Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Community Engagement

AC Grand Rapids is an MLS NEXT Pro expansion club set to launch in 2027. As a new pillar in the West Michigan sports landscape, the club is committed to building a best-in-class sporting and entertainment organization that reflects the pride, passion, and values of the Grand Rapids community. We are building an innovative and community-driven club that wins on and off the pitch.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Community is a senior executive leader responsible for shaping and driving the club’s brand, storytelling, fan growth, and community presence. Reporting to the President, this role owns the strategic vision for marketing, communications, public relations, community engagement, and match day fan experience, and leads a cross-functional team directors, managers, and coordinators charged with executing that vision. The Vice President will shape company culture through servant leadership, champion a data-driven approach to fan development and revenue growth, and serve as a trusted executive voice both inside the club and across the West Michigan community.

Primary Responsibilities

• Shape and inspire company culture through servant leadership, reflecting the vision, core values, and ideals of ownership, players, staff, and broader organization.
• Build, hire, train, and lead a diverse, high performing marketing, communications, and community team committed to establishing AC Grand Rapids as a premier club in MLS NEXT Pro.
• Set the strategic vision and integrated marketing plan that drives ticket sales, broadcast viewership, partnership value, match day experience scores, and digital engagement.
• Own full accountability for the marketing, communications, and community department P&L, including budget development, forecasting, and expense management.
• Oversee the club’s digital marketing strategy across all owned and operated channels (web, mobile app, email, social, SMS, and CRM), ensuring consistent, compelling storytelling and fan engagement.
• Oversee performance marketing programs, including paid social, search, programmatic, retargeting, and conversion optimization to drive ticketing and merchandise sales.
• Oversee paid media strategy across radio, TV, print, out-of-home, and digital, including management of key vendor and platform relationships.
• Champion a data-driven culture for fan development and revenue growth, implementing marketing analytics frameworks, reporting processes, and KPI dashboards in partnership with the club’s analytics resources.
• Oversee experiential marketing strategy, including club events, grassroots initiatives, mascot program, and in-stadium fan zone activations.
• Oversee match day production and presentation, creating a unique fan experience and atmosphere for home matches while fulfilling partnership deliverables and league requirements.
• Oversee the club’s brand identity and ensure consistency of voice, tone, and creative expression across every touchpoint.
• Create fan development strategy, including youth soccer development, multicultural marketing, and tourism marketing across West Michigan.
• Lead fan acquisition and lead generation strategy, nurturing leads through the marketing funnel and into ticketing and partnership conversion.
• Cultivate and steward strategic relationships with community organizations, schools, and civic leaders to establish AC Grand Rapids as an authentic, embedded partner within West Michigan’s soccer, arts, business, and philanthropic communities.
• Oversee the club’s public relations, media, external communications, and sporting communications strategy, ensuring the AC Grand Rapids narrative is consistently and compellingly told.
• Build and maintain relationships with beat reporters, local/regional media, national media, and broadcast partners who cover the club.
• Develop the club’s thought leadership platform: executive speaking opportunities, op-ed strategy, and civic engagement visibility.
• Manage the franchise’s crisis communications: develop protocols, lead response teams, draft statements, and coordinate with ownership/executive leadership.
• Support the CRO, Director of Ticketing, and Director of Partnerships by aligning marketing, brand, and community efforts with revenue-generating strategies across ticket sales, group sales, partnerships, and additional revenue channels.
• Collaborate with internal leaders to deliver innovative, high-impact activations that maximize attendance, yield, and partner value.
• Partner closely with senior executives across the organization to ensure marketing efforts support broader business strategy.
• Collaborate with MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and league partners on league-wide initiatives, campaigns, and integrated marketing programs.
• Partner with venue and match day operations leadership to maximize event utilization, fan experience, and revenue opportunities.
• Provide ongoing coaching, performance management, and professional development opportunities for direct reports and their teams.
• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and sports, media, and entertainment industry trends.
• Perform other duties as required.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• At least 8 years of progressive experience, with an emphasis on consumer-facing sports, media, or entertainment businesses.
• Demonstrated success in generating brand energy and building measurable fan and consumer growth.
• Proven experience leading integrated marketing, communications, and community functions, including hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teams.
• Experience owning departmental P&L, budgets, and financial performance.
• Deep expertise across the marketing and digital technology landscape, including performance marketing, CRM, marketing automation, and analytics platforms.
• Must be proficient in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, holidays, and match days.
• Must be willing to travel when necessary.
• Must pass pre-employment screens.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior senior leadership experience within professional or collegiate sports, live entertainment, or a comparable consumer brand.
• Familiarity with the West Michigan market, media landscape, and community dynamics.
• Knowledge of the professional soccer landscape.
• Experience building or scaling a marketing and communications function in a high-growth or start-up environment.

Essential Functions

• Develop and maintain courteous, effective, and professional working relationships with employees at all levels of the organization as well as with ownership, league officials, media, partners, and their contacts.
• Must be able to follow company policies and procedures.
• Must maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality concerning partner and club matters.
• Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including but not limited to attendance standards, work deadlines, and all scheduled meetings.
• Must adapt, with minimal or no advance notice, to changes in how business is conducted and work is accomplished.
• Always meet or exceed the club standards of professionalism.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and public speaking skills, comfortable serving as an ambassador to the business and corporate communities.
• Dynamic interpersonal skills and approachable personality, with the ability to influence and collaborate cross-departmentally to achieve goals.
• Strong personnel management skills and a proven ability to build, motivate, and lead diverse high-performing teams.
• Open, positive, and accessible leadership approach, with the ability to act decisively yet diplomatically.
• Self-starter, energetic, and resilient with the enthusiasm and determination to ensure deliverables, timelines, and objectives are achieved.
• Confidence, creativity, credibility, energy, flexibility, and a strong results-driven mindset.
• Driven to make a difference, with a desire to have a personal impact on the club, its fans, and the community.
• Ability to think through a transformationally rather than incrementally, with the vision to build long-term brand and revenue value.
• Ability to make sound decisions and exercise independent judgment and discretion with integrity and accountability, while working in a fast-paced, high-demand, and sometimes strenuous environment.
• Must be able to multi-task while managing time and priorities successfully.