DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING presso Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.

Job Title: Director of Digital Marketing

Department:  Digital Marketing

Reports To:  VP of Fan Development & Brand Marketing

Supervises People:  Yes

About the Role

The Director of Digital Marketing will lead the strategic vision, planning, and execution of all digital marketing efforts for the Chicago Bears, driving fan growth, engagement, and revenue across owned, paid, and earned digital channels. This role is responsible for delivering high-impact, data-driven campaigns that support key business objectives including ticket sales, retail, fan acquisition/retention, engagement and brand awareness both locally and globally. The Director will collaborate across departments—including Digital, Partnerships, Ticket Sales & Services, Business Strategy & Analytics, and Brand Creative—to build cohesive campaigns that maximize reach and ROI. As a critical voice within the larger Marketing department, this individual will oversee a Digital Marketing team and champion innovation in martech, automation, segmentation, and performance measurement. The role will also play an instrumental part in shaping the personalized fan journey—from acquisition to engagement to conversion—both in-season and year-round.

This is a key leadership role within the Club’s broader fan development strategy, requiring creativity, collaboration, strong business acumen, and a deep understanding of how to connect with fans through personalized, multi-channel digital experiences.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development of the overall digital marketing strategy and annual plans, aligning with business objectives and revenue goals.
• Collaborate with the Marketing team to translate marketing strategy to digital execution – targeting, geography, channels, context and messaging (including sequencing/frequency).
• Collaborate across departments to ensure integrated and consistent messaging across all digital touchpoints.
• Work with the Business Strategy and Analytics team to identify opportunities for targeted, initiative-specific, and automated customer journeys on an annual and ad-hoc basis.
• Work closely with VP of Fan Development & Brand Marketing and Business Strategy & Analytics team on customer data acquisition and personalized message strategy.

Database Marketing Management & Execution

• Manage and execute year-round execution of email and SMS marketing campaigns.
• Act as the main builder and executer for Brand and Partnership email marketing including HTML development, tagging, sending, etc. 
• Maintain cross-departmental email and SMS strategy, tactics, and deployment calendar.
• In collaboration with Digital Marketing Specialist, develop messaging and asset recommendations for key A/B test groups.
• Create and coordinate data acquisition campaigns with key stakeholders including Business Strategy & Analytics, Ticket Office, etc.
• Develop strategies for nurturing, customer retention, and win-back campaigns based on key customer insights.

Media Buying / Digital Advertising Management & Execution

• Plan, execute, and optimize paid advertising in social, SEO, video, and programmatic channels.
• Conduct A/B testing and experimentation to continuously improve campaign performance, ad creatives, landing pages, and conversion funnels.
• Manage relationships with external vendors for paid promotional efforts in other media as necessary.

Reporting Management & Execution

• Partner with Business Strategy & Analytics, Ticketing Office, and Digital to develop and execute a tagging strategy that ensures all campaigns are measured and tracked appropriately across KPIs.

People Management & Development

• Oversee the development of digital marketing staff by providing clear direction, support, and feedback.
• Mentor and support direct report by providing clear, actionable feedback on performance in real time, in regular 1:1 meetings, and as part of annual performance reviews.  
• Look for ways to leverage skills, interests, and motivations of staff to maximize productivity and job satisfaction.
• Build relationships with other leaders and staff across the organization to establish a Club-wide standard for the Club’s digital marketing experience.
• Identify, evaluate, document, and share best practices for digital, automated and personalized marketing in the sports industry and beyond.
• Actively participate in leadership and other development opportunities provided by the Club.
• Other projects and duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or related field.
• 7+ of years of experience with email or SMS marketing tools, trends, and best practices (Eloqua, Dynamics, Moveable Ink, etc.).
• Proven experience directly leading and managing a team of direct reports, agencies, partners, and cross functional leadership is required. 
• Demonstrated understanding of marketing automation technology and tools (DMP, CDP, etc.).
• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
• Ability to translate strategic targets into actionable target segments. 
• Exposure to digital, social, and programmatic marketing strategy, execution, and optimization.
• Understanding of SEO and SEM strategy, experience executing and reporting on paid search campaigns a plus.
• Optimistic problem solver, attracted to unique solutions to challenges or opportunities.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including ability to share technical or data-based information in a simple and actionable way.
• Fluent in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Teams).
• Copywriting experience a plus.
• Direct experience in sports and/or entertainment marketing or agency is a plus. 
• Experience with quantitative research and data in identifying trends, insights and opportunities a plus.
• Familiarity with data management, CRM, and segmentation tools a plus.
• Willing and able to work non-traditional hours, in non-traditional settings. This includes all home games, events, and commitments that fall on weekends, evenings and holidays.

What We Offer 

We remain committed to upholding the standard of being a first-class organization and employer of choice. Our goal is to provide quality support and a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for our most important resource, our people.   

COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY PAY 

The Director of Digital Marketing is a full-time non-contract position. This position is a salaried (exempt) role. The expected salary range for this role is $125,000 - $140,000 per year. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and other job-related factors. 

BENEFITS & PERKS 

Our full-time offerings include but are not limited to:  

• Core Coverage: 100% paid premium for healthcare and dental coverage, affordable vision offerings, 100% paid premium for disability and employee life insurance coverage, paid FMLA (including paid paternity leave)  
• Investments: employer paid pension plan, 401K with matching   
• Flexible Work Location: Up to 2 days a week of remote work (role dependent)  
• Time to Recharge: Minimum of 10 paid vacation days, 5 paid sick/mental health days, 4 paid floating holidays, 2 paid days to volunteer, 2 paid days to volunteer, plus 10 paid holidays 
• Experiences: complimentary home game tickets & parking, ability to buy tickets to away games and fan events  
• Gear: annual Chicago Bears gear package plus 50% off at the Bears Pro Shop  
• Wellness: FREE breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks, access to onsite fitness facilities and BearsFit, complimentary Calm app access  
• Connection: Social events for staff and their families, Employee Resource Groups, Service Milestones, and more  
• Professional Development: complimentary LinkedIn Learning access, leadership programming, guest speakers, mentorship, and more   

Additional information on employee benefits can be found by visiting www.ChicagoBears.com/jobs.   

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion  

The Chicago Bears organization continues to deepen its commitment to establishing an inclusive, equitable work environment that reflects the diversity within our communities and fan base. We value, respect and appreciate diversity at all levels, on and off the field, and are guided by a vision of success that includes integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our club's DNA and culture. The Chicago Bears seek to attract, retain and develop top talent, regardless of personal characteristics, and we invite and encourage all individuals to apply for positions of interest. 

The specific statements shown in each section of this description are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria necessary to successfully perform the job. Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.