This position will be primarily responsible for managing local/regional marketing partners for BAL Africa.  This position calls for someone with strong client-servicing, project management and relationship-building skills.  The ideal candidate will be a problem-solver and someone who can identify and deliver value to marketing partners.

Manage and service BAL Africa marketing partners with a focus on upsell opportunities.

Serve as day-to-day contact on partnership matters ranging from contractual deliverables to activation strategy.

Manage day-to-day partner activation processes including: activation planning and approvals, promotional development, media planning, financials, advertising creation and approval, event coordination and results tracking.

Regular follow up with global account teams in NY to pitch regional partnership opportunities.

Generate and present marketing partner reports to assess partnership ROI.  Execute against partnership goals and success metrics, implement a measurement plan, for monitoring effectiveness and providing regular partner reporting.

Build effective working relationships and strong consensus with key BAL constituencies including: sub-departments within Global Partnerships, Events, Media (Broadcast and Digital), Content, Public Relations, Legal, Licensing, Social Responsibility, Team Marketing & Business Operations, Basketball Operations, Player Marketing, and BAL Entertainment.

Develop and leverage strong relationships and build credibility with external partners and their lead agencies.

Manage budgets and expenses for marketing partners including assisting in the annual budget planning process; this includes fluency in our financial reporting and pipeline management system.

Develop an understanding of partners' marketing/business goals, objectives, target audience and integrate these into contractual delivery plans.

Support in identification of areas of opportunity and develop upsell proposals for partners throughout the season.

Has ownership of accounts with some autonomy.

Develop and maintain favorable relationships with new and existing partners.

When applicable, coordinate and provide pre-event planning and provide on-site support or activation assistance for any partner events.

Provide regular updates to senior staff concerning partnership matters, financial status, etc.

Strong understanding of sponsorship activation including events, media, marketing rights, content, etc.

Must be highly motivated, proactive, self-starter with high energy and team spirit.

Strong business savvy.

Excellent presentation skills, including the ability to lead discussions and interact with senior executives (internally and externally).

Strong financial and analytical skills; ability to create internal and external reports.

Ability to forecast issues in projects, troubleshoot, and problem solve with internal constituents and external partners.

High level of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

A minimum of conversational French language skills preferred.

Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in relevant field (marketing, advertising, account management, or brand management).

Proven negotiation/sales skills and experience.

Prior experience supporting internal and external relationships, developing presentations and thinking creatively, a strong plus.