Sales & Partnership Development Specialist

Sales & Partnership Development Specialist

CKUA is recognized as Canada’s first public broadcaster. It continues to inspire and guide a world-wide community of loyal arts and culture enthusiasts along an inspirational journey of musical discovery every day, through 30+ expertly curated multi-genre musical programs and other enriching arts and cultural content on-air and online. CKUA serves 380 communities across Alberta with FM Radio and listeners around the world, with live-streaming and enriching digital content through CKUA.com, the CKUA App and social platforms. We are an inclusive, creative, hardworking group on a musical mission to enrich lives and support the arts.

CKUA is supported by donors who collectively contribute 60% of CKUA’s annual operational funding. As CKUA approaches its centenary, we are on a mission to grow our community. We are looking for a Sales and Partnership Development Specialist who can help make it happen.

The Role

Working in an ever‐evolving arts and culture environment and media landscape, you will develop, plan, and implement sales and sponsorship strategies for CKUA’s programs, channels, events, and fundraising initiatives. You will generate targeted sales plans, create engaging promotions and proposals, execute pricing strategies, and contribute to meeting or exceeding sales and sponsorship goals. As a Sales and Partnership Development Specialist, you will represent the CKUA brand in the community and drive strategies to achieve our organizational mission and grow revenue by understanding the market, competitors, and industry trends. You will have strong interpersonal and communication skills and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of sales and sponsorship.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Sales and Partnership Development

• Developing, planning, and driving media sales and sponsorship strategies to achieve monthly and annual sales and sponsorship targets.
• Managing all sales and sponsorship communications and establishing strong partner networks (corporate, small to medium business, arts, and culture, and beyond).
• Driving new business, managing, and growing an account portfolio and strengthening client relationships by making regular visits, understanding their needs, and influencing sales opportunities.
• Working collaboratively with the Marketing and Content teams to plan and generate sales opportunities that achieve client goals while adhering to CKUA’s sound and aesthetic.
• Create and maintain meaningful connections within the community.
• Processing orders and preparing weekly sales reports.
• Leading client communications, coordinating and implementing sales plans, advertising campaigns and fulfillment reporting for clients.
• Discover new prospects and be constantly driving to achieve CKUA revenue goals.
• Actively promoting sales and sponsorship opportunities to support CKUA’s programs and properties.
• Researching and developing sponsorship opportunities and plans, understanding consumer requirements, showing market trends, evaluating current practices, and suggesting improvements to achieve CKUA’s sales and sponsorship goals.

Media Partnership

• Working collaboratively with Directors of Community Relations and Content, developing, planning, and driving media partnership strategies that support CKUA’s strategic goals for audience development and growth.

Desired Knowledge, Education and Experience:

• A degree in marketing, sales, business, or relevant experience, knowledge, and skills suitable to the position.
• A minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in broadcast media advertising and sponsorship sales.
• Excellence with Microsoft 365 Online (including Excel), and Teams, SharePoint, CRMs, and Canva Pro.
• Familiarity with Alberta’s corporate sponsorship field with connections that will help achieve CKUA’s goals.
• Familiarity with Canada’s arts and culture scene with connections that will help drive CKUA’s strategies forward.
• Positiveness, optimism, and a willingness to learn.
• Understanding of current sales and sponsorship methods and techniques.
• Understanding of broadcast media landscape or willingness to learn.
• Solid analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Data analysis and report writing.
• Ability to craft and design sponsorship and media proposals, agreements and promotional strategies.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration capabilities.
• Exceptional ability to influence, negotiate and close the sale.
• Highly organized with excellent time management and communications skills and a thoughtful approach to sales.
• Ability to drive creativity and innovation.
• Ability to work under pressure and in a fast-paced environment.
• Assets: Arts & Culture, EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), Media Sales, and Corporate Sponsorship, SDS Media Sales System, CKUA Listener.

You will demonstrate a high degree of respect and sensitivity for teammates, community members and stakeholders. In addition, you are aware of our communications’ impact on diverse audiences, which is reflected in your thoughtful messaging and interactions with various individuals as a representative of CKUA.

Hours of Work and Location

• Full-Time / M-F / 40-hour work week (evening / weekends as required).
• Ideally, the position is located in Edmonton. Calgary may be considered.

Salary / Compensation

• The position exists outside the Collective Agreement between CKUA and IBEW Local 2228 and for administrative purposes is titled as a Senior Development Officer.
• Reports to the Sales and Partnership Development Manager.

Please reply to the ADP link or send a cover letter and resumé to careers@ckua.com. This position will be posted until a suitable candidate is found.

CKUA welcomes applications from all qualified individuals. We are particularly interested in and encourage applications from equity-seeking communities, including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

About CKUA

CKUA is a donor-supported arts organization that inspires and connects through the power of music, arts, culture and story. With a focus on musical discovery, we showcase the best creative work from Alberta and beyond and deliver it on-air, online and in-person.

In the spirit of our journey to promote reconciliation, we honour the truth of the shared history and acknowledge that we operate on Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 territories.

Treaty 6 territory is the traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakoda, Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway, Saulteaux/Anishinaabe and many others whose histories, languages and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community of Amiskwaciwaskahigan, also known as Edmonton.

Treaty 7 is the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy which includes the Siksika, Kainai and Pikani, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda nations including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley nations. We also recognize the Métis people and the Inuit who make their home in Mohkins’tsis, also known as Calgary.