Global Sponsorship Manager

We are currently recruiting a Global Sponsorship Manager for a Permanent contract.
This role is hybrid, both working from home and in one of our hubs in London, Oxford or Edinburgh. You are expected to be in the London hub once per week for a team meeting.

We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly between home and the hub to suit their needs and preferences, in line with our hybrid working policy.
Colleagues are able to work their hours flexibly, in line with core business hours and requirements. We also offer formalised flexible working agreements.

The starting salary is £45,505 if based in London, and £42,275 if based elsewhere.

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk by the closing date of 7 February. Interviews will take place on 13 February.

Purpose of the job

The Global Sponsorship Manager is responsible for managing and selling promotional opportunities across all events, driving sponsorship revenue and fostering strong client relationships. This role involves overseeing the entire sponsorship process, from prospecting and negotiation to activation, reporting, all related administrative documentation and data logging.

Dimensions

• Develop a tailored menu of potential conferences, events and webinars that align with both the client’s objectives and those of the IFoA.
• Identify cross-departmental financial partnership opportunities to offer as part of a comprehensive sponsorship package for clients.
• Establish and manage a sales pipeline, ensuring proposals for financial partnership opportunities are submitted in line with client budget cycles and within the ideal timeframe to optimise sales conversion.
• Maintain accurate financial records and data logging on the CRM closely monitor budgetary targets to ensure adherence to financial goals.
• Cultivate and sustain client relationships, focusing on maximising revenue potential and exploring new opportunities.
• Assess lapsed contacts, design a strategy for re-engagement, and execute actions to reinvigorate relationships.
• Serve as the primary liaison with exhibition stand design companies to coordinate floor plans and manage stand creation for relevant events.
• Attend IFoA events when required to meet sponsors and exhibitors at event set up. Evaluate their experience post event.

Principal accountabilities

To take the departmental lead in converting existing, potential and lapsed clients into sponsorship sales to reach annual budgetary target set by Head of Global Events.

Existing clients

• Ability and flexibility to quickly and fully understand the IFoA complete portfolio of opportunities in order to upsell, with a strong focus on account management, building strong rapport with the existing client base.
• Implement the re-book strategy set by Head of Global Events across the entire portfolio to secure 60% rebook rate.

Potential clients

• Research new prospects and leading decision makers to continue building an extensive database of qualified, relevant, future financial partners.
• Identify new markets/client segmentation opportunities, sense check with employer engagement strategy and work with Head of Global Events to design a new client sales strategy.
• Work towards target of converting minimum of three potential clients per quarter into new sales.

Lapsed clients

• Research lapsed clients and re-establish the relationship. Update data base accordingly with new intelligence.
• Develop a methodical approach to sales and a realistic timeframe for converting from lapsed to existing.

Sponsorship management

• Update and track sponsorship agreements, ensuring all contractual obligations are met by both parties.
• Communicate with sponsors to update them on event progress, deliverables, and branding opportunities.

Cross-department communication

• Share updates across departments regarding sponsorship sales, event progress, and financial details.
• Work with the marketing team to ensure financial partners receive brand visibility on promotional materials.

Data management and reporting

• Maintain accurate records of sponsor contracts, communications, and financial transactions on the CRM.
• Prepare post-event reports that evaluate sponsorship success, provide ROI analysis, and offer insights for future partnerships.

On-site event support

• Locate sponsor deliveries in loading bay and ensure safe timely delivery to the exhibition booths.
• Assist with delegate event registration if needed (act as a member of the onsite event team if required)
• Coordinate on-the-day logistics, ensuring sponsors' booths and branding materials are in place and functioning.
• Address any sponsor-related concerns during the event and manage sponsor relations on-site.

Finance

• Lead on maintaining financial records relating to sponsorship and exhibition sales.
• Reconciliation of outstanding invoices pre-event/webinar, highlighting to finance on monthly financial reporting spreadsheets.
• Accurate logging of sponsorship and exhibition data and sales on dynamics CRM platform and events excel spreadsheet or CRM system when installed.

Main contacts

• Head of Global Events for day to day progress on sales and understanding of longer term programme planning and potential promotional opportunities on the horizon.
• Marketing Executive for event content descriptions, market intelligence surrounding the event and analytics on performance of marketing activity, giving the sponsorship manager invaluable data for potential clients on the exposure they will receive as a financial partner.
• Event team colleagues for regular updates on sponsorship of the events that fall in their remit, to ensure all team members are informed and up to date of progress.
• Communities team for regular updates on topic and speakers.
• Colleagues in Global Markets Development Team. Colleagues overseas for regular updates on sponsorship for the events/webinars that fall in their remit, to ensure all are informed and up to date of progress. Employer and Markets Development Manager - to gain market intelligence on our key employers, relationship status and potential financial partners to approach. Feedback into any reports as required by Global Markets Development Team.
• Head of Global Events for all financial targets.
• Finance team for updates on payment of invoices.
• Third party suppliers mainly exhibition stand companies.
• Target Market

Decisions

Advise client on best fit financial partnership to achieve their objectives, meet those of the IFoA and close the sale.

Advise Head of Global Events on best exhibition floor layout for maximum sponsor exposure.

Advise client of best exhibition stand location for maximum exposure.

Complexity

• Establish the different budgetary timelines our clients and keep our CRM database updated with this information.
• Understand fully the IFoA strategic vision for the three year member engagement strategy that could impact on financial partnerships
• Manage multi suppliers over multiple events to guarantee that all packages are created and floor plans are drawn up in time for sales at future events, stands are built on time, to plan and within specified budget.

Impact

• Post holder will need to meet financial target set by Head of Global Events, which contributes to the overall corporate budget.
• Accurate reporting and reforecasting is essential to ensure that the Head of Global Events and finance team are fully updated on sales progress.
• Full reconciliation of monthly debt and or prior to each event.

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Proven experience in account management and client growth.
• Self-motivated and proactive.
• Experience of accurate data logging on CRM databases
• Experience of working in global markets.
• Demonstrable experience in researching potential clients that are relevant.
• Ability to prioritise and meet multiple, often conflicting deadlines.
• Confident and assured in person and on the telephone.
• Strong commercial instinct and determination to achieve the objectives.
• Proven sales experience on reaching and exceeding financial targets of £500K per annum.
• Ability to accurately forecast and report on the financial status of financial partnerships in monthly meeting with Head of Global Events.
• Experience of and ability to manage the sales pipeline from lead generation to on-site delivery at events.
• Ability to listen to the client, process their objectives and match to a financial partnership that will satisfy the client whilst meeting objectives of the IFoA.
• Resilience to persevere in a difficult marketplace.
• Ability to write compelling sponsorship proposals/packages.
• Experience of managing suppliers mainly exhibition stand companies.

Desirable

Experience of sales within the events and financial sector.

Additional information

Occasional travel may be required to monitor client satisfaction at the IFoA events within the UK.

IFoA’s values

The role holder must be an ambassador for and demonstrate the IFoA Values in all aspects of their work.

• Member-focused: We put members at the heart of everything we do
• Action-oriented: We work hard, we work smart, and we take pride in getting things done, valuing action over perfection
• Forward- and outward-looking: We’re always looking to be bold and improve, innovate and take the next step
• Team-driven: We work in partnership, advancing together as one IFoA

Alternative format and adjustments

Please email the HR Team if you require:

• any information regarding our vacancies in an alternative format
• any adjustments to support you to fully participate in any part of the application and recruitment process

Any information shared will be used only to enable us to make reasonable adjustments to support candidates to participate in the recruitment process. It will not inform selection decisions.

You can reach us at HRsupport@actuaries.org.uk.