Senior Director of Sports Marketing | Full-Time | Acrisure Arena

Oak View Group

Oak View Group is the global leader in venue development, management, and premium hospitality services for the live event industry. Offering an unmatched, 360-degree solution set for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster that includes the most influential, highest attended arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions on the planet.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Sports Marketing will lead the development and optimization of go-to-market strategies and tactics to drive brand & community engagement, sales, fan engagement and revenue. This role is responsible for day-to-day oversight of all team & event-related marketing, promotions, and advertising functions. They will own the creation and project management of marketing campaigns with a focus on experiential, email marketing, paid media, PR/storytelling and media partnerships.  This role sits at the center of the marketing organization, leading staff in cross-functional efforts with comms, digital, social media & content, game presentation, corporate partnerships, ticket sales, creative, broadcast partners and other divisions to deliver innovative and effective GTM plans that meet organizational targets.

 

This role will pay an annual salary of $100,000 to $120,000 and is bonus eligible.

 

Benefits for Full-Time roles: Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401(k) Savings Plan, 401(k) matching, and Paid Time Off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays)

This position will remain open until September 12, 2025.

About the Venue

America’s hottest music festival destination finally has the world-class arena it deserves. Now open, the brand new Acrisure Arena provides the greater Palm Springs area of Southern California with a premiere 11,000+ capacity venue hosting the biggest artists and acts on the planet. We are #TheCoolestSpot in the desert, designed specifically for hockey and acoustically designed for concerts, Acrisure Arena provides top-tier hospitality, artist amenities, and all of the benefits of a modern music and sports venue to the Coachella Valley.

 

The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey team based in the Coachella Valley. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Firebirds began play in the 2022–23 season as an expansion franchise. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Seattle Kraken. The team plays their home games at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, CA.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute effective marketing campaigns specific to hockey games & community events, venue sporting events, concerts & family shows in order to maximize attendance and ticket revenue. This includes but is not limited to media planning-negotiating-buying, promotion implementation, publicity, database marketing, social media strategy, trade media allocation, digital marketing, campaign budgeting and settlement preparation.
• Work in conjunction with other members of the organization’s marketing team to effectively communicate and promote events through venue assets, sponsorships, promotional partnerships, community initiatives, media partners, trade partnerships and group marketing campaigns on an event-by-event basis.
• Foster relationships with the AHL front office, AHL teams, media partners, sponsors, community partners and promoters.
• Organize and communicate event marketing efforts and initiatives including but not limited to: marketing material (admats, digital assets, etc.) distribution, PR and media needs, content development, and ticketing promotions.
• Develop client sales and marketing materials and event marketing research.
• Manage a team consisting of digital marketing, PR, social media, creative and any other support roles.
• Track on key KPI’s related marketing initiatives, content creation and revenue strategy.
• Evaluate and reconcile advertising campaigns on an on-going basis to ensure all materials are performing.
• Collaborate on the creation, management and activation of team & venue branding, marketing and communication initiatives including but not limited to departmental budgeting, annual marketing plan creation, community relations programming and internal/external venue publicity efforts.
• Serve as on-site marketing department representative for designated events (e.g. duties may include serving as venue PR representative, media escorting, sponsor and/or promotional partner implementation, media partner implementation, etc.)
• Partner with senior leadership and other departmental leaders on key market research to inform marketing tactics.
• Maintain good attendance and punctuality.
• Reports to the VP of Marketing for Multiple Organizations including The Firebirds, Acrisure Arena, Berger Foundation Iceplex and the One Valley Foundation and may fill in during the absence of the Vice President.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an accredited university, Area of Study: Sales, Marketing, Business Administration or Related Field, or equivalent work experience.
• Experience with sports marketing (preferably hockey) and large-scale events in arena or concert setting of a similar size (10,000 seats) is highly desirable.
• 10 Plus Years Supporting Marketing in a Sports Team or Entertainment Venue.
• 7+ Plus Years of proven success as a Team Leader managing a Marketing Department
• Adept in leveraging both left and right brain thinking
• The ability to innovate and create brilliant fan experiences, while using data and experimentation to drive marketing strategies
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an expert ability to present and communicate new ideas and concepts.
• Extremely organized and detail oriented, resourceful, quick learner and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• A high degree of personal integrity and consistently put the interests of the organization first.
• Must be a fierce communicator and cross-organizational collaborator.
• Solution Oriented Senior Leader.
• Strategic Marketing Innovator.

Working Conditions:

• This role is based on-site in our Palm Desert, CA office and requires work to be performed in person. However, we do value flexibility as the business will allow, and offer occasional opportunities to work from home.
• Minimal Travel (<10% travel): May be required to travel. Trips may require air travel and/or overnight stay away from home for one or more nights.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule inclusive of weekends, nights and holidays required.
• Frequent bending, lifting 15-20 pounds, sitting, exposure to multiple external elements, extensive walking through the building including inclines and stairs.

Strengthened by our Differences. United to Make a Difference

At OVG, we understand that to continue positively disrupting the sports and live entertainment industry, we need a diverse team to help us do it. We also believe that inclusivity drives innovation, strengthens our people, improves our service, and raises our excellence. Our success is rooted in creating environments that reflect and celebrate the diverse communities in which we operate and serve, and this is the reason we are committed to amplifying voices from all different backgrounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Oak View Group is committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”) including, but not limited to veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.