graduate degree/diploma in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Public or Corporate Affairs, Stakeholder Relations, Journalism, Business Management

Required entry Years of relevant experience:

• 11 years + relevant experience in the fields of corporate sponsorships with a proven track record of delivery
• At least five years relevant experience in managing large corporate sponsorship properties

SKILLS REQUIRED 

• Sound knowledge understanding of the principles of integrated marketing communications, sponsorship management and activations, digital marketing and content management
• Strong leadership and management competencies, with an ability to develop strategic frameworks while still executing work within those frameworks
• Strong people management skills with proven abilities to influence others, and achieve results through direct reporting teams and indirectly through various functional specialists across Sasol
• Proven track record as a team player and being able to build strong relationships across multi-functional teams and at all levels of the organisation
• Practical thinker, who has the ability to translate strategic objectives into tactical implementation plans to bring those objectives to life
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work across cultures and diverse backgrounds and virtual teams
• Ability to handle confidential information, support crisis communication management and highly sensitive issues
• Self-starter showing high degree of personal initiative, drive, and desire to come up with new business targeted creative solutions
• Proven skills to deliver under time pressure

KEY COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Partnership Leadership:

• Persuades and influences stakeholders, builds relationships and partnerships for win-win outcomes.
• Creates synergies through working across boundaries.

Business Leadership:

• Demonstrates good business acumen, a global mind set and exercises sound judgment.
• Achieves results through others and holds them accountable.
• Drives accountability and high performance

Self-Mastery

• Demonstrate sound multi-functional stakeholder management and engagement abilities.

Functional Competencies

• Knowledge of brand management, corporate identity, advertising, sponsorship, event management and design
• Understanding of internal and external communications models, frameworks and practices
• Understanding of digital communication tools, applications, design and development
• Understanding of reputation management principles and practices
• Local and international media knowledge
• Writing and speaking in English
• Project management
• Budget management
• MS Office (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)
• SAP (appropriate modules)