The Senior Director, Club Branding is a key connection between the League and our many Clubs. This role will be charged with developing strategy and managing on-going and one-off branding initiatives with our Clubs. Given the growth of Major League Soccer, the role will create and maintain relationships with existing and new Clubs across various levels of the organization.
Primary responsibility will be to bring a high level of sophistication and professionalism to the creation, development and support of brands so that Clubs stand out in markets that MLS operates.
The candidate will also be astute in how they study organizations, unlocking what tenants of the business and its culture can influencer the brand strategy. Knowledge of what makes a great brand will enable the candidate to understand and analyze the competition and identify how best to leverage ownable white space.
Finally, the candidate will have outstanding creative skills. Including the ability to design frameworks, create concepts and brand ideas, and work with designers on building systems and identities.
The Senior Director, Club Branding insures that MLS provides:
Sound and responsible brand counsel and planning
Innovative and influential solutions to solve business challenges and opportunities
Highly skilled communications and presentations for Leaders
Work that is strategic and above all creative
Responsibilities:
Club Brand management
Main point of contact between Clubs and MLS
Key internal stakeholder between League marketing and other cross functional departments that work with and influence Clubs (e.g. Club services, consumer products).=
Oversee and manage project plan and development process
Understand type of branding work that Club requires and reflect that in how job is scoped out
Lead workshops and research needs
Understand Club business, competitive landscape and fan base
Distill findings into digestible forms: SWOT / Situation Analysis, Fan Journey Audit, Future Role of Brand
Work with MLS research and insights team to outline qualitative and quantitative needs on brand, market and fan
Hold workshops to distill what the brand means to Club staff, commercial partners and select fan group
Define brand strategies and creative concepts
Analyze findings and design creative concepts and ideas that frame up positioning and white space
Lead the design of brand tools, not limited to: purpose, values, positioning etc.
Help finalize brand book / document
Outline ideal fan profile and experiential roadmap (if applicable)
Manage briefing and design process
Recommend and help scope out RFP and agency search (local / national)
Design creative brief for agency and design development
Help oversee design process as it relates to any required identity work, working with internal / external vendors
Guide implementation and brand to life
Show how new brand can be understood and lived by all facets of the business, from HR, to advertising, to the technical staff
Design implementation and rollout plans that includes cost analysis
Discuss success metrics / KPIs
Additional responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications:
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree
8-12+ years of experience in providing brand, marketing and communications services
Required Skills
Ability to think creatively, provide innovative solutions and develop solid strategic plans
Ability to effectively navigate a wide range of stakeholders both internally and externally
Strong design oversight, ability to oversee design talent and connect strategy to creative
Skilled at influencing across all levels of an organization, including positioning key concepts
Experience aligning projects and initiatives with a strong eye on ROI
Knowledge of North American soccer and passionate about working in sports, especially soccer
Superior organization, project management skills and attention to detail
High level of commitment to quality work product and organizational ethics, integrity and compliance
Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, team environment
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate, both written and verbally
Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Demonstrated decision making and problem solving skills
Detail-oriented with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with minimal supervision
Desired Skills
Knowledge of the Spanish Language (business proficiency)
Branding agency or consulting experience
Ability to travel and to work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
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