Job Title: Brand Manager

Department: Marketing: Brand & Communications

Reports to:  Director, Marketing & Communications

# Direct Reports:  1-2

Perks and Benefits:

FREE: breakfast, lunch, parking, on-site gym and training classes, and gym membership at Chicago Athletic Clubs. Free Peloton membership, casual dress environment, access to United Center concert events, competitive total rewards package, full benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k matching, paid life insurance), comprehensive PTO package, social events, volunteer opportunities, and focused learning and development.

What It’s Like Working Here:

The Chicago Blackhawks experience isn’t just on the ice. Our office, located in the United Center, promotes a fun, engaging, fast-paced and collaborative atmosphere where we can celebrate both hockey and each other. Our commitment to curating an environment where all individuals feel empowered to bring their best self to work each day can be seen throughout our organization. Whether you are a job seeker looking to join the organization, a current member of our amazing team, or someone looking to help support our mission, our goal is the same – to reimagine the potential of hockey, which we strive to achieve through memorable, inclusive experiences.

The Top Shelf:
The Chicago Blackhawks are looking for a Brand Manager who will be the brand steward for all growing the game efforts, specifically supporting Blackhawks amateur hockey programming and Fifth Third Arena, the Blackhawks community ice rink. Primary responsibilities will include supporting the Director, Marketing & Communications, with planning and development of 360-degree campaigns that grow the brand and drive revenue among target audiences. The position will play a critical, cross-functional role to ensure consistent brand positioning, messaging and campaign implementation across all marketing and communications channels to support the organization’s growth strategy.

The role requires a proven track record in marketing, a passion for the sports and entertainment industry, and the ability to drive results to improve reach and visibility. Candidates must have a strong balance of strategic thinking, creative aptitude, project management and people skills – alongside the ability to manage several projects while providing clear direction and guidance to others.

How You’ll Contribute:

Develop comprehensive marketing strategies and campaign plans against annual and seasonal business objectives for the following business unit(s): Amateur Hockey and Fifth Third Arena
Set marketing and brand strategies, defining the target audience, fan insights, key performance indicators (KPIs) and what’s required to track campaign performance through data and analytics in partnership with the Blackhawks Business Strategy & Analytics department
Drive marketing and content planning across the editorial calendar (key narratives, organizational moments-in-time, commercial opportunities, cultural trends, etc.) to inform channel planning and creative asset development process
Mobilize the marketing collaboration process across Brand & Communication, Digital, Creative, Events & Experience, Business Strategy & Analytics, and agency partners to ensure brand narratives are being communicated clearly and effectively across all channels.
Deliver clear, effective briefs that communicate the business objectives, insights, and deliverables to guide the campaign development process
Support the development of attention-grabbing brand communications across owned, paid and earned channels alongside channel and/or subject matter experts; manage and traffic traditional media buys
Effectively coordinate campaigns and content with channel managers, who in turn optimize and flight for specific channels (website, mobile app, email, social media, in-arena/game presentation, etc.)
Collaborate and participate on brand productions, both agency and internally led, ensuring plan and content align with overall brand objectives and creative output meets campaign, channel, and brand needs
Partner with Marketing Project Management team to optimize planning timelines and flight dates, ensure proper approvals and timely delivery of assets, and manage brand and campaign budgets, including scopes of work, estimates and reconciliation process with any agency partners.
Integrate the ongoing evaluation of metrics to assess opportunities/risks, determine ROI, and drive solutions that foster awareness, consideration, conversation and commercial conversion
Assist Marketing leaders in the ongoing development/refinement of brand architecture, purpose and values, ensuring creative teams maintain overarching brand guidelines, usages, etc.

Player Stats and Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, with an emphasis in Marketing, or equivalent
5+ years of marketing experience that includes working across brand, digital, PR, creative, and experiential
Previous experience managing a brand as a Brand Manager, Marketing Manager, or similar required
Dynamic and performance-driven individual, with interpersonal skills to motivate and inspire others across the organization at different levels toward successful results
Strong experience brainstorming and developing creative, breakthrough content strategies and lead generation strategies for our core businesses
Strategic yet creative thinker who is confident to offer metrics-driven analysis and creative direction; ability to influence ideas and behaviors through the communication of compelling points of view, including data & insights, and the building of strong cross-functional relationships
Passion for and in-depth knowledge of current trends of content consumption across traditional and social media, and keeps up to date with the zeitgeist in sports, entertainment, pop culture, and tech.
Comfortable directing athletes, influencers, broadcast talent, and production crews
Excellent project management skills, high attention to detail, and ability to adapt to and overcome challenges in a dynamic environment
Self-motivated and reliable, with the ability to work both independently and as a team.
Able to work in a fast-paced environment, including both nights and weekends due to nature of the business
Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
Demonstrates Chicago Blackhawks core values of integrity, curiosity, empathy, collaboration, and originality

The Team:

The Chicago Blackhawks started their journey as one of the NHL’s “Original Six” professional ice hockey teams in 1926. Members of the Central Division in the NHL’s Western Conference and six-time Stanley Cup Champions (1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015), the team calls the United Center home.

Each day the Team works to uphold our mission to reimagine the potential of hockey. At its core, the team and greater organization uphold its mission through its core values centered around integrity, curiosity, empathy, collaboration, and originality. They are fiercely dedicated to evolving and delivering new and legendary fan experiences and captivating new and diverse audiences, both on and off the ice. As part of their unwavering commitment to drive impact and purpose in the Chicago community, the organization opened the Fifth Third Arena (the team’s official practice facility and community space for youth hockey development), continues to make expansions to the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation, and acquired the AHL team the Rockford IceHogs.

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to grow in its commitments to honor and celebrate Black Hawk's legacy by offering our platforms, making meaningful contributions, collaborating with Native American people, and reimagining ways to support the many Native American people and communities they live amongst and alongside. They engage in this work through their formal partnership with Black Hawk’s ancestral tribe, the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, which the tribe established with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021.

The Chicago Blackhawks is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity at all levels. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply. All qualified applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, race, religion or religious creed, color, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, local law, ordinance, or regulation and will not be discriminated against on these bases.