Sponsorship Director

About Us
Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world.

Join Visa and do work that matters – to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you.

Job Description

As part of the Europe Sponsorship team, this role will own the European strategy, performance and governance of Visa’s relationship with Disney primarily across Europe with activation in other regions, including Disneyland Paris, Disney Theatrical Group, and The Disney Store.

This partnership is leveraged across the Visa business in Europe and requires day to day interaction with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally, including clients. The role will operate as the senior partnership owner, aligning cross-functional stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes.

This role will serve as Visa Europe’s senior partnership authority for Disney, representing Visa with senior partner stakeholders and executive internal stakeholders. The scope of work includes leading a broad team of Visa stakeholders, agency partners, and clients in the management and implementation of Visa’s rights annually, including at the Disney properties, and serving as a champion of these assets for how to best leverage and activate the partnership. This includes annual planning and prioritisation, rights governance, and optimisation of performance against agreed objectives.

A priority for this role is driving tangible and quantifiable outcomes in support of the overall business. Additionally, this role will serve as the primary senior owner of the relationship with Disney and be accountable for partnership governance, performance outcomes, escalation and risk management where needed.

This role will partner with Visa teams engaging clients as well as Visa Brand & Content, Visa Marketing Services, Merchant Partnerships, and other business and functional partners to ensure delivery of Visa’s marketing campaigns. There will be accountability for meeting established ROI and marketing effectiveness measures across all areas. 

Partnership Management:

• Own sponsorship platform management, including strategic planning, event operations & hospitality, ensuring delivery aligns to partnership priorities and measurable outcomes.

• Lead contract and rights governance, including asset allocation decisions and fulfilment, balancing trade-offs across markets and client priorities.

• Develop and maintain a multi-year partnership strategy and roadmap, including performance objectives, activation principles and growth opportunities.

• Serve as the senior point of contact for rights usage governance, activation and approvals, including escalation ownership and risk management where needed.

• Lead complex matrix governance across Global/Regional/Local stakeholders, driving alignment, resolving priority conflicts, and maintaining accountability for outcomes.

• Lead cross-functional coordination to support product & solution integration across the Disney payment ecosystem, including acceptance and agentic commerce among other initiatives. Drive cross-functional alignment on priorities and ownership, and remove blockers to progress delivery.

• Own programme governance across workstreams, including milestone management, resource coordination across the matrix, and performance reporting cadence.

• Translate learnings and best practices from the Disney partnership into scalable principles (where relevant) to strengthen consistency and effectiveness across broader sponsorship activation in Europe.

Sponsorship Marketing:

• Work collaboratively with Visa Brand & Content on the development of all consumer and partner communications including but not limited to: development of core creative idea, visual identity systems, promotions, digital strategy and plans including social media, on-the-ground activation at event time including onsite activation, advertising, media strategy, etc., ensuring strategic consistency and measurable outcomes.

• Partner with client marketing teams on client opportunities, communications and creative development across promotions, digital strategy and onsite activation.

• Support and project tracking, task forces, and ticketing as well as innovation initiatives.

• Asset marketing activation support and onsite execution at races and other programs as needed.

• Drive client, product and activation strategy and recommend asset allocation choices to maximise value across priority clients, markets and initiatives.

• Lead executive communications and reporting, including progress vs. goals, risks, decisions required and recommended actions. 

Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. 

Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience in global sponsorships, specifically entertainment where possible

• University degree in marketing or relevant business curriculum

• Excellent project management skills

• Global sporting/entertainment related experience would be beneficial but not essential

• Self-starter, comfortable working independently, detail oriented

• Proven ability to prioritize workloads, manage multiple projects simultaneously and drive results

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with client management and relationship experience preferred

• Proven track record of driving revenue

• Demonstrated problem solving skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office

• Ability to travel locally and globally if required

Visa is an EEO Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.