Media & Sponsorship Manager

About the Role:

Baird is seeking a Media & Sponsorship Manager to lead the strategy planning and execution of media and sponsorship investments across the firm. This role connects business priorities to effective media and partnership strategies ensuring investments are well-managed measurable and aligned to brand and growth objectives. Serving as both a strategic advisor and hands-on contributor you will partner across Marketing & Communications business units community partners and external vendors to deliver integrated high-quality programs while leading and developing a small team.

The Impact Youll Make:

• Develop and execute media and sponsorship strategies aligned to brand and business objectives

• Guide mix of media investments across a broad set of channels overseeing budget allocations and campaign timing decisions across initiatives

• Identify emerging media and sponsorship opportunities and recommend innovative approaches while balancing stakeholder priorities

• Evaluate negotiate and manage sponsorship and naming rights investments across sports nonprofit and community partnerships

• Build and manage sponsorship portfolios aligned to firm and business-unit priorities

• Translate media and sponsorship investments into measurable business and marketing outcomes

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Marketing & Communications and business stakeholders

• Partner with marketing colleagues to translate business objectives into actionable media and sponsorship strategies

• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors partners and internal teams

• Monitor performance against goals and leverage data and insights to optimize outcomes

• Manage budgets with discipline accountability and transparency

• Ensure high-quality consistent execution across multiple initiatives and workstreams

• Lead the media and sponsorship function including managing and developing a team while remaining actively engaged in key initiatives

What Youll Bring to Baird:

• Bachelors degree in Advertising Marketing Business or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience

• 15 years of relevant professional experience with 710 years of experience in media planning buying and sponsorship strategy.

• Financial services experience is preferred

• Experience supporting enterprise-level initiatives and multiple business units with aligned strategies and an ability to connect marketing investments to business outcomes

• Excellent negotiation skills and understanding of how to add incremental value and communicate that to our clients

• Experience in leading people and building a team

• Strong understanding of both traditional and digital media channels as well as sponsorship marketing

• Experience and knowledge of Salesforce RFP processes demos and selection of media and sponsorship planning/buying software tools

• Familiarity in using AI tools especially for tasks like ideation and research

• Proven ability to manage vendor relationships work across teams and influence stakeholders at all levels

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail

Compensation and Total Rewards Package:

• $102000 - $156900 annual salary range

• Bonus potential up to 25% of base salary

• Compensation and bonus are commensurate with experience performance and/or firm profitability and location

• Check out ourTotal Rewards at Baird which is a summary of our benefits and compensation

#LI-AK1

Baird is committed to diversity and provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion sex pregnancy citizenship national origin age disability military service veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression genetic information or any other status protected by law.