BTL & SPONSORSHIP MANAGER

Purpose

The Heineken BTL & Sponsorship Manager is responsible for bringing the Heineken brand strategy to life in the real world, leading the development and execution of best-in-class BTL, experiential, event and sponsorship activation across priority consumer touchpoints and trade channels.

The role owns the end-to-end activation journey — from translating brand strategy into activation plans, through agency briefing, production and partner management, to flawless in-market execution and evaluation.

The role is accountable for ensuring Heineken shows up distinctively, consistently and brilliantly, driving brand power, recruitment, trial, engagement, conversion and premiumisation. Sponsorships are managed as strategic activation platforms to maximise consumer engagement, brand impact and commercial value.

Key responsibilities:

1. BTL Strategy & Activation Leadership

• Lead Heineken's annual BTL and activation agenda, aligned to brand and commercial priorities.

• Translate brand strategy and campaigns into impactful activation programmes across priority channels, occasions and consumer touchpoints.

• Identify opportunities to drive recruitment, trial, engagement, conversion and premiumisation through BTL and experiential activity.

• Establish activation standards and playbooks that deliver consistent, scalable and distinctive Heineken execution.

2. Activation Delivery & Execution Excellence

• Own the end-to-end delivery of BTL activations, events, experiential platforms and visibility programmes from brief through to execution and evaluation.

• Ensure every activation meets high standards of brand expression, consumer experience, production quality, timing and budget.

• Partner with Trade Marketing and Sales to maximise execution quality and commercial impact in market.

• Conduct regular market and activation visits, proactively identifying and resolving execution gaps and opportunities.

• Drive continuous improvement by capturing and sharing activation best practice.

3. Sponsorship & Event Activation

• Manage Heineken's local and global sponsorship and event portfolio in line with brand priorities and consumer passion points.

• Convert sponsorship rights and assets into compelling consumer experiences, maximising participation, visibility, content and commercial opportunities.

• Build strong relationships with rights holders, partners and internal stakeholders to unlock long-term value.

  • Partner effectively with the internal Events & Sponsorship team to ensure aligned planning and execution.

4. Agency, Supplier & Partner Management

• Lead BTL, experiential and production agencies and suppliers to deliver best-in-class activation and execution.

• Provide clear, inspiring briefs and challenge partners to raise creative and executional standards.

• Hold agencies and supplirs accountable for quality, timelines, budgets, innovation and delivery.

• Manage the wider production ecosystem effectively, resolving issues quickly and maintaining strong partner relationships.

5. Budget, Governance & Performance

• Own the BTL and sponsorship budget, ensuring effective investment, financial discipline and cost optimisation.

• Define and monitor KPIs covering execution, consumer engagement, brand and commercial impact.

• Lead post-activation reviews and apply learnings to improve future performance.

• Ensure all activity meets company governance, legal, procurement and responsible alcohol marketing requirements.

6. Team Leadership & Capability

• Lead, coach and develop the Heineken BTL & Sponsorship team (2 direct reports) to deliver activation and execution excellence.

• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, pace, innovation and continuous improvement.

• Build organisational capability through activation playbooks, standards and best-practice sharing.

Experience and Skills

• 7+ years' relevant experience in BTL, experiential marketing, activation, events or sponsorships, preferably within FMCG, consumer goods or an agency environment.

• Proven experience in end-to-end activation delivery, including production and on-the-ground execution across all trade channels.

• Experience managing agencies, suppliers, partners and complex multi-stakeholder projects.

• Experience managing budgets and delivering against brand and commercial objectives.

Skills & Competencies:

• Activation & execution: Strong understanding of BTL and experiential marketing with proven ability to turn strategy into outstanding in-market execution.

• Project & production management: Highly organised with strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex timelines and multiple priorities.

• Commercial acumen: Understands how activation drives brand and business outcomes and manages investment effectively.

• Agency & stakeholder management: Able to brief, influence, challenge and motivate agencies, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Problem solving & agility: Solutions-oriented, decisive and able to manage challenges effectively in fast-moving, live environments.

• Consumer & brand focus: Passionate about creating distinctive consumer experiences that strengthen the Heineken brand.

• Ownership & accountability: Takes end-to-end responsibility and drives delivery with pace and high standards.