Brand Partnerships Manager

Wawa, Inc.

10d

About The Position

The Brand Partnerships Manager will oversee Wawa’s strategy for brand partnerships, sponsorships, activations, influencer marketing, and talent engagement. The role develops how Wawa participates in the fandoms, cultural moments, and customer passion points that matter most, translating that strategy into partnerships and experiences that build brand relevance, deepen customer connection, and support business priorities. The manager oversees the Influencer Marketing Lead and the Sponsorships and Activations Lead, providing strategic direction and connecting their programs into a cohesive brand platform. The role also leads partnership development and negotiations, shapes partnership storytelling and activation strategies, manages the related budget, and evaluates program performance against brand and business objectives.

Requirements

Ten or more years of experience in brand partnerships, sponsorships, experiential marketing, influencer marketing, or entertainment marketing.
Strong digital background with experience in social media and content platforms.
Prior supervisory experience.
Prior experience leading an influencer marketing, partnerships, and/or social media team.
Strong understanding of how partnerships, sponsorships, influencer marketing, and experiences work together across paid, owned, earned, social, loyalty, digital, and retail channels.
Strong business judgment and negotiation skills, balancing cultural relevance, creative ambition, brand fit, and value.
Excellent leadership and problem-solving skills.
Excellent presentation skills.
Ability to analyze information and effectively propose solutions.
Ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and manage projects in a timely and efficient manner.
Willingness to lead and be hands-on with project deliverables.
Very high attention to detail.
Computer skills including MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Proficiency with social media tools such as Sprout or Captiv8.

Nice To Haves

BA or BS degree in Marketing is preferred.
MBA or MS is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead Wawa’s overarching strategy across brand partnerships, sponsorships, activations, influencer marketing, celebrity and talent relationships, and culturally relevant brand experiences.
Define how Wawa should participate in customer passion points and fandoms, including sports, music, entertainment, food, fashion, family, and community.
Identify cultural spaces where Wawa can participate credibly, create value for fans, and strengthen brand affinity.
Serve as the business development lead for third-party brand, entertainment, celebrity, athlete, talent, and property partnerships supporting Wawa’s brand and business priorities.
Identify and pursue opportunities with brands, entertainment properties, sports organizations, celebrities, athletes, creators, and other culturally relevant partners.
Develop and pitch partnership concepts that articulate the shared vision, consumer opportunity, and value for Wawa and the partner.
Lead partnership negotiations and deal development with Legal, Finance, Procurement, and other internal stakeholders.
Shape partnership consumer stories, creative visions, and activation strategies to ensure programs feel authentic to Wawa and meaningful to partner audiences.
Oversee the Influencer Marketing Lead, providing strategic direction for creator relationships, talent engagement, gifting and seeding, campaign amplification, and real-time cultural opportunities.
Oversee the Sponsorships and Activations Lead, guiding Wawa’s sponsorship portfolio and development of brand experiences.
Connect partnership, sponsorship, activation, and influencer efforts into cohesive programs.
Lead, coach, and develop direct reports; establish priorities, roles, expectations, and measures of success.
Manage the overall budget for brand partnerships, sponsorships, activations, and influencer marketing, including partner fees, agency costs, production expenses, forecasting, and reconciliation.
Establish success measures and evaluate performance against brand relevance, reach, engagement, customer affinity, loyalty, traffic, and business objectives.
Maintain a pipeline of partnership and activation opportunities informed by cultural trends, audience insights, entertainment releases, sports moments, and emerging consumer interests.
Analyze information and propose solutions; handle multiple priorities; organize, plan, and manage projects efficiently and on time.
Work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams, while remaining willing to lead and participate hands-on in project deliverables.
Establish and maintain a working environment conducive to positive morale, individual style, quality, creativity, and teamwork.