Advertising Sales Manager

Do you have a passion for social justice? Sojourners is an ecumenical Christian media and advocacy organization that works toward social and racial justice. We are looking for someone who can combine their interests in social justice, sales or marketing, and faith to contribute to underwriting the mission of the organization through advertising sales.

The Marketing Department has a three-pronged mandate of 1) generating non-restricted, earned revenue through advertising that appears in Sojourners magazine and digital publications, 2) revenue from subscriptions to Sojourners and other resources, and 3) marketing Sojourners products, services, and mission to target audiences. This position primarily focuses on generating advertising sales revenue but also supports the broader team’s goals and objectives by participating in a team-based, supportive environment and through special projects.

The Advertising Sales Manager generates non-restricted, earned revenue for Sojourners through sales of advertising that appears in Sojourners magazine, email publications, and website. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is highly motivated, able to work independently, and adept at juggling multiple priorities. This position includes an existing strong book of business, but prospecting new business is also required. Sojourners’ best advertisers include universities, seminaries, book publishers, financial institutions with a socially responsible investing focus, and nonprofits. This is an exceptional opportunity for a mission-minded and innovative media sales or marketing professional.

Advertising Sales Responsibilities:

• Develop relationships built on trust and credibility with prospective and existing clients.
• Source and generate qualified new prospects through competitive research and cold calling.
• Meet with advertisers in person, on the phone, or by video conference to conduct needs assessments.
• Create compelling proposals, deliver them in a timely manner, and follow up as needed.
•  Close sales in order to meet monthly and yearly revenue targets.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency to reach out to last-minute advertisers when deadlines are approaching or when sales are needed past the posted deadline.
• Provide weekly updates to supervisor on account activity, pipeline, and forecasting.
• Provide back up for ad coordination and trafficking.

Marketing Responsibilities:

• Manage paid advertising for Sojourners’ products and services in coordination with Marketing Director, including but not limited to Google Adwords, Facebook, and Instagram advertising.
• Represent Sojourners at conference exhibitions.

Required and Preferred Skills: The ideal candidate is someone who is goal-oriented, a self-starter, has a sharp attention to detail, and is a problem solver.

• Patience and persistence on the occasion of a longer sales cycle.
• Time and resource management skills.
• Previous sales experience, preferably media sales.
• Passion for nonprofit journalism and the intersection of faith and social justice.
• Four-year college degree in marketing, business, or related field is preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize, and adhere to deadlines.
• Thoughtful and persuasive verbal and written communication skills.
• MS Office proficiency in Word and Excel.
• Previous database experience a plus.
• Previous web editing experience, Photoshop, and basic HTML a plus.