Vice President, Marketing

Hometown Soccer Holdings (HSH) is building a portfolio of locally rooted MLS NEXT Pro clubs, each deeply embedded in its community and built to create lasting connections with fans. This role sits with a new HSH club launching in Middlesex County, New Jersey as the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of New York City FC. Operating for now under the temporary working identity New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro (NJMLSNP), the club will announce publicly this fall, introduce itself to the community over the winter, establish a foothold in the market early next year, and take the field for its inaugural season next fall. The Vice President of Marketing will serve as the club's senior marketing leader, responsible for shaping the brand from a blank page and building the strategies, systems, and campaigns that carry it from announcement to opening day and beyond. Brand, digital and content, game presentation, promotions, and communications and media all sit under this role. Reporting to the Club President, this leader will drive brand creation and strategy at the club level while working in close partnership with the HSH central office, enterprise counterparts including the HSH VP of Marketing, and NYCFC. The role carries significant autonomy and ownership in market, paired with a genuine collaborative mandate: enterprise frameworks and brand standards come from HSH, and this leader will adapt them locally and help shape what the standard becomes for future club launches. The VP of Marketing will serve as both a strategic architect and a hands-on operator, working alongside club staff, community stakeholders, creative agencies, and league and affiliate partners to make sure the club is unmistakably of its market from day one. This is a rare opportunity for an entrepreneurial, brand-minded marketing executive to help build a professional sports club's identity and commercial engine from the ground up. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in brand development and performance marketing, real experience taking a new brand or property to market, a strong command of digital channels and marketing automation, a collaborative instinct for working across a broader enterprise, and a genuine passion for soccer and the communities the game connects. Key Responsibilities Co-lead the end-to-end creation of the club's brand with HSH, including positioning, narrative, naming, visual identity, crest, kit direction, tone of voice, and brand guidelines, grounded in community research and local cultural insight. Manage the transition from the temporary NJMLSNP identity to the permanent brand, and coordinate brand and campaign approvals across HSH, NYCFC, MLS, and MLS NEXT Pro. Develop and execute the public announcement, brand reveal, and inaugural-season launch campaign in coordination with HSH and NYCFC. Own club communications and media, including press strategy, media relationships and credentialing, club and player storytelling, spokesperson preparation, and issues and crisis communications, coordinated with HSH and NYCFC. Own game day atmosphere and game presentation, including run of show, entertainment, music, in-venue content and video board, supporter engagement, and the overall matchday fan experience, executed in partnership with Operations. Build the annual promotional calendar, including theme nights, giveaways, and special events designed to drive ticket sales, group revenue, and repeat attendance in partnership with Ticket Sales. Build the fan acquisition strategy that seeds the market, including founding member and season ticket deposit campaigns, grassroots activation, and the player pathway narrative connecting the club to NYCFC. Own club performance marketing execution across paid media, SEO/SEM, social advertising, email, and CRM marketing, aligned to the enterprise performance marketing framework. Establish the club's digital presence, including website, social channels, content strategy, and email program, carrying the audience from the NJMLSNP identity through to the permanent brand. Stand up the club's marketing technology stack in partnership with HSH, and build the attribution, analytics, and ROI reporting that measure marketing effectiveness from the first dollar spent. Leverage AI-enabled marketing platforms and audience engagement technologies to improve efficiency, personalization, and speed to market with a lean team. Partner with Ticket Sales, Sponsorship, and Operations, and with their HSH and NYCFC counterparts, to ensure integrated, cross-channel campaigns and a consistent fan experience. Contribute to club-level strategic planning and reporting, including market sizing, revenue forecasting, and the KPIs that give the Club President and HSH clear visibility into brand health and funnel performance. Build and lead the club's marketing organization over time, with brand, digital and content, game presentation, promotions, and communications and media all rolling up to this role, hiring, developing, and managing staff as the organization scales toward its inaugural season. Additional duties as assigned. You Have These 10+ years of progressive experience in marketing, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing teams, budgets, and cross-functional initiatives. Demonstrated experience building a brand from the ground up or taking a new property, team, or market to launch. Strong expertise in brand strategy and identity development, including experience managing creative agencies and design partners. Strong expertise in performance marketing, fan or customer acquisition, and revenue-focused marketing operations. Experience overseeing game presentation, live event production, or fan experience, and building promotional calendars that drive attendance and ticket revenue. Experience leading communications and media relations, including press strategy, spokesperson support, and issues management. Experience with marketing automation platforms, CRM systems, and customer data infrastructure, including standing up new systems rather than inheriting them. Proven ability to build attribution models and use data to optimize campaign performance, with comfort adopting AI-enabled marketing tools. Entrepreneurial self-starter who thrives with ambiguity and a compressed timeline, and who works effectively within a broader enterprise and affiliate structure. Strong community instincts and excellent storytelling skills, with the ability to build trust with local stakeholders and represent the club publicly. Experience in sports, entertainment, or consumer marketing environments and familiarity with MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, or the broader American soccer landscape strongly preferred. Compensation & Total Rewards Base Salary Range: $130,000 per year. (Base salary at the time of an offer will be determined based on job-related knowledge, skills, expert experience, and current market conditions.) Bonus Eligibility: This position is eligible to participate in a discretionary bonus structure based on individual performance and overall organizational goals. Broad-Based Ownership Pool (BBOP) Eligibility: This position is eligible to participate in a Broad-Based Ownership Pool, a company-wide equity program designed to give employees a stake in the organization’s long-term success. Additional details on allocation and vesting will be provided as the program is finalized. Benefits & Perks: As a newly forming organization, our comprehensive total rewards and benefits package is currently being finalized to ensure it meets industry standards. Upon completion, our package is intended to include comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision), a competitive paid time off (PTO) policy, retirement planning support (401k), and inclusive parental leave. Full details of the finalized benefits program will be provided to candidates during the advanced stages of the interview process. We are an equal opportunity employer and 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr