Senior Advisor, Brand Sponsorships

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

4 weeks vacation

Defined benefit pension plan

Group insurance including telemedicine

Wellness expenses reimbursement

Telework equipment

Job summary

Desjardins is seeking a Senior Advisor, Brand Sponsorships to shape and manage a portfolio of provincial and national sponsorship investments that align with our brand and business priorities.

You will evaluate opportunities, negotiate agreements, and lead activation programs, collaborating with senior leaders, agency partners, rights holders, and cross-functional teams to maximize value and ROI. This role drives governance and best practices across sponsorships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications or in a related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in brand sponsorship management, partnership marketing, or a related discipline.
• Advanced experience crafting and implementing sponsorship strategies that deliver measurable brand and business results.
• Advanced knowledge of using data and insights to assess opportunities and recommend strategy.
• Advanced commercial acumen and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and recommend strategic sponsorship opportunities aligned with brand strategy and audience.
• Lead the management and execution of large-scale partnerships, including negotiations, contracts, renewals, amendments, and ROI tracking.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop partnership strategies, launch initiatives, and maximize impact.
• Build and maintain relationships with partners and internal teams, ensuring governance and on-time delivery.
• Monitor, measure, and report on partnership performance using KPIs and feedback; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Commercial acumen

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/marketing/communications

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.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• 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
• Action oriented, Collaborates, Communicates effectively, Customer Focus, Differences, Interpersonal Savvy, Nimble learning, Resourcefulness, Strategic mindset

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 Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America. We're the choice for over 52,000 employees and we're named one of Canada's top employers by Mediacorp and Forbes. We offer a full range of financial products and services and share our expertise in personal services, business services, wealth management, life and health insurance, and property and casualty insurance. Pursuing a career at Desjardins means being part of an organization that puts people first.

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