Media Advertising And Sponsorships Lead

About The Republic

The Republic is an African media and technology company building products that help people better understand, create and engage with African ideas, stories and culture. Our media arm publishes ambitious journalism and analysis through The Republic, our flagship publication, alongside print magazines, newsletters, podcasts and other editorial products. We are also building technology products that extend our work into new areas of media, creativity and digital infrastructure.

We are hiring an Advertising & Sponsorships Lead specifically to grow the commercial revenues of The Republic's media business.

About The Role

The Advertising & Sponsorships Lead will be responsible for generating revenue for The Republic's media business through advertising sales and paid sponsorships.

This is a hands-on, target-driven sales role. The successful candidate will be expected to personally prospect, pitch, negotiate and close business, rather than primarily manage a team or coordinate partnerships.

You will identify prospective advertisers and sponsors, build relationships with relevant decision-makers, develop commercial opportunities around The Republic's audience and media products, pitch prospective clients, negotiate terms, close deals and help ensure that contracted revenue is collected.

You will sell existing advertising inventory while also working with our editorial, audience and design teams to develop a focused portfolio of sponsorable media products across print, digital, newsletters, podcasts and special projects.

This role is exclusively focused on generating advertising and sponsorship revenue for The Republic's media business and does not have commercial responsibility for the company's other technology products or ventures.

What You'll Do

• Own The Republic's advertising and sponsorship sales pipeline, from prospecting through closing and collection.
• Identify and proactively approach prospective advertisers, sponsors, media agencies and corporate decision-makers.
• Sell advertising across The Republic's existing print and digital inventory.
• Develop and sell sponsorship packages around selected Republic properties, including newsletters, podcasts, print issues, special editorial projects and other appropriate media products.
• Build relationships with brands and agencies that can develop into repeat and multi-campaign business.
• Prepare proposals, media plans, sponsorship decks and commercial packages tailored to prospective clients.
• Lead pitches and negotiations and move opportunities decisively from initial conversations to signed agreements.
• Maintain an organised pipeline with clear deal values, probabilities, next steps and expected closing dates.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure invoices are raised promptly and client payments are collected.
• Coordinate with Audience, Design, Product and Editorial to obtain the information and materials required to sell and successfully deliver campaigns.
• Manage commercial client relationships through campaign delivery and identify opportunities for renewals, extensions and larger engagements.
• Report regularly on pipeline, contracted revenue, collected revenue and performance against targets.
• Help refine The Republic's rate cards, advertising products and sponsorship packages based on market demand and sales performance.

Revenue Target

The first-year target for the role is: ₦40 million in collected advertising and sponsorship revenue.

Targets will ramp during the first year as the successful candidate develops their pipeline. Performance is measured primarily on commercial revenue collected, rather than meetings held, proposals sent or agreements announced.

Non-revenue partnerships, in-kind arrangements, visibility exchanges, contra arrangements and other collaborations do not count toward the role's revenue target unless expressly agreed in advance.

Compensation & Commission

The role has a gross base salary of ₦800,000 per month, plus an uncapped performance-based commission on qualifying advertising and sponsorship revenue collected by The Republic.

Commission is calculated progressively: Annual collected revenue - Commission rate

First ₦20 million - 5%

₦20 million–₦40 million - 7.5%

Above ₦40 million - 10%

The commission rates apply progressively rather than retrospectively. Commissions are calculated and paid quarterly, based on qualifying revenue actually collected by The Republic. Commission tiers accumulate over each 12-month performance year.

There is no cap on commission earnings.

Additional Benefits:

• Hybrid working arrangement with 3 office days only.
• Pension plan and healthcare coverage.
• Office equipment and remote work allowance (laptop, phone; monthly phone airtime up to N20,000; monthly internet subscription up to N20,000).
• Lunch provision on office days and transportation coverage on office days via professional commuting service.
• 15 annual leave days.
• Two weeks general office closure over year-end holidays between December and January.

Who We're Looking For

• Exceptional bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, social sciences or a related field. (The Republic team members have typically graduated among the top of their class; graduate degrees—MA/MBA/MSc/PhD—strongly encouraged.)
• 5+ years of relevant experience in advertising sales, media sales, sponsorships, business development or another directly relevant commercial role. (2-3 years of sales leadership experience preferred.)
• A demonstrated record of personally generating revenue and closing commercial deals.
• Strong knowledge of the Nigerian corporate, advertising and media landscape.
• Confidence prospecting and opening new relationships rather than relying primarily on inbound opportunities.
• Experience selling to brands, agencies, marketing teams or corporate decision-makers.
• Strong commercial judgement and an ability to understand what prospective clients value and translate that into compelling commercial propositions.Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Strong organization and the discipline to maintain an active pipeline and follow opportunities through to collection.
• The ability to work independently and take ownership of a commercial function in a growing company.

Preferred Qualifications

• Network: Established network of industry contacts in Africa or experience working with media buyers, brands, and agencies across the continent.
• Sales Tools: Proficiency with CRM software (Apollo) and sales performance tools.
• Media Interest: Passion for African journalism and an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in the African media landscape.

Direct experience selling advertising, sponsorships or media products is strongly preferred. Existing relationships with brands and media agencies are advantageous, but demonstrated sales performance matters more than the size of your contact list.