Manager, Grassroots Marketing

Sporting Kansas City•Kansas City, MO

12d

About The Position

The Manager, Grassroots Marketing owns Sporting Kansas City’s off-site grassroots marketing strategy and execution. The role builds the club’s visibility throughout the community and region and creates in-person opportunities for people to develop a stronger connection with the club. The Manager leads the calendar for community and regional activations, pub and collegiate programs, local marketing relationships, and off-site Brand Ambassador deployment. The role works across the Marketing department to connect grassroots experiences to club campaigns and continued audience engagement. The position requires availability for home matches, selected events, evenings, weekends, and holidays as business needs dictate. Travel may be required. Work takes place in office, stadium, and event settings, including outdoors. Essential responsibilities must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

Requirements

Four or more years of experience in grassroots marketing, experiential marketing, community engagement, event marketing, or a related field.
Experience planning and executing multiple activations or events at the same time.
Experience managing part-time staff, ambassadors, vendors, or event teams.
Strong project management skills and attention to detail.
Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
Ability to manage budgets, timelines, logistics, and on-site execution.
Comfort using audience information and performance results to improve future programs.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Ability to work games, evenings, weekends, and events throughout the region as required.
Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to prioritize responsibilities, manage competing deadlines, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced professional sports environment.
Self-motivated, results-driven, and committed to achieving individual and organizational goals.
Ability to perform under pressure and adapt to the changing demands of the sports industry.
Strong time management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
Ability to build and maintain relationships with clients, partners, and key stakeholders.
Approachable, collaborative, and diplomatic when working with colleagues, clients, and external partners.
Professional demeanor and ability to represent the organization positively in interactions.
Team-oriented mindset and willingness to collaborate across departments.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of the Kansas City region and its communities.
Experience in sports, entertainment, live events, or consumer marketing.
Energetic, enthusiastic, and creative, with a passion for sports and delivering exceptional results.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage an annual grassroots marketing plan and activation calendar aligned with Sporting KC’s marketing priorities.
Lead community activations from initial evaluation through on-site execution and follow-up.
Manage pub relationships, watch parties, collegiate programs, and other local platforms where Sporting can maintain an ongoing presence.
Build relationships with businesses, campuses, community organizations, and regional partners that can help Sporting reach relevant audiences.
Evaluate incoming activation opportunities and recommend which opportunities Sporting should lead, support, or decline.
Develop activation concepts and experiences that reflect the Sporting KC brand and give attendees a clear way to engage with the club.
Manage off-site Brand Ambassador deployment, including staffing plans, event briefs, assignments, and performance expectations.
Partner with Brand Ambassador Leads to maintain consistent execution and fan engagement standards.
Manage signage, materials, equipment, inventory, vendors, and other logistics required for grassroots programs.
Partner with Creative, Social Media, Digital, the Manager of Fan Experience and Promotions, and other Marketing Channel Leads to connect physical activations to broader campaigns.
Coordinate fan data collection and follow-up with the appropriate Digital and CRM partners.
Manage program budgets and report on participation, audience response, data collection, and other agreed measures of success.
Track where Sporting has a strong local presence and identify audiences or areas where additional work is needed.