Chicago Fire Football Club is a Major League Soccer team that was founded in 1997. The Club returned to Soldier Field as well as opened a new 50,000 square foot business office in the heart of the city. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an ambitious vision that will transform the Club in the coming years.

Under new ownership, the Club recently returned to Soldier Field as well as opened a new 50,000 square foot office in the heart of the city. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an audacious and ambitious vision that will transform the brand and the company in the coming years.

Position Overview:

Chicago Fire Football Club is looking to bring in a strong leader for our Digital Marketing team to help build an industry leading Digital Marketing capability. This role will oversee all our performance marketing with a focus across both demand generation and lifecycle marketing efforts. The individual will manage a team that oversees our paid digital media & email marketing channels, as well as looking to expand into areas such as SMS and CTV in the medium term. 

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, bringing both data literacy and technologically savviness (especially with regards to marketing automation & analytics platforms), along with an appreciation for strong creative and messaging. They should love driving revenue & business impact, be excited about testing and learning, and be a willing and able developer of talent for the more junior members of the team. We also need them to 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. 

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead all strategy, planning and execution efforts across all digital marketing channels on behalf of the Chicago Fire.  
• Ensure digital marketing channels are efficiently and effectively driving revenue for the organization.
• Build and oversee a strong digital marketing operating model, including looking at where we look to utilize agency support vs building capabilities in-house, how we accurately track & report on revenue generated and what technologies we use to increase efficiency & impact. 
• Develop an effective lead generation strategy to bring new fans into our ecosystem, with a focus on targeting priority segments.
• Utilize our marketing automation platform to build lifecycle marketing campaigns, increasing the lifetime value of fans within our marketing database. 
• Partner with our BS&A team to ensure our CRM, marketing automation platforms & marketing databases & subscriptions are all appropriately setup to maximize the impact of our digital marketing efforts. 
• Ensure our digital marketing analytics ecosystem is set up to accurately measure revenue impact for both reporting & optimization purposes. 
• Manage and develop the employees on the digital marketing team. 
• Partner with key stakeholders across the marketing & revenue generation teams (with a primary focus on ticketing) to ensure that our digital marketing efforts are aligned with organizational priorities.
• Build a culture that places value on testing within our digital marketing channels and share the results of those tests to ensure others are benefitting from the learnings. 
• Build reports and provide insights to proactively and systematically share results from digital marketing efforts.
• Manage spend against a budget, ensuring we’re not overspending and that we’re maximizing the impact that we can have from the allocated funds. 
• Partner with the creative team to ensure advertising creative is impactful, on-brand and formatted for the medium/ device. 
• Own the full ‘fan journey’ beyond the initial click, looking at landing pages & conversion pages, with a goal of maximizing the impact of all efforts.
• Partner with our BS&A and Legal teams to ensure that we’re fully compliant with all data privacy laws and regulations. 
• Stay on top of trends in digital marketing, including new platforms, channels and technologies. 

Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience, in roles of progressive responsibility for digital marketing execution & strategy.
• Significant experience in digital marketing, with a focus on performance marketing, demand generation, and lifecycle marketing.
• Proven track record of success in leading, managing and developing digital marketing employees.
• Proficiency in using marketing automation platforms, analytics tools, and other relevant technologies.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions.
• Demonstrated ability & experience in developing and execute strategic digital marketing plans aligned with overall business objectives.
• Proven success in achieving and exceeding KPIs related to 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 of 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.

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.    

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Job Questions:

1. Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
2. Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status)?
3. What is your desired base salary range for this position?
4. Have you applied with Chicago Fire FC before?
5. How many years of experience do you have in digital marketing and strategy?