About the role
Sponsorship Sales Representative (6-month contract)
Location: UK or Netherlands (hybrid combination of remote work and on-site in our Amsterdam office)
Company Description
Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices. Through independent Certification, benchmarking and insight, we help organisations improve employee experience, strengthen organisational performance and demonstrate the impact of HR on business outcomes. For more than 30 years, we’ve worked with many of the world’s leading employers, including Accenture, Deloitte, Heineken, Mondelēz International and VodafoneThree. Today we certify nearly 2,500 organisations across 131 countries and regions, positively impacting more than 14 million employees worldwide.
Sponsorship Sales Representative
In spring 2027, Top Employers Institute brings its flagship global conference to Amsterdam: a projected 1,000+ senior HR leaders and C-level decision-makers, drawn largely from the organisations we certify. The evening before, an invitation-only executive dinner seats 250 to 350 CHROs and HR directors from our largest global and enterprise clients. We are looking for an experienced sponsorship seller to bring commercial partners to both events. Selling opens in October 2026, with packages and enablement defined and priced before you start. This is the first edition of the format, as a merge of previous regional events. There is no history to sell on, what there is instead is a highly specific senior audience and direct, warm access to a client base of nearly 2,500 certified organisations. If you are energised by opening a new commercial category rather than renewing an established one, this is your call. Are you a natural communicator and connector who thrives on building relationships and loves the idea of being rewarded for your results? You have the confidence to pick up the phone for cold-calling, as well as the experience to reach out and nurture your prospects via e-mail and social media. This is a base salary plus commission-based role meaning your income is directly tied to your performance, with no cap on what you can earn, paid out monthly. The role reports into the Global Marketing Director as part of an experienced events team and strong overall marketing team, for a period of six months part-time, between October 2026 and April 2027.
What makes this sellable
• A genuinely senior audience of HR directors, VPs, CPOs/CHROs and high-level leaders: budget holders, not delegates sent in their place
• Warm access, not a blank page. We certify nearly 2,500 organisations in 131 countries. Many are strong brand-exposure prospects in their own right. You will be given a qualified target list and, where appropriate, an introduction from the colleague who owns the relationship
• Defined, pre-priced packages. Ranging from ‘a la carte’, to silver, gold and platinum, spanning exhibition presence through to headline conference and executive dinner sponsorship. You sell from a rate card, not from scratch
• Two distinct markets. HR-relevant vendors, including HR technology, talent acquisition, recruitment, L&D, employee benefits and wellbeing, workspace and facilities, employer-brand agencies, and consumer and corporate brands seeking exposure to a senior international business audience
Key Responsibilities
• Build and work a pipeline across both target markets, from first contact through to signed contract
• Sell the defined packages, and build tailored proposals where a prospect needs something bespoke
• Convert warm introductions from our certified client base, following an agreed protocol with the colleague who owns each client relationship • Prospect confidently by phone, email and social outreach and cold calling is part of this role • Negotiate and close, and keep contracts, deliverables and deadlines tracked and current • Maintain accurate records in Salesforce, and share pipeline and forecast weekly with manager • Prospect at relevant HR and HR-technology trade events where there is a clear commercial case • Hand sold packages over cleanly to the team for delivery, and be present on site at the conference
Experience & Background
• 5+ years selling B2B event sponsorship, exhibition space or media partnerships
• An evidenced track record: deals closed, values, and against what target
• Comfort selling a first edition with an audience proposition rather than a proven track record
• Confidence holding a commercial conversation with senior HR and C-level buyers
• A consultative approach: sponsors here are buying access to a relationship, not a logo slot
• Excellent written and spoken English; a second European language is welcome
• Fluency with CRM and outbound tooling: Salesforce, Apollo, Cognism or close equivalents
• Any exposure to senior HR technology, recruitment or workforce vendors is a ‘nice to have’
Key Success Competencies
• Company-wide: collaboration, customer focus, global perspective
• Role-specific: driving results, commercial acumen, tech savvy, effective communication, planning & alignment, accountability
Additional Details
• Tools used: Salesforce (or similar), Microsoft Office, Outreach tools such as Apollo, Cognism, AI tools such as Claude, Co-pilot
• Work model: Hybrid/remote-first
• Team culture: highly collaborative, international, and mission-driven
What Top Employers Institute Offers
Purposeful Impact. Global Connections. Versatile Working Environment.
At Top Employers Institute, you collaborate with colleagues worldwide as you shape a career focused on enriching the world of work, bringing your best self.
At Top Employers Institute, we believe in:
- Living our human-centric approach (flexible working conditions, including the flexibility to work from home or the office)
- Thriving in a multicultural environment
- Growing meaningfully
- Leadership culture based on trust
- Plenty of room for initiatives and own responsibility
- We pay you to pay it forward: we grant you 2 days of paid time off for volunteering for causes you care about
- We want you to stay with us: you will enjoy a 4-week sabbatical leave paid by the company after 5 years
- Dynamic and strong international culture (more than 30 nationalities spread over 12 offices all around the world)
- Fast growing (20% YoY revenue growth) and sustainable company (founded 30 years ago)
- Be part of a globally recognised leader shaping the future of HR and employer branding.
- Be part of a motivated and fun team in a high-growth environment where every day brings new challenges, opportunities and rewards
- Collaborate with industry experts and thought leaders to drive meaningful impact
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and career development opportunities
Top Employers Institute
Top Employers Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We respect and celebrate each other’s differences. We know that a diverse workforce enhances our success. We are conscious that having the freedom to be yourself is the basis of sustainable growth. To us, it doesn’t matter where you were born, what you believe in, how old you are, what you look like, or who you love. We actively promote and depend on the diversity of thought, skills, and capabilities in our project teams to serve our international consumer base in the best way possible. We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds actually lift Top Employers Institute to new heights and increase our way of thinking for a better world of work. Join us, as there is a place for you here!
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