Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing

Absa is seeking a Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing to join its marketing team in Johannesburg, South Africa. This hybrid, full-time role focuses on using sponsorships and events to strengthen client relationships, increase engagement, generate business opportunities and deliver measurable commercial value.

The successful candidate will combine strategic marketing, experiential design, digital innovation and data analytics to create high-impact client experiences. The role also involves managing budgets, coordinating multiple stakeholders and partners, integrating digital platforms, and ensuring that sponsorship and event activities support broader business objectives.

About Absa

Absa is a leading African financial services group with more than 100 years of history. The organisation combines local expertise with regional and international capabilities while continuing to develop innovative ways of serving its customers and business partners.

In this role, the successful candidate will contribute to Absa's brand and client engagement agenda by developing sponsorships and events that connect the organisation with priority client segments and strategic partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sponsorship and event strategies aligned with Absa's brand positioning and business objectives.

• Design client experiences that strengthen relationships, generate engagement and support business growth.

• Manage multiple sponsorship and event initiatives from planning through execution.

• Establish clear project timelines, deliverables, resources, budgets and performance measures.

• Use customer and audience data to personalise experiences and improve event effectiveness.

• Integrate CRM, Cvent, social media and other digital platforms into sponsorship and event campaigns.

• Manage event and sponsorship budgets with a strong focus on cost efficiency and return on investment.

• Develop metrics and reporting frameworks to measure engagement, pipeline growth, client retention and commercial impact.

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure sponsorship and event objectives support broader business priorities.

• Build and maintain relationships with strategic partner marketing teams, external vendors and other partners.

• Introduce innovative experiential formats and technologies to improve client experiences.

• Monitor market trends, stakeholder feedback and performance data to continuously improve campaigns.

• Ensure sponsorships and events support long-term brand equity and sustainable business growth.

• Identify opportunities to increase cross-selling, referrals, client retention and advocacy.

• Support investment decisions through analysis of operational impact and value creation.

Customer Experience and Client Engagement

• Design personalised experiences based on client needs, preferences and insights.

• Embed customer-centric thinking throughout the sponsorship and event lifecycle.

• Use customer feedback and data to improve service design and delivery.

• Strengthen client advocacy by delivering relevant and valuable experiences.

• Support consistent and differentiated customer journeys across touchpoints.

• Use experiential marketing to position Absa as a trusted and valuable partner.

Innovation and Digital Adoption

• Introduce innovative sponsorship and event concepts that respond to changing client expectations.

• Use emerging technologies and creative formats to improve experiential marketing.

• Integrate CRM, Cvent and marketing automation platforms into event programmes.

• Use digital channels and content to extend the impact of sponsorships beyond physical events.

• Identify opportunities for automation and digitisation.

• Support the adoption of new digital tools, technologies and processes.

• Continuously evaluate technology solutions that can improve engagement and operational efficiency.

Operational Effectiveness

• Manage end-to-end sponsorship and event execution.

• Coordinate resources, timelines, suppliers and operational requirements.

• Identify and manage project risks and delivery challenges.

• Ensure events comply with brand, quality and regulatory requirements.

• Develop templates, processes and tools that improve efficiency and scalability.

• Establish KPIs and scorecards to monitor performance.

• Resolve operational issues and maintain continuity of delivery.

• Ensure consistent execution across multiple initiatives.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Establish approval processes for sponsorship concepts, partners and budgets.

• Conduct appropriate due diligence on sponsorship partners.

• Ensure partners align with ethical standards, ESG commitments and reputational risk requirements.

• Clearly define responsibilities across Marketing, GMCA, Coverage, Legal and other relevant teams.

• Apply governance and risk management frameworks to sponsorship and event activities.

• Promote risk-aware decision-making.

• Monitor operational risks and ensure appropriate escalation and resolution.

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and organisational policies.

Data and Performance Management

• Develop data-driven approaches to improve sponsorship and event performance.

• Use analytics to understand audience engagement and commercial outcomes.

• Establish appropriate data ownership and governance arrangements.

• Ensure data quality and relevance for reporting and decision-making.

• Develop measurable use cases for data that support business and client objectives.

• Use performance insights to identify growth opportunities and improve future initiatives.

• Support the development of reporting and insight frameworks for management decision-making.

Stakeholder Management

• Align stakeholders across GMCA, Marketing, Coverage, Product and other business functions.

• Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Work with strategic partners and external vendors to ensure high-quality delivery.

• Communicate project progress, risks, performance and outcomes clearly.

• Conduct structured stakeholder updates and feedback sessions.

• Understand stakeholder priorities and incorporate them into sponsorship and event strategies.

• Build collaborative relationships that support business and client objectives.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should have a relevant qualification in one or more of the following areas:

• Business.

• Commerce.

• Management Studies.

• Marketing.

• Tourism and Hospitality.

• Digital Media.

• Project Management.

The advertised education requirements include:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce and Management Studies.

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing.

• Bachelor's Degree in Tourism and Hospitality.

• FET Certificate in Digital Media.

• FET Certificate in Project Management.

Key Skills and Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strategic marketing capability.

• Sponsorship management expertise.

• Event management and experiential marketing skills.

• Strong project management ability.

• Customer experience orientation.

• Data-driven decision-making.

• Budget and ROI management.

• Digital marketing and technology adoption.

• Stakeholder relationship management.

• Vendor and partner management.

• Strong communication and presentation skills.

• Commercial awareness.

• Innovation and creative thinking.

• Risk and governance awareness.

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strong organisational and planning skills.

• Ability to translate data into actionable insights.

Who Can Apply

This opportunity is suitable for marketing, communications, events, tourism and hospitality, digital media, business and project management professionals who have an interest in sponsorships, experiential marketing and client engagement.

Candidates who can combine creative thinking with data analysis, commercial awareness, digital tools and strong stakeholder management may be particularly well suited to the role.

Job Details

Position: Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing
Company: Absa Bank Limited
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Job Type: Full-time
Job Requisition ID: R-15990053-1
Closing Date: 21 August 2026

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their applications through the official Absa careers platform before the closing date.

Apply for the Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing position at Absa

Final Thought

The Senior Specialist: Sponsorship and Events Marketing position offers an opportunity to contribute to Absa's client engagement and growth agenda through strategic sponsorships, experiential marketing and innovative events. The role is particularly suitable for professionals who can combine marketing strategy, customer insights, digital innovation, project management and commercial thinking to deliver measurable business results.