Chicago Fire Football Club is looking to bring in a strong leader for our Marketing & Brand team to help build an industry leading Marketing capability. This role will oversee all of our marketing, brand & content initiatives, with a focus on driving in-market brand awareness, fan engagement and ultimately revenue. The individual will initially manage a team that primarily oversees our brand & content strategy, brand communications and our digital channels (social, web & app) but we expect the function to grow as this role identifies ways & channels to maximize impact against objectives.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker, but also someone who is willing and able to roll up their sleeves and help execute. They need to balance left brain and right brain thinking and should love both building brand awareness and driving revenue. They should be a natural builder who enjoys creating structure, strategy and process, and is comfortable operating at speed, in ambiguity and within a rapidly evolving environment.

Given the nature of the role, individuals with experience working in sports (especially at the team level) and with a strong understanding and passion for soccer (both the sport and its role in culture) will be prioritized.

Job Responsibilities:

• Primary objectives for this role are to drive unaided brand awareness, fan engagement & revenue. Everything referenced below should be in service towards driving impact in these three areas.
• Works with the Creative Director on defining & summarizing the Chicago Fire brand strategy.
• Understand our target growth fan segments, and look to build insights, products & campaigns to better engage with individuals in these segments.
• Build an Integrated Marketing capability that ensures that the entire marketing department (and wider organization) are aligned on objectives & timelines around club & MLS projects (i.e. ticket on-sale, schedule release, All Star voting, special ticket packages etc.)
• Lead our content strategy, ensuring that we’re publishing high quality, on-brand, platform specific & impactful creative across our digital & social channels.
• Oversee our social media efforts, including team coverage, branded content & fan engagement, with a focus on increasing impressions & engagements across channels.
• Manage the Brand Communications function, with a focus on integrating their efforts into achieving the same objectives as the wider department.
• Partner with all marketing functions (Digital Marketing, Creative & BS&A teams) to ensure alignment, collaboration & impact on all marketing initiatives.
• Build a strong relationship with our Corporate Partnerships team and provide them with the assets, insights & activations to ensure that they are successful.
• Partner with Ticketing to ensure marketing efforts are aligned with their priorities and that we’re providing campaigns & assets to support across single, group & season ticket initiatives.
• Partner with Merchandise Manager to ensure the eCommerce retail selection reflects our brand and provides fans a way to show their pride in the team. Look into local retail collabs that can help raise our relevancy within target segments and increase brand awareness in market.
• Report on initiatives results, ensuring the team and department are learning from what worked, what didn’t, and evolving our efforts as we move into the future.
• Effectively lead, mentor & develop junior staff members, keeping them focused on appropriate priorities, motivated & engaged.

Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience, in roles of progressive responsibility for marketing or brand execution & strategy.
• Significant experience in marketing and brand strategy.
• Proven track record of success in leading, managing and developing marketing employees.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions.
• Experience working with social media analytics tools.
• Demonstrated ability & experience to develop and execute strategic marketing plans aligned with overall business objectives.
• Proven success in achieving and exceeding KPIs related to brand awareness, revenue, customer acquisition, and other relevant metrics.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present digital marketing strategies and results to stakeholders.
• Commitment to staying informed about industry trends and emerging technologies.
• Knowledgeable in data privacy laws and how they impact how we can collect & market to contacts.
• Ability to work autonomously and use excellent judgment.
• Willingness to learn in a fast-paced, performance-driven work environment.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours, in non-traditional settings, including all home games (or other work events) that fall on nights, weekends, and/or holidays.

Bonus Points for candidates who have the following experiences:

• Strong understanding of US soccer, both the sport itself but also the culture that surrounds it.
• Familiarity with the sports and entertainment industry or relevant sectors.
• Prior experience with ticketing platforms (especially Ticketmaster).
• Previous experience working within Salesforce (especially Salesforce Marketing Cloud).
• Proficiency in using marketing automation platforms, analytics tools, and other relevant technologies.

Please note:

• Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Our diversity initiatives start with the recruitment and selection process; therefore, we’d like to welcome all diverse candidates to apply to opportunities within our Club.
• CFFC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and maintaining a workplace for employees and applicants for employment that is free from discrimination. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, age, veteran or military status, disability, sexual orientation, sexual orientation or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
• If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Human Resources Department at hr@chicagofirefc.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

MLS Privacy Policy:

• By clicking apply, you agree to the terms of the MLS Privacy Policy.