Media & Sponsorship Manager

Baird•Chicago, IL

2d•$102,000 - $156,900

About The Position

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.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Advertising, Marketing, Business, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
15 years of relevant professional experience with 7–10+ years of experience in media planning, buying, and sponsorship strategy.
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

Nice To Haves

Financial services experience is preferred

Responsibilities

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