group manager, Experiential Marketing

Starbucks • Seattle, WA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This role contributes to Starbucks success by leading and inspiring the experiential marketing team to create immersive, high‑impact brand moments that deepen customer connection and reinforce Starbucks as a cultural icon. The group manager, Experiential Marketing is a strategic and creative leader with deep experience across live brand activations, cultural moments, tentpole events, pop‑ups, partnerships, and integrated cross‑channel experiences. This leader brings a high bar for innovation, craft, operational excellence, and cultural fluency, guiding Starbucks into the next generation of experiential storytelling.

Requirements

• Experience leading major activations, tentpole events, or integrated experiential campaigns.
• 7–10 years experiential marketing, brand activation, event marketing, cultural partnerships, or related roles.
• Deep experience with agencies, production partners, and cross-functional collaboration.
• 3–5 years in strategy or creative development at a brand or agency.
• Prior experience leading people and teams.
• 5+ years people-management experience.
• Strong operational/budget/financial acumen.
• Advanced PowerPoint skills.
• Proven track record using insights to inspire experiential concepts.
• Strong understanding of experiential production, creative storytelling, and event logistics.
• Ability to translate cultural and customer insights into strategy.
• Excellent communication.
• Strong people leadership.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Ability to develop innovative, feasible, safe experiences.

Responsibilities

• Identify and communicate key responsibilities and practices to ensure the team operates with clarity, positivity, and accountability.
• Lead development, oversight, and approval of experiential marketing strategies, frameworks, and activation playbooks.
• Provide clear vision and inspiration to agency partners, creative teams, cross-functional stakeholders, and internal leaders.
• Establish a multi‑year experiential roadmap aligned to brand priorities, cultural moments, customer insights, and enterprise initiatives.
• Represent experiential marketing across the broader marketing and GTM (go-to-market) ecosystem.
• Own end‑to‑end process for experiential strategy, activation development, execution, and measurement.
• Ensure alignment of experiential programs with campaign strategy and integrated marketing.
• Oversee operational excellence including timelines, budgets, agency coordination, vendor management, and cross-functional alignment.
• Lead prioritization across simultaneous programs.
• Develop strategic briefs, executive presentations, and activation plans.
• Champion measurement frameworks for experiential KPIs.
• Lead with a 360 approach—considering how the brand is activated across experiential, PR (public relations) and social, while balancing operational needs.
• Serve as SME (subject matter expert) for experiential marketing, event innovation, cultural trends, and emerging technologies.
• Partner closely with integrated marketing, media, social, PR, brand strategy, store design, and product teams.
• Oversee agency partners and ensures best‑in‑class output.
• Challenge and inspire team members.
• Coach direct reports on strategy, creative, operations, and collaboration.
• Ensure compliance with legal, operational, and experiential standards.
• Lead hiring, training, development, and performance management.
• Build an inclusive, innovative team culture.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits.
• short-term and long-term disability
• paid parental leave
• family expansion reimbursement
• paid vacation from date of hire
• sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked)
• eight paid holidays
• two personal days per year
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• discounted company stock program (S.I.P.)
• Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock)
• incentivized emergency savings
• financial well-being tools
• 100%25 upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
• student loan management resources
• access to other educational opportunities
• backup care
• DACA reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager