Director of Marketing Operations

Pressed Cafe is looking for a highly driven, hands-on Director of Marketing to own the planning, execution, and operating rhythm of marketing across our growing multi-unit brand. You will work in close partnership with our Director of Creative, who leads the creative vision and expression of the Pressed brand. You will own the business and operational side of marketing: priorities, calendar, campaigns, launches, partnerships, communications, budget, analytics, cross‑functional coordination, and the systems that keep the function moving. The two roles are complementary: Creative owns how the brand looks and feels; you own how marketing gets planned, activated, measured, and continuously improved. This is not a traditional corporate Director role where the work is delegated from a distance. You will lead the function while staying close to the work. We want someone who can set strategy, create structure, make decisions, solve problems, and roll up their sleeves when needed. You should be comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and bringing recommendations to ownership rather than waiting for direction. This role includes regular time in our cafes throughout NH and MA to understand the guest experience, maintain brand awareness and visual standards, and stay connected to operations. In‑office collaboration at our Nashua, NH headquarters is expected 1–2 times per week minimum. WHAT YOU'LL OWN Own and drive the company‑wide marketing calendar across seasonal launches, LTOs, openings, events, partnerships, email, digital, social, and in‑store initiatives. Turn business priorities into clear marketing plans with timelines, owners, dependencies, budgets, and measurable goals. Create the systems, SOPs, briefs, launch checklists, and communication rhythms that keep marketing organized and moving forward. Lead cross‑functional marketing initiatives with Creative, Operations, Culinary, Development, Accounting, and ownership, proactively resolving roadblocks and keeping teams accountable to deadlines. Prioritize competing opportunities and make sound recommendations about where the team should spend its time and budget. Take initiative: identify opportunities, gaps, or problems and move them forward without waiting to be asked. Partner closely with the Director of Creative to translate the Pressed brand into consistent, high‑impact marketing across every guest touchpoint. Build brand awareness through integrated marketing initiatives across digital, in‑store, community, partnerships, PR, and local‑market channels. Oversee in‑store marketing standards across locations, including signage, menu boards, seasonal displays, promotional materials, and overall visual consistency. Create clear rollout plans and standards so restaurant teams can execute marketing consistently, with Marketing auditing execution and addressing gaps with Operations. Support new location openings and major launches, ensuring the complete marketing experience is coordinated, on‑brand, and ready on time. Own the marketing strategy and accuracy of digital guest touchpoints, including the website, digital menus, online ordering, and third‑party delivery platforms. Oversee email marketing strategy, promotional sends, segmentation, automations, and performance, with tactical builds delegated where appropriate. Ensure menus, pricing, hours, promotions, photos, and location information remain accurate and consistent across digital channels. Continuously improve the digital guest journey, identifying opportunities to improve clarity, conversion, engagement, and brand presentation. Build productive relationships with landlords and development partners to strengthen Pressed Cafe's presence within each neighborhood, property, or development and identify opportunities for shared messaging, events, and promotion. Manage and grow marketing partnerships with third‑party delivery platforms, including DoorDash and Uber Eats, pursuing placement, promotions, and co‑marketing opportunities that make business sense. Develop community and local partnerships, including sponsorships, farmers markets, charity events, and collaborations with organizations that build meaningful local visibility and goodwill. Build relationships with local food influencers and content creators and coordinate authentic opportunities for coverage and collaboration. Evaluate partnership opportunities based on brand fit, reach, cost, operational complexity, and measurable value rather than activity for activity's sake. Build and maintain relationships with local and regional journalists, food writers, bloggers, and relevant media outlets to generate earned coverage for openings, menu launches, partnerships, growth news, and other meaningful company updates. Write and coordinate press releases and announcements for new locations, seasonal launches, partnerships, growth news, and other meaningful company updates. Own the brand‑level response strategy for public‑facing issues and partner with the appropriate leaders on crisis communications, including service issues, food safety concerns, or negative press. Lead the marketing strategy and coordination for grand openings, community events, and other high‑visibility brand moments. Identify and pursue relevant awards, “best of” lists, and local or regional recognition opportunities that strengthen credibility and awareness. Partner with People/HR leadership on employer‑brand communications and PR that support Pressed Cafe's reputation as a great place to work and help attract talent as the company scales. Own the marketing budget and make thoughtful recommendations about where to invest, reduce, test, or reallocate spend. Establish practical KPIs for campaigns and channels and track performance across email, web, digital, partnerships, promotions, and other marketing initiatives. Report clearly on what is working, what is not, and what should change, without overcomplicating the analysis. Build a test‑and‑learn discipline that continuously improves marketing effectiveness and ROI. Provide clear direction, priorities, and accountability for marketing team members and external partners within your scope. Partner with the Director of Creative as a functional peer, respecting creative ownership while providing the briefs, timelines, business context, and priorities needed for strong execution. Delegate appropriately while remaining willing to jump into the work when speed, quality, or a major launch requires it. Build a marketing function that can scale with Pressed Cafe without relying on ownership to manage the day‑to‑day flow of work. WHAT YOU BRING 7–10+ years of progressive marketing experience, ideally within restaurants, hospitality, retail, consumer, or another fast‑moving multi‑location brand. Experience owning a marketing function, major business unit, or broad portfolio of initiatives with significant autonomy. Exceptional project management and executive‑functioning skills. You naturally create order, prioritize, follow through, and keep multiple workstreams moving at once. A strong bias toward action. You do not wait to be told what to do; you identify what matters, make a plan, communicate it, and move. Strong business judgment and comfort balancing brand, guest experience, operational realities, budget, and ROI. Experience leading cross‑functional initiatives and influencing people who do not report directly to you. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write copy and communications that sound human, clear, and on‑brand. Comfort with digital marketing, email, websites, analytics, online ordering/delivery platforms, and modern marketing tools. A strong eye for brand consistency and the details that shape the guest experience. Resilience, urgency, resourcefulness, and comfort operating in a fast‑paced entrepreneurial environment where priorities can move quickly. Comfort spending meaningful time in restaurant environments and traveling among Pressed Cafe locations in NH and MA. WHY THIS ROLE IS EXCITING You will have meaningful ownership of the marketing function and direct access to company ownership and executive leadership. You will work alongside a strong creative leader while building the systems, strategy, and operating discipline that allow the brand to scale. Your work will be visible in the real world, across our cafes, digital channels, communities, launches, partnerships, and guest experience. Pressed Cafe is growing rapidly, and this role has the opportunity to shape how the marketing function evolves with the company. We care deeply about food, hospitality, design, guest experience, and building something great together. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Pressed Cafe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Pressed Cafe