Events & Sponsorship Lead

About Smart Axiata
Smart Axiata is Cambodia’s leading mobile telecommunications provider, proudly connecting over 8 million customers across the country. As a member of the Axiata Group—one of Asia’s largest and most respected telecom groups—we’re more than just a tech company. We are a people-driven, purpose-led organization committed to shaping the digital future of Cambodia.

At Smart, we believe our people are our greatest strength. We foster a culture of innovation, agility, and continuous learning, empowering individuals to grow, lead, and make meaningful impact. From launching cutting-edge technologies like 5G to driving digital inclusion and sustainability, working at Smart means being part of something bigger.

Join us to thrive in a dynamic environment where your ideas matter, your growth is supported, and your work helps build a smarter, more connected Cambodia.

Smart is operating on highly competitive and dynamic market, while long-term strategic objectives are set brand strategic development in line with customer needs and market environment is continuous task of marketing team. Smart targets young and dynamic population and this is deeply embedded in Smart strategy, respectively impacts every project and initiative executed by the team.

The Events & Sponsorship Lead operates at a manager level and is responsible for leading the strategic planning and delivery of Smart’s national event and sponsorship portfolio. The role directly manages the Events Team and works cross-functionally to ensure all on-ground executions are aligned with Smart’s business goals, brand standards, and campaign strategies.

By combining executional leadership with strategic foresight, the Events & Sponsorship Lead ensures Smart’s physical presence delivers measurable impact, strengthens customer engagement, and reinforces brand visibility in key markets.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Event & Sponsorship Planning

• Own the national calendar for events and sponsorships, ensuring alignment with business priorities across B2C, B2B, CSR, HR and brand initiatives. Lead contacts and net-works with the local authorities and officials. 
• Own Cost and Budget planning on monthly and yearly basis in accordance with strategic objectives and agreed roadmap.
• Own and lead monthly event steerco meeting by:
  • Preparing a structured summary of the available internal and external events
  • Propose guided rational recommended events for approval to be agreed for Smart engagement
• Be in continuous contact with Government authorities for timely identification of potential important for Smart events

Execution Lead And Creative Concept Design

• Build together with relevant teams or engaging external agency concept for the event mechanics, materials design, form of presence that will support strategic objectives of participating or organizing an event 

Execution Oversight & Quality Control

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of all on-ground activations and sponsorships. Ensure readiness checklists, risk protocols, and brand standards are consistently met prior to rollout.

Cross-Functional & External Collaboration

• Act as the central coordination point across B2C and B2B GTM, Marketing Ops, Product, Sales, Finance, Legal, Procurement, and Creative to secure resources and alignment. Lead engagement with vendors, agencies, and local authorities for event delivery.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting

• Define KPIs for each activation (e.g., footfall, engagement, lead quality, NPS), collect insights during and after execution, and deliver structured post-event reports with recommendations for improvement.

Process & Framework Development

• Institutionalize scalable SOPs, planning templates, and event playbooks to enable consistent delivery, cost efficiency, and onboarding of future team members or vendors.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and manage the Events Team, ensuring high performance, clear ownership, and profession-al growth across the team

Risk Management & Compliance

• Ensure all events comply with legal, safety, procurement, and brand governance standards.

Education & Qualification: 

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Communications, Business, Event Management, or a related field
• Professional training or certification in event or project management is an advantage

Working Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in event and/or project management, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
• Proven ability to lead end-to-end planning and execution of complex events or sponsorship initiatives.
• Experience managing teams, agencies, vendors, and multiple stakeholders across functional areas.
• Familiarity with budget oversight, cross-functional alignment, and execution under time/resource constraints.
• Industry exposure in telecom, FMCG, or agency environments preferred.

Specific Skills:

• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to coach and guide junior staff.
• Excellent project management and organizational capabilities across parallel timelines.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills for both internal coordination and external vendor engagement.
• High attention to detail, with a proactive approach to risk assessment and readiness.
• Budget awareness and ability to manage cost-efficiency without compromising quality.
• Familiarity with operational tools such as Microsoft Teams, Excel, task trackers, and reporting dashboards.
• Confidence in representing the brand with professionalism in both public and institutional settings.

Internal Work Relations:

• Go-To-Market (GTM)
• Marketing Operations
• Product Teams
• Creative & Brand
• Finance
• Procurement
• Legal
• Risk & Compliance
• Digital Channels
• Sales Teams (Retail, Channel, Enterprise)
• Senior Leadership (as needed for sponsorship or strategic event involvement)

Key Challenges:

• Managing multiple high-stakes events simultaneously across different timelines, formats, and locations.
• Balancing creative ambition, operational feasibility, and cost control while maintaining brand standards.
• Securing timely inputs, approvals, and alignment from multiple internal departments and external partners.
• Navigating logistical constraints and external uncertainties (e.g., local permissions, vendor reliability, weather conditions).
• Ensuring event readiness and compliance under tight turnaround times without compromising execution quality.

Thank you for your interest in joining Smart Axiata! To apply, please fill out the application form and upload your CV in DOC, DOCX, or PDF format (up to 3MB).

Send your CV to: [email protected]

Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We appreciate your time and effort in applying and look forward to reviewing your application.

For any inquiries, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].