Associate Director, Sports & Live

As an Associate Director, Sports Sponsorship at WPP Media, you will play a pivotal leadership role in developing and delivering integrated sports partnership strategies for Mazda. You will guide sponsorship programs from strategic development and opportunity assessment through negotiation, activation, measurement, and optimization, collaborating closely with senior Mazda stakeholders, internal WPP Media teams, agency partners, sports properties, rights holders, talent representatives, and vendors.

Responsibilities

Lead the development of integrated sports sponsorship strategies and activation recommendations that advance Mazda’s business objectives, brand positioning, audience priorities, and broader marketing strategy; Translate consumer, cultural, competitive, and marketplace insights into clear points of view and actionable partnership opportunities; Assess potential sponsorship properties, platforms, leagues, teams, events, talent, and emerging sports opportunities; Develop business cases, investment recommendations, and sponsorship narratives; Lead structured brainstorms and cross-agency working sessions to generate original ideas and scalable activation platforms; Build and maintain strong relationships with leagues, teams, properties, agencies, rights holders, talent representatives, content partners, and experiential vendors; Lead or support sponsorship negotiations to secure strategically relevant rights, assets, access, protections, and financial value; Provide senior oversight of Mazda’s sports sponsorship portfolio; Lead sponsorship programs from initial briefing through contracting, activation, launch, measurement, reconciliation, and post-program evaluation; Develop comprehensive activation plans, scopes of work, timelines, staffing models, responsibility matrices, approval processes, and contingency plans; Serve as senior point of contact for rights holders and external partners; Oversee fan experiences, branded content, hospitality programs, on-site activations, talent appearances, social campaigns, dealer extensions, and other partnership elements; Coordinate with internal WPP Media disciplines, Mazda stakeholders, partner agencies, legal teams, procurement teams, regional teams, dealers, vendors, and rights holders; Guide creative and production processes; Provide on-site leadership at key events and activations; Serve as trusted senior day-to-day advisor to Mazda; Lead client conversations related to sponsorship strategy, partnership recommendations, activation planning, budget stewardship, performance, and optimization; Develop client presentations, strategic frameworks, partnership evaluations, briefs, pitches, points of view, activation plans, and executive updates; Establish objectives, KPIs, and measurement frameworks for sponsorship investments; Partner with data, analytics, research, media, and strategy teams to evaluate performance; Translate program results into actionable insights, optimization recommendations, and compelling stories; Oversee sponsorship and activation budgets, including scopes of work, estimates, forecasts, purchase orders, invoices, reconciliations, and partner payments; Lead and inspire cross-functional teams; Manage and develop junior team members; Contribute to the evolution of WPP Media’s sports sponsorship capabilities, tools, processes, best practices, and thought leadership; Develop repeatable workflows and operating standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, business administration, sports management, communications, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional work experience; Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in sports sponsorship, partnership marketing, sports marketing, experiential marketing, integrated marketing, media, or a related field; Proven experience developing sponsorship strategies and leading integrated activation programs for major brands; Demonstrated ability to manage complex partnerships involving rights holders, leagues, teams, events, properties, talent, agencies, and multiple client stakeholders; Strong knowledge of the sports sponsorship lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, rights negotiation, contracting, activation planning, execution, measurement, and renewal evaluation; Experience managing significant program budgets and complex financial workstreams; Demonstrated success leading client relationships, presenting to senior stakeholders, and influencing strategic decisions; Experience managing and developing junior talent and leading multidisciplinary teams; Deep knowledge of the sports sponsorship ecosystem, including leagues, teams, rights holders, agencies, media partners, talent, emerging platforms, and evolving fan behaviors; Strategic thinker with the ability to connect brand and business challenges to relevant partnership opportunities and activation ideas; Exceptional client leadership and relationship-management skills, with the confidence and judgment to serve as a trusted senior advisor; Strong commercial acumen and demonstrated ability to evaluate partnership value, manage budgets, and contribute effectively to negotiations; Excellent project and program management skills, including the ability to lead complex, interconnected workstreams across multiple internal and external teams; Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to make complex information clear, persuasive, and actionable; Compelling presenter and facilitator who can lead senior-level meetings, strategic discussions, briefs, brainstorms, and partner negotiations; Proactive, highly organized, and detail-oriented, with the ability to balance strategic leadership and hands-on delivery; Skilled at identifying risks, resolving ambiguity, managing escalations, and maintaining momentum in a fast-paced environment; Collaborative and inclusive leader who builds trust, creates accountability, and brings out the best in colleagues and partners; Creative and culturally curious, with a genuine interest in sports, fandom, consumer behavior, technology, media, and marketing innovation; Comfortable using data and research to inform strategic recommendations, evaluate performance, and optimize investments; Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing circumstances, and perform effectively under pressure; Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, and Word; Flexibility to travel and provide on-site leadership at sporting events, hospitality programs, production activities, and sponsorship activations, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Nice to have

Automotive, mobility, lifestyle, experiential, or consumer-brand experience is beneficial but not required; Familiarity with dealer, retail, or regional activation models is a plus; Familiarity with Keynote and project management platforms such as Asana, Monday.com, or Jira is beneficial.

Benefits

Competitive medical insurance; Group retirement plans; Vision insurance; Dental insurance; Significant paid time off; Preferential partner discounts; Employee mental health awareness days; Employee resource groups; In-office events; Hybrid work approach.