Jobs (Calgary): Sales & Partnership Development Specialist – CKUA

Theatre Alberta; Calgary; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused arts organization in Calgary seeks a Sales & Partnership Development Specialist. This full-time role involves building relationships with businesses, driving partnership strategies, and managing numerous projects efficiently. Candidates should have 3–5 years in media sales or business development, strong communication skills, and be proficient in Microsoft 365 and other tools. Starting salary is approximately $60,000 per year, with a strong benefits program.

Benefits

Creative, community-focused workplace

Strong benefits program

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in media sales, sponsorship, or business development.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and understanding of the broadcast media landscape.
• Strong relationships within Calgary’s business or arts community.

Responsibilities

• Prospect new contacts and create opportunities for partnerships.
• Develop and design creative proposals in alignment with organizational values.
• Coordinate deliverables and support client experience.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Relationship-building

Data interpretation

Tools

Microsoft 365

Canva Pro

Asana

Job description

Sales & Partnership Development Specialist

At CKUA, we believe in the power of music, arts, and culture to connect people and spark imagination. As one of our Sales & Partnership Development Specialists, you’ll be part of the team that ensures this work is sustainable and thriving.

About the Role

This role blends creativity with collaboration, and relationship‑building with results. It’s about uncovering shared values between CKUA and potential partners, finding the right opportunities to connect, and helping grow CKUA’s reach and impact across Alberta’s arts and culture community. You’ll play a key role in identifying new opportunities and bringing sales, partnership and sponsorship strategies to life across CKUA’s on‑air presence, events, digital platforms, and community initiatives.

Build meaningful relationships with businesses and organizations, listen closely to their needs, and develop and design creative proposals that support their goals while aligning with CKUA’s voice and values. You’re comfortable behind the scenes, entering accurate data, translating proposals into operational steps, and keeping a high volume of projects organized and moving accurately and efficiently, as well as front‑of‑partner discussions.

How You’ll Make an Impact

Prospecting will be a big part of your day, reaching out to new contacts, creating opportunities from the ground up, and following up with care and consistency. You’ll blend collaboration and creative problem‑solving with detailed coordination, managing timelines, assets, budgets and reporting with accuracy and efficiency.

Work closely with colleagues to shape compelling campaigns that reflect CKUA’s unique sound and aesthetic while supporting sponsors and partners. Once a campaign is confirmed, coordinate deliverables and support a smooth client experience.

Keep everything running: entering orders, coordinating with traffic and finance, and preparing weekly reports. Work toward revenue goals while focusing on relationships, alignment, and long‑term value for CKUA and its supporters.

Your success will be measured through the relationships you nurture, the creative ways you generate value, and the revenue you bring in to support CKUA.

What You Bring

A natural connector who enjoys bringing people and ideas together. Ask great questions, follow through with accuracy and timely enthusiasm, and find creative ways to make things work for both CKUA and partners. Effective sales start with listening and understanding what matters to others to shape ideas that reflect priorities.

Highly organized and detail‑oriented, able to manage a high volume of projects with precision. Excel skills, proposal design, maximizing client budgets, and data interpretation are essential. Communicate results clearly to colleagues and partners. Work independently yet value collaboration. Flexibility to adapt in a nonprofit arts setting.

Minimum 3–5 years relevant experience in media sales, sponsorship, or business development, ideally in cultural, nonprofit, or media setting. Proficient with Microsoft 365, CRMs, Canva Pro, Asana, and ideally SDS, Wide Orbit or other traffic systems.

Strong understanding or interest in broadcast media landscape, familiarity with Alberta’s corporate sponsorship environment, and existing relationships in Calgary’s business or arts community are valuable.

If you are energized by conversations, inspired by the arts, and excited to contribute to something bigger than yourself, we’d love to hear from you. Curious, tenacious, ambitious, collaborative spirit, and alignment with CKUA’s values of Community, Diversity, Inclusion, Creativity, Curiosity, and Authenticity are essential.

Additional Details

This is a full‑time position based in our Calgary location, Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in a hybrid working environment. Starting salary approximately $60,000 per year, adjusted by experience and budget. CKUA offers a creative, community‑focused workplace and a strong benefits program.

How to Apply

If you’re ready to support CKUA’s mission and help create community connections through music, arts, and culture, we’d love to hear from you.

CKUA welcomes applications from all qualified individuals. We especially encourage applications from equity‑seeking communities, including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

CKUA is a donor‑supported arts organization that inspires and connects through the power of music, arts, culture and story. With a focus on musical discovery, we showcase the best creative work from Alberta and beyond on‑air, online and in‑person. In the spirit of reconciliation, we honour the truth of the shared history and acknowledge we operate on Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 territories.