Senior Advisor, Brand Sponsorships

Relevance; Aurora; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Defined benefit pension plan

Group insurance including telemedicine

Health and wellness expense reimburse

Telework equipment reimbursement

Job summary

Desjardins seeks a Senior Advisor, Brand Sponsorships to shape and manage a portfolio of high-profile sponsorship investments across provincial and national levels. You will lead negotiations, strategy development, and integrated activation programs while collaborating with senior leaders, partners, and cross-functional teams.

You will deliver strategic sponsorship opportunities, governance, and metrics-driven performance, contributing to the evolution of the sponsorship practice through

Qualifications

• Seven years of relevant experience in brand sponsorship management or partnership marketing.
• Experience in complex, matrixed organizations or regulated industries.
• Proven ability to craft sponsorship strategies that deliver measurable results.
• Advanced English proficiency for communication with partners and clients.
• Advanced proficiency in project management.
• Demonstrated leadership on key structural projects and initiatives.
• Strong data and insights capability to assess opportunities and drive strategy.
• High commercial acumen and risk management experience.

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and recommend strategic sponsorship opportunities aligned with brand strategy and values.
• Lead management and execution of large-scale partnerships including negotiations, contracts, renewals, and ROI.
• Collaborate with Brand, Communications, Public Affairs, Community Investment, Experiential Marketing, Compliance, and other areas to develop strategies and launches.
• Build relationships with partners and internal stakeholders to ensure governance and delivery.
• Monitor and report partnership performance using KPIs and stakeholder feedback.
• Provide guidance and coaching on sponsorships and donations to internal partners.
• Stay informed on industry trends to drive innovative sponsorship strategies.
• Support governance, best practices, and ongoing evolution of the sponsorship program.

Skills

Strategic sponsorship management

Stakeholder collaboration

Communication skills

Customer focus

Interpersonal savvy

Project management

Data-driven decision making

Commercial acumen

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications or related field

Job description

As a recognized leader in sponsorship strategy and partnership marketing, the Senior Advisor, Brand Sponsorships plays a key role in shaping and managing a portfolio of high-profile provincial and national sponsorship investments that support our brand, business priorities, and organizational values. The successful candidate combines strong strategic thinking, analytical skills, and commercial acumen to evaluate opportunities, develop recommendations, negotiate complex agreements, and lead integrated activation programs. Acting as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert, they work closely with senior leaders, agency partners, rights holders, and cross-functional teams to maximize partnership value and impact. This role also contributes to the ongoing evolution of the sponsorship practice through leadership on strategic initiatives, governance, best practices, and coaching. More specifically, you will be required to :

• Identify, evaluate, and recommend strategic sponsorship and partnership opportunities that align with brand strategy, business priorities, organizational values, target audiences, and emerging market trends to strengthen and evolve the sponsorship portfolio.
• Lead the management and execution of large-scale partnerships, including negotiations, contract development, renewals, amendments, compliance, budget oversight, payment processing, and ensuring strong ROI, ROO, and alignment with sponsorship governance and organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across Brand, Communications, Public Affairs, Community Investment, Experiential Marketing, Compliance, and other business areas to develop partnership strategies, conduct risk assessments, launch initiatives, and maximize partnership impact and value.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partners and internal stakeholders, ensuring effective project governance, documentation, issue resolution, and successful delivery of partnership commitments and activations.
• Monitor, measure, and report on partnership performance using KPIs, analytics, and stakeholder feedback, providing recommendations for continuous improvement, innovation, portfolio optimization, and contract renewal decisions.
• Act as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor on sponsorships and donations by providing guidance, training, tools, best practices, and coaching to internal partners while representing the team with key stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Stay informed on industry trends, best practices, competitor activity, and emerging opportunities to drive innovative sponsorship strategies and strengthen community impact.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, agility, innovation, and creative problem-solving while balancing diverse stakeholder needs and organizational priorities.
• Support administrative activities, reporting requirements, and other duties related to the sponsorship portfolio as assigned.

Action oriented, Collaborates, Communicates effectively, Customer Focus, Differences, Interpersonal Savvy, Nimble learning, Resourcefulness, Strategic mindset

What we offer*

• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• Salary range : $88 008 to $129 080per year (Downtown Toronto)
• Salary range : $84 006 to $ 123 210 per year (Toronto suburbs)
• 4 weeks of flexible vacation starting in the first year
• Defined benefit pension plan that provides predictable, stable income throughout retirement
• Group insurance including telemedicine
• Reimbursement of health and wellness expenses and telework equipment

*Benefits apply based on eligibility criteria.

#LI-Hybrid, #ON10*, #ON10-

What you bring to the table

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications or in a related field
• A minimum of seven years of relevant experience in brand sponsorship management, partnership marketing, or a related discipline, ideally in a complex, matrixed organization or a regulated industry
• Please note that other combinations of qualifications and relevant experience may be considered
• Advanced experience crafting and implementing sponsorship strategies that deliver measurable brand and business results
• Advanced proficiency of English due to the nature of the duties or work tools or because the position involves interactions with English-speaking partners, members and/or clients
• Advanced proficiency with project management
• Demonstrated leadership on key structural projects and initiatives
• Advanced knowledge of using data and insights to assess opportunities and recommend strategy
• Advanced commercial acumen and risk management

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

At Desjardins, we believe in equity, diversity and inclusion. We're committed to welcoming, respecting and valuing people for who they are as individuals, learning from their differences, embracing their uniqueness, and providing a positive workplace for all. At Desjardins, we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. We believe our teams should reflect the diversity of the members, clients and communities we serve.

If there's something we can do to help make the recruitment process or the job you're applying for more accessible, let us know. We can provide accommodations at any stage in the recruitment process. Just ask!

Trade Union (If applicable)

Job Family

Marketing (FG)

Desjardins uses tools that incorporate artificial intelligence functionalities to screen or assess applicants as part of the recruitment process for this position.