Sr. Marketing Manager, Sponsorships

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

The Senior Marketing Manager, Sponsorships leads the development, execution, and optimization of sponsorship marketing strategies to enhance brand visibility, drive customer engagement, and reinforce market leadership. This is a strategic and hands-on role that blends creative partnership thinking with data-driven decision-making. 

Essential Functions  

• Sponsorship Strategy & Planning:
  Develops and owns the company’s sponsorship strategy, ensuring alignment with broader marketing and business objectives. 

• Opportunity Identification & Evaluation:
  Researches, evaluates, and recommends sponsorship opportunities across sports, entertainment, technology, fintech, and cause-based platforms. 

• Contracting & Negotiation:
  Leads sponsorship negotiations, working closely with Partnerships, Legal, Finance and agencies as needed to secure favorable terms and strategic value. 

• Campaign Development & Activation:
  Designs and executes integrated marketing campaigns that leverage sponsorship assets across media, events, digital, social, and experiential channels. 

• Performance Measurement & Optimization:
  Establishes clear KPIs for sponsorship activations; analyzes performance and return on investment; makes strategic adjustments as needed. 

• Stakeholder & Partner Collaboration: 
  Coordinates across internal teams (Brand, Media, Product Marketing, Comms, Legal) and manages external agencies, vendors, and rights holders. 

• Budget Management:
  Oversees the sponsorship and partnership marketing budget; ensures efficient use of resources and financial accountability. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, Communications, Business, or related field. 

• 7-10 years of experience in brand or sponsorship marketing, with direct experience leading sponsorships at scale 

• Proven ability to manage high-impact partnerships (e.g., with sports teams, major events, or media platforms) 

• Track record of developing and scaling brand activations across digital and physical channels 

• Strong project management and negotiation skills 

• Deep understanding of brand marketing and consumer engagement t