Job Title: BASA Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager
Reports to: CEO
Supervises: Membership Coordinator/Membership Officer
Location: Johannesburg
Type: Fixed-term contract (12 months, renewable)
About BASA
Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) is a leading connector-catalyst at the intersection of business and the arts. We work to strengthen partnerships, unlock investment, and advance the sustainability and impact of the arts sector in South Africa.
We are seeking a highly capable, strategic, and outward-facing Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager to lead BASA’s partnership growth and stakeholder engagement strategy. This is a senior role for a relationship-driven professional who can build high-value, purpose-aligned partnerships that strengthen BASA’s sustainability while unlocking meaningful impact for the arts ecosystem.
Why Join BASA?
This role offers the opportunity to work at the heart of a national organisation shaping partnerships between business and the arts. You will contribute directly to enabling membership growth and unlocking value-based partnerships in a dynamic and purpose-driven environment.
Purpose of the Role
The Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager leads BASA’s partnership development and stakeholder growth strategy, strengthening the organisation’s sustainability, relevance, and sector impact.
This is a senior, market-facing leadership role responsible for positioning BASA as a trusted strategic partner within corporate South Africa, government, and the broader innovation and creative economy ecosystem. The role focuses on cultivating long-term, values-based partnerships that align corporate priorities with BASA’s programmes, platforms, research, and advocacy work.
The incumbent is accountable for building and stewarding a high-value partnership portfolio – securing new strategic relationships, deepening existing corporate investments, and designing partnership frameworks that deliver measurable shared value. While the role contributes to revenue growth and membership expansion, it is not a transactional sales function. Instead, it centres on strategic relationship development, partnership design, and long-term value creation.
The Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager operates at the intersection of strategy, diplomacy, and delivery. The role requires the ability to:
- Translate corporate ESG, CSI, and innovation priorities into meaningful arts-sector engagement opportunities
- Design partnership propositions that unlock value for both corporate members and the arts ecosystem
- Support BASA’s growth strategy through thoughtful pipeline development and opportunity cultivation
- Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery of BASA’s partnership benefits and stakeholder engagements
- Strengthen BASA’s positioning as a bridge between business and the arts
The role demands commercial acumen, strong stakeholder intelligence, and a deep understanding of the arts and innovation landscape. It is both growth-oriented and stewardship-driven – responsible for expanding BASA’s partnership footprint while ensuring that every partnership delivers tangible value to corporate members and meaningful impact for the arts sector.
Key Responsibilities
1. Partnership Development & Growth
- Identify and cultivate partnership and membership opportunities aligned with BASA’s mission and strategic priorities.
- Support the CEO in developing and negotiating partnership packages, sponsorships, and collaborative initiatives.
- Contribute to partnership and stakeholder growth strategies.
- Leverage relationship networks and sector platforms to expand BASA’s partnership ecosystem.
- Map corporate sector opportunities across CSI, ESG, innovation, marketing, and social impact portfolios.
- Lead partnership negotiations, contracting, and investment structuring in collaboration with the CEO.
- Contribute to organisational sustainability targets.
- Maintain active communication with stakeholders, ensuring they are informed, connected, and satisfied with BASA’s offerings.
- Track stakeholder priorities, interests, and impact areas to ensure BASA remains relevant and responsive.
2. Member Experience & Value Delivery
- Provide strategic oversight of partnership activations across BASA programmes and platforms.
- Ensure alignment between partnership agreements and programme delivery.
- Guide integration of partners into key BASA initiatives (e.g., Awards, Creative Futures Africa, research platforms, masterclasses).
- Oversee delivery of visibility, branding, and recognition benefits.
- Ensure partnership experiences reflect BASA’s brand and stakeholder value ethos.
- Ensure partners experience strategic value beyond transactional sponsorship.
- Build long-term, high-trust relationships with senior corporate and institutional stakeholders.
- Ensure member benefits remain current, impactful, and strategically aligned to BASA’s role in the creative economy.
3. Partnership Activation & Integration
- Coordinate implementation of partner benefits across BASA programmes, events, and platforms (e.g., BASA Awards, Creative Futures Africa, Masterclasses).
- Work closely with Programmes, Communications, and Insights to ensure seamless integration of partners into BASA activities.
- Ensure partners receive agreed visibility across communications, content, and activations.
- Manage partnership reporting, ensuring partners have clear visibility of impact and value achieved.
4. Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
- Represent BASA at industry events, sector gatherings, and strategic forums.
- Support BASA’s advocacy and thought leadership initiatives by linking partners to relevant platforms.
- Facilitate cross‑sector connections between members, creatives, business partners, and programme teams.
5. Insights, Reporting & Partnership Intelligence
- Oversee partnership performance tracking and impact reporting.
- Analyse partnership ROI, engagement metrics, and investment trends.
- Use data and insights to refine partnership offerings and growth strategies.
- Guide development of partner reporting frameworks demonstrating value and impact.Provide partnership performance reports to the CEO and Board where required.
Key Deliverables
- Strong partner retention and multi-year renewals.
- Increased partner participation across BASA platforms.
- Strategic alignment between partners and programmes.
- High partner and member satisfaction ratings.
- Strengthened corporate positioning of BASA.
- Consistent delivery of partnership benefits and activations.
- Clear, professional partnership reporting and communication.
- Growth in partnership revenue and corporate investment.
- Expansion of BASA’s partnership and membership base.
Required Competencies
Relationship & Stakeholder Management
- Exceptional interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust and manage long‑term partnerships.
- Strong communication, facilitation, and engagement abilities.
Strategic & Corporate Understanding
- Understanding of corporate structures and partnership value drivers.
- Ability to translate BASA’s creative sector value into business benefits.
- Familiarity with CSI, sponsorship, ESG, or innovation functions advantageous.
Partnership & Growth Orientation
- Ability to identify partnership opportunities and cultivate strategic pipelines.
- Confidence supporting proposals, pitches, and partnership packaging.
- Commercial awareness aligned to relationship value creation and long‑term partnership sustainability.
Operational & Project Delivery Skills
- Strong organisational and coordination capability.
- Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and deliverables simultaneously.
- Excellent planning, reporting, and administrative skills.
- Proficiency in CRM and digital relationship management tools.
Creative Sector Knowledge
- Understanding of the South African creative economy and cross‑sector dynamics.
- Ability to articulate creativity’s role in innovation, inclusion, and social impact.
Leadership & Collaboration
- Experience supervising staff.
- Ability to work cross‑departmentally and strengthen organisational cohesion.
Qualifications & Experience
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Creative Industries Management, or related field.
- Minimum 7–10 years’ experience in partnerships, stakeholder relations, client relationship management, sponsorship or account management.
- Proven track record securing and/or managing high-value corporate partnerships
- Experience supporting partnership development or new business initiatives.
- Arts, culture, NPO, or creative sector experience advantageous.
- Experience driving partnership revenue or institutional investment.
Personal Attributes
- Strategic and commercially astute.
- Relationship-driven with strong diplomatic capability.
- Confident negotiator and partnership builder.
- Entrepreneurial and growth-oriented.
- Influential and credible in corporate environments.
- Highly organised and accountable.
- Passionate about creativity’s role in economic and social development.
Application Process
Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:
- A detailed CV
- Cover Letter
Send applications to: recruitment@basa.co.za
Subject Line: Partnerships & Stakeholder Manager
Closing Date: Monday 16 March
