Senior Sponsorships Manager

About Us:

Ground News is a news comparison platform that makes it easy to compare news sources read between the lines of media bias and break free from algorithms.

In a world where political polarization and media distrust are at an all-time high Ground News offers people a better way to stay informed and open-minded. Our mobile app web app and browser extension are home to a community of mindful readers who use our platform to see every side of a story and engage with news critically.

Unlike most tech platforms we dont rely on algorithms to keep users on our platform to sell ads. We are supported by our readers who pay for a subscription to build a more nuanced understanding of the news the world and themselves.

Highlights:

• #1 on Product Hunt

• #2 on 2025 Apple Design Awards in the Social Impact category

• 3-time winner of US App of the Day

• Winner of Digital News Innovation Challenge by Facebook

• Winner of Mobile Apps Showdown at CES.
  

The Opportunity:

Were expanding into new platforms and we need a leader to drive it.

Were seeking a Senior Sponsorships Manager (Emerging Platforms) to own and scale our creator sponsorship strategy across new and emerging platforms. This is a player-coach role: youll build strategy close high-value deals yourself hold a revenue target and lead a small team to execute at scale.

Youll sit at the intersection of leadership sales content and operations; translating business goals into executable plans building creator relationships on platforms were still establishing ourselves on and ensuring every sponsorship dollar delivers measurable results.

The ideal candidate is a performance-driven strategic operator whos comfortable navigating ambiguity managing large budgets in fast-paced environments and excited to build Ground News presence on platforms where the playbook doesnt fully exist yet.

What Youll Do:

Creator Marketing & Audience Strategy:

• Build and maintain a clear point of view on what makes a creator sponsorship convert; not just reach numbers but audience intent content format and platform context.

• Use performance data to build institutional knowledge about what content formats creator profiles and audience segments drive the best conversion for Ground News as well as to feed those insights back into discovery and strategy.

• Stay close to platform trends creator dynamics and audience behaviour so your strategy reflects how people actually consume content not how they consumed it six months ago.
  

Strategy & Execution:

• Own sponsored creator campaigns on emerging platforms from concept to optimization ensuring the portfolio delivers against performance goals with minimal oversight.

• Develop platform entry strategies and scale them as the business evolves: the platforms we prioritize may shift and youll need to evolve with them.

• Lead high-value creator deals to close.
  

Leadership & Team Development:

• Lead and coach a small team responsible for vetting creators cultivating relationships and executing campaigns across new platforms.

• Set clear goals drive accountability and proactively remove blockers: modelling ownership and follow-through across all work streams.

• Build and refine processes as the team expands into new platforms and creator ecosystems.
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with Discovery Content and Analytics teams to align on goals and optimize the full creator funnel.

• Develop weekly and quarterly forecasting reports and performance updates for leadership.
  

Platform Development:

• Identify and build relationships with top creators across new and emerging platforms with an openness to wherever the creator landscape evolves.

• Stay ahead of platform trends creator dynamics and audience behaviour to adapt strategies quickly and capitalize on early-mover advantages.
  

Analytical Acumen:

• You are comfortable working with performance data to evaluate creator quality. You know the difference between reach and conversion and you use metrics like ROAS CAC and CPM to make data-driven decisions.

• You are able to build and work with cost projection models (CPM-based or otherwise) to forecast campaign performance before committing budget.

• You gather proper business context before jumping to solutions. When something is underperforming you diagnose the funnel before prescribing a fix.

What Youll Bring:

• 5 years of experience in influencer marketing in-house marketing creator partnerships or media buying with a track record of building and managing creator relationships at scale.

• Deep understanding of creator ecosystems across platforms (TikTok Instagram YouTube Substack and other emerging platforms). You know what good looks like and can evaluate creators with sound judgment.

• Strong commercial instincts: you think in terms of ROAS CAC and CPM and you hold yourself and your team accountable to those numbers.

• Proven ability to close deals and hit revenue targets.

• Proven experience leading or coaching a small team with the ability to set goals and drive accountability without micromanaging.

• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguous fast-paced environments where the playbook doesnt fully exist yet.
  

Bonus Points:

• Experience working in-house at a direct-to-consumer brand running creator or influencer sponsorship programs at scale.

• Experience with quota-carrying roles or performance-based compensation. Youve been accountable to a revenue target before and thrived in that environment.

• Background in performance marketing subscription products or audience growth.

• Familiarity with how TikTok podcasts YouTube Instagram and other emerging platforms work from a creator and audience perspective.

• Interest in media politics or media literacy. You genuinely care about what Ground News is building.

Why Work at Ground

Co-founded by a former NASA engineer and Bain consultant a position with Ground News provides an unparalleled learning experience both personally and professionally. At Ground we prioritize growth: both for our business and team members. Youll have the freedom to work remotely and play a key role in the development of Ground News products.

This is an opportunity to work with a growing and mighty team that is committed to building a world where cooperative civil debate is the norm media is accountable and critical thought is the baseline of our information consumption. Ground is based in Kitchener Ontario Canada but this role is remote.

Compensation & Benefits:

The salary range for this role is $90000-$130000 (CAD) plus competitive bonus and incentives. Your final offer will take into account various factors including your skills experience qualifications and internal parity.

What youll enjoy at Ground News:

Remote-first environment: Work from anywhere in Canada on your own time zone plus enjoy in-person meetups and team gatherings.

Health & Wellness that matter: Medical dental vision and life insurance coverage for you and your family.

Keep growing: Access to professional development opportunities to keep expanding your skills and career.
Mission-driven team: Join a group of smart dedicated people who are building meaningful products with real-world impact.

We are committed to building and fostering an inclusive accessible environment for everyone. If you have any questions concerns or require any accessibility accommodations during our interview process please contact and a member of our team will be happy to support you.

Required Experience:

Manager