The Chicago Red Stars are looking for talented sports executives eager to shape the next chapter in Chicago women’s soccer. We are at a critical inflection point for the Chicago Red Stars, as we work to establish the Chicago Red Stars as a leader in the City, NWSL, and professional women’s sports and pave the way for equity and inclusion through sport.
To help us achieve our mission, we are seeking creative problem solvers who possess a growth mindset, question everything, and can balance strategic thinking with outcome-oriented actions and real-time decision-making at pace. We are looking for team-oriented people who strive for perfection but are comfortable operating in ambiguity, can operate independently but are ferociously collaborative, and can balance efforts for short-term gains while building for long-term sustainable growth and can serve as pathfinders as we chart a new future for the Club and women’s soccer in Chicago.
Position Description
The Sr. Brand Manager will be responsible for stewarding the development and growth of the brand across audience touch points. This individual will be responsible for managing the strategy, planning, and implementation of marketing initiatives across the full breadth of the marketing mix to generate awareness, grow the Chicago Red Stars community of supporters, generate revenue, and build the brand in the short-term and long-term alongside key collaborators and strategic partners.
Specific areas of management include but are not limited to, growth marketing, cross-functional org-wide integrated marketing efforts, retail and licensing, generating participation and engagement in Club initiatives (events, content, activations, etc.), grassroots marketing, and platform/activation development. This person will be responsible for working independently and managing and developing 3-4 employees who will execute each of the functional areas and collaborate with other departments to ensure the marketing vision is delivered across key organizational pillars and strategies.
The person in this role will be accountable for meeting aspirational but realistic brand awareness, participation/engagement, attendance, viewership, revenue, and retail sales goals that are set in collaboration with the CMO and leadership team during annual strategic planning.
Key Responsibilities:
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Independently execute the marketing plan across owned & operated, earned, and paid to support key revenue-driving opportunities and functions and organization priorities and execute, monitor, and optimize plans.
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Manage influencer relationships and develop influencer programs that support marketing goals.
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Manage brand expression across critical audience touch points in collaboration with creative, production, events, content team, etc.
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Implement retail strategy and maintain ongoing oversight over retail partners and licensees.
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Develop and implement grassroots marketing strategies in coordination with the community team that delivers on identified strategies and objectives.
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Lead cross-functional org-wide initiatives to ensure projects are completed on time, on budget, and goals are met.
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Build platforms and programs that deliver against Chicago Red Stars and our partners' (current and prospective) objectives in coordination with partnership marketing and corporate sponsors.
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Manage growth marketing initiatives and optimize tactics to increase participation and grow the Red Stars community.
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Other duties as requested.
Desired Qualifications
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4-8 years of marketing and/or brand management experience in sports or related industry
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Proven examples of independently executed marketing campaigns delivered across an omni-channel, integrated marketing mix.
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Experience executing influencer marketing campaigns and cultivating influencer relationships over time.
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Proven examples of independently developing and optimizing marketing and media campaigns to reach or exceed attendance and/or revenue goals.
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Experience in marketing automation and AI to drive efficiency and outcomes.
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Experience managing and developing high-performing talent.
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In-depth understanding of how all facets of the marketing mix influence consumer motivation and bring about the desired actions that deliver against predefined KPIs.
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Strong project management, budget management, meeting management, multitasking, and decision-making ability at pace.
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Ability to create, manage, and facilitate workback schedules/timelines with multiple collaborators and stakeholders designed to keep project plans on track.
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Able to proactively manage workload based on department priorities and understanding of areas of greatest impact against the stated annual or project objectives.
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Experience managing outside agencies and vendors and being firm but fair in interactions and expectations.
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Metrics-driven marketing mind with an eye for creativity and long-term brand building.
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Strong relationship-building and ability to manage, develop, and motivate internal and external project teams.
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Extensive experience with marketing automation and CRM tools.
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Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
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Skills with project management tools such as Asana.
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Skills in PhotoShop, Illustrator and/or InDesign are desired.
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A strong understanding of cohesive brand planning including overall audience journey.
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Personal accountability and ownership.
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Communicates quickly and efficiently to keep projects on track.
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Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills. Will be required to share information with the organization and leadership in a way that’s digestible and easy to understand.
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Able and willing to work non-traditional hours including evenings, weekends & holidays. This person will be expected to attend home matches and some out-of-state matches.
We are an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
