Director of Marketing

The People Brand•Costa Mesa, CA

About The Position

As the business continues to grow, we are seeking a marketing leader who can strengthen retail and wholesale marketing efforts, expand community engagement, optimize marketing investments, and increase brand presence within key growth markets. This role will play a critical part in connecting brand storytelling with commercial performance while helping shape the next chapter of growth. The Director of Marketing is a commercial leader responsible for connecting brand strategy to execution in market. The brand has a strong creative DNA led by its founding team, and this role is designed for someone who can ensure that creative reaches the right consumer, at the right moment, through the right channels. This leader will own GTM strategy, Channel Marketing, PR, Ambassador Strategy, Partnership Marketing, and Marketing Planning while partnering closely with the creative team, sales organization, and executive leadership to translate brand vision and storytelling into strategic marketing programs, retail activations, partnerships, and measurable business results. While close partnership with the eCommerce team is essential, ownership of eCommerce marketing, site performance, and digital commerce falls outside the scope of this role.

Requirements

5+ years of marketing leadership experience within lifestyle, outdoor, action sports, or adjacent consumer categories.
Proven ability to grow brand reach while driving measurable business results.
Strong wholesale, trade marketing, retail marketing, and field marketing experience.
Experience developing regional marketing strategies and localized activation programs.
Deep understanding of retail landscapes, consumer behavior, and community engagement.
Experience managing and developing teams.
Strategically sharp, commercially minded, data literate, and highly collaborative.
High EQ and the ability to work effectively alongside founder led organizations.
Self directed, resourceful, and comfortable operating in a fast moving entrepreneurial environment.

Nice To Haves

Passion for lifestyle, outdoor, or enthusiast driven brands strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and own the annual and seasonal marketing calendar aligned to product launches, key retail moments, cultural initiatives, and wholesale timelines.
Develop channel specific campaign plans that translate brand storytelling into targeted consumer actions across awareness, acquisition, engagement, and conversion.
Define how campaigns are distributed across paid, owned, earned, retail, ambassador, and partnership channels with measurable impact.
Ensure marketing plans support revenue growth, retail sell through, wholesale expansion, customer acquisition, and regional market penetration.
Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks to evaluate marketing effectiveness and business performance.
Develop co-op and trade marketing programs that drive demand and create excitement across specialty retailers and national accounts.
Build retail staff engagement and education programs that strengthen brand advocacy and improve sell through.
Partner closely with Sales and Retail Marketing to ensure strong in store execution and channel consistency.
Develop marketing support frameworks for retail expansion, new markets, and strategic growth initiatives.
Own tradeshow strategy, ensuring every event has clear commercial objectives and measurable outcomes.
Build regional marketing strategies including grassroots events, ambassador tours, film premieres, tournaments, retail activations, and community engagement programs.
Strengthen relationships with consumers, retail partners, ambassadors, and industry influencers across key markets.
Travel regularly to support priority markets, retail partners, events, and community activations.
Build and evolve a structured ambassador, influencer, partnership, and PR strategy with clear objectives and ROI expectations.
Identify strategic partnerships that expand brand reach and deepen consumer relevance.
Evaluate existing partnership investments and identify opportunities to maximize both brand impact and commercial performance.
Partner with executive leadership and founders to optimize marketing operating budgets across athlete, media, retail, and community investments.
Build planning, briefing, reporting, and communication processes that create alignment across Creative, Sales, Retail, and eCommerce.
Track competitive positioning, market trends, consumer behavior, and category shifts.
Evaluate marketing resources, organizational structure, and future team needs to support growth.
Directly manage the Retail Marketing Manager and provide leadership support to Graphic Design and broader creative resources.
Build a culture grounded in accountability, curiosity, collaboration, and a genuine passion for the brand.
Influence cross functional teams through trust, alignment, and commercial results.