Head of Sponsorship

HEAD OF SPONSORSHIP – STARTUP SINGAM

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Employment Type: Full-time

Joining: Immediate or within one month

Experience Required: Minimum 8 years

ABOUT STARTUP SINGAM

Startup Singam is a leading entrepreneurship and investment reality-show platform that brings together high-potential startups, investors, business leaders and brands.

Following two successful seasons, Startup Singam is preparing for its third season in 2027. As part of this growth, we are building a strong in-house sponsorship team to develop long-term partnerships with national and regional brands.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Head of Sponsorship will lead all sponsorship revenue and brand partnerships for Startup Singam Season 3.

This person will own the complete sponsorship lifecycle, including strategy, prospecting, pitching, negotiation, closure, collections, sponsor servicing, commitment delivery, renewals and account growth.

The role requires a proven sponsorship sales leader with strong brand relationships, commercial discipline and a clear understanding of television, digital, on-ground and content-led brand integrations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the sponsorship strategy and revenue target for Startup Singam Season 3

• Build a qualified pipeline of national and regional brand partners

• Identify, pitch and close title, co-presenting, powered-by, associate and category sponsorships

• Develop relationships with brand owners, CMOs, Marketing Heads, Brand Heads, media agencies and media-buying teams

• Create customised sponsorship proposals based on each brand's objectives

• Negotiate sponsorship packages, contracts, deliverables and commercial terms

• Maintain accurate revenue forecasts and provide regular pipeline and closure reports

• Coordinate with production, branding, digital, marketing and event teams to design sponsor-friendly integrations

• Ensure the timely delivery of on-air, digital, on-ground and branded-content commitments

• Manage sponsor servicing, reviews, renewals, upgrades and long-term account growth

• Monitor invoicing, collections and contractual compliance in coordination with the finance and legal teams

• Build and lead the in-house sponsorship team

• Represent Startup Singam at industry events, media forums, agency meetings and brand discussions

MUST-HAVE EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 8 years of experience in sponsorship sales, media sales or brand partnerships

• Experience working with TV channels, media and entertainment companies, media agencies, media-buying houses, large-format events or established intellectual properties

• Demonstrated track record of personally securing sponsorships for television shows, entertainment properties, events or other large-format platforms

• Strong existing relationships with CMOs, Marketing Heads and Brand Heads of national and regional companies

• Experience negotiating and closing high-value commercial partnerships

• Understanding of television inventory, branded content, digital integrations and on-ground activations

• Ability to manage the complete sales cycle independently

• Strong presentation, negotiation, communication and relationship-management skills

• Willingness to work from Chennai and travel for brand and agency meetings

PREFERRED PROFILE

• Existing relationships with brands across BFSI, automobile, technology, telecom, consumer goods, retail, real estate, education, healthcare and emerging-business categories

• Experience selling integrated sponsorship packages combining television, digital, events and branded content

• Experience building or leading a sponsorship sales team

• Familiarity with entrepreneurship, startups, investment and business-focused content

EXPECTED KPIs

• Total sponsorship revenue secured against the season target

• Value and quality of the active sponsorship pipeline

• Number of new national and regional brand partnerships closed

• Revenue collected against signed sponsorship agreements

• Sponsor renewal and retention rate

• Value of upgrades and upsells from existing sponsors

• On-time delivery of sponsorship commitments

• Sponsor satisfaction and relationship health

• Accuracy of revenue forecasts and pipeline reporting

WHO SHOULD APPLY

This opportunity is suitable for a sponsorship leader who has personally closed significant brand partnerships and is ready to take complete ownership of an ambitious media property.

Applicants should be able to clearly explain the sponsorships they personally secured, the approximate value of those deals and their individual contribution to each closure.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Please submit:

• Updated CV

• Brief sponsorship deal sheet from the last three years

• Brands and properties handled

• Approximate value of deals personally closed

• Individual role in each deal

• Current compensation and expected compensation

• Current location

• Notice period and earliest joining date