Director of Marketing

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

5d•$160,000 - $195,000•Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is seeking a Director of Marketing who is both a strategist and an executor, responsible for owning the marketing strategy, building campaigns, and driving them to results. This role involves leading a team, including a marketing coordinator, podcast producer, events coordinator, a PR agency, and creative contractors. The Director will provide direction, clarity, and momentum to the team, ensuring accountability to high standards. Collaboration with the Business Development team is crucial to ensure marketing efforts directly support the sales pipeline. Key responsibilities include crafting the annual strategy, running campaigns, leading events, directing content, and managing the budget. The ideal candidate will understand complex, relationship-driven markets, how to market physical products, and how to build brand trust and credibility in an industry where these take time to earn. Experience in building and marketing tangible products, and leading a team under pressure, is highly valued.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Advertising, Business Administration or equivalent degree. In lieu of a degree need to have 12 years of relevant progressive experience.
U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.
8+ years of progressive marketing experience, with at least 3 years in a director-level or senior leadership role.
Experience creating strategies and executing them yourself — not delegated strategy up and execution down; you have done both.
Experience marketing a physical product; you understand the dynamics of selling something tangible in a complex, relationship-driven market.
Proven track record leading a team of direct reports and managing external partners including agencies, contractors, and vendors.
Experience owning a marketing budget with direct accountability for spend, prioritization, and results.
Demonstrated ability to build campaigns from concept to launch across brand, content, digital, events, and earned media.
Experience working closely with a sales or BD team to directly support pipeline through marketing.
Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills — able to make complex or technical subject matter clear, compelling, and human.

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense, aerospace, national security, government technology, or adjacent dual-use sectors.
Familiarity with B2G markets and federal procurement dynamics, including how the DoD and intelligence community evaluate and engage vendors.
Experience managing or directing a PR agency and holding them to a proactive earned media strategy.
Familiarity with design tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite).
MBA or advanced degree in marketing, communications, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Own Firestorm’s annual marketing strategy: set the vision, define priorities, allocate resources, and translate goals into concrete campaigns and timelines.
Develop integrated, multi-channel campaign strategies aligned with product milestones, fundraising cycles, BD priorities, hiring pushes, and industry moments.
Set measurable goals for every initiative and hold yourself and your team accountable to them; deliver executive-ready performance reports with clear KPIs and ROI.
Partner with the founders and executive team to align marketing strategy with company growth objectives.
Create campaigns from concept to launch: brief, strategy, messaging, creative direction, channel plan, and execution -- then drive them to completion.
Direct the creative contractor roster (video, photography, graphic design) to produce assets that meet the brief, hit the timeline, and reflect the brand.
Coordinate all asset creation with the marketing coordinator, covering social content, PR materials, digital assets, and collateral.
Lead the PR agency: set direction, review pitches and press materials, hold them to a proactive media strategy, and ensure Firestorm’s story is being told in the right places.
Develop and maintain Firestorm’s brand identity, voice, and visual language across every channel and touchpoint.
Produce or oversee high-impact content including product videos, capability briefs, thought leadership, newsletters, customer stories, and investor materials.
Own the events strategy: identify priority conferences, tradeshows, and industry gatherings; set goals for each; and manage the full annual calendar.
Work directly with the events coordinator to plan and execute Firestorm’s presence from booth concept and speaking submissions to demo strategy and on-site logistics.
Lead pre-event campaign planning and post-event follow-up in close coordination with the BD team to maximize pipeline impact.
Develop activations and experiences that generate real attention and meaningful conversations.
Work shoulder-to-shoulder with the BD team to ensure marketing strategy, campaigns, and content are directly aligned with pipeline priorities and growth targets.
Build and maintain sales enablement materials (pitch deck, slick sheets), proposal support assets, and account-based content that accelerates BD conversations.
Develop customer-facing collateral — capability briefs, program slick sheets, technical one-pagers — that gives the BD team what they need to open doors and close them.
Participate in customer meetings, program reviews, and stakeholder engagements as a communications resource and brand ambassador.
Lead and coordinate a team of direct reports and extended contributors: marketing coordinator, podcast producer, events coordinator, PR agency, and creative contractors.
Set clear direction, maintain high creative standards, and hold every contributor accountable to deadlines and quality.
Own the marketing budget: prioritize spend, track ROI, and report performance directly to the executive team.
Manage vendor and agency relationships; set expectations, review output, and maintain discipline on budget and timelines.
Own Firestorm’s digital ecosystem: website, SEO/SEM, paid and organic social, and marketing operations.
Unify Firestorm’s presence across podcasts, video, press, events, and social under a single consistent voice and visual identity.
Serve as a trusted communications partner to the CEO and founders, supporting speechwriting, investor relations, board materials, and internal messaging.
Lead crisis and reactive communications; develop playbooks, messaging frameworks, and response protocols in partnership with leadership.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including holiday hiatuses in July & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Lifestyle Spending Account
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Hospital Indemnity insurance
Critical Illness insurance
Accident insurance
Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
Relocation assistance