Marketing Department Manager

Lambs Farm•Libertyville, IL

About The Position

Lambs Farm is seeking a strategic and collaborative Marketing Department Manager to lead marketing and communications efforts and increase awareness of its mission, programs, businesses, fundraising initiatives, and community impact. The manager will set organizational marketing priorities, campaign strategies, brand standards, messaging, and performance goals while leading the Marketing team. The position reports to the Director of Operations and oversees the Marketing Assistant, Special Projects Coordinator, and Special Events Coordinator. It serves as the primary owner of marketing strategy, external communications, public relations, advertising, and brand governance, while partnering across the organization to align marketing resources with organizational priorities. The manager will develop integrated campaigns and communications across social media, email, digital, print, advertising, public relations, and community channels; steward Lambs Farm’s brand and organizational voice; guide digital marketing and external relationships; manage vendors and agency-supported work; oversee the Marketing budget; and assess performance to inform strategy. The role also develops promotional strategies for organizational and fundraising events, participates in major events as needed, and travels locally as needed. Occasional evening and weekend work and the ability to occasionally transport marketing or event materials weighing up to 25 pounds are required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, or a related field.
Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, public relations, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated marketing campaigns.
Strong writing, editing, storytelling, presentation, and organizational communication skills.
Knowledge of social media, email marketing, digital advertising, website content strategy, public relations, and content marketing.
Experience using data and performance metrics to evaluate marketing effectiveness and guide decisions.
Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Canva sufficient to review and provide direction on creative materials.
Strong project management skills, including setting priorities, managing competing deadlines, and coordinating multiple stakeholders.
Ability to develop productive relationships with media, businesses, donors, sponsors, community partners, and internal teams.
Strong professional judgment and ability to represent Lambs Farm effectively in external communications.
Passion for working with and supporting adults with developmental disabilities.
Proficiency in writing, speaking, and understanding English.
Proficiency with word processing, spreadsheets, email, web-based platforms, digital communication tools, and marketing technology.
Ability to work effectively in office, campus, community, event, retail, restaurant, and other public-facing environments as needed.
Ability to participate in periodic evening and weekend organizational events.
Ability to occasionally transport marketing or event materials weighing up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience coordinating the work of staff, vendors, agencies, or cross-functional project teams.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the organization’s marketing and communications strategy in alignment with its mission, strategic plan, fundraising priorities, and business objectives.
Set annual and seasonal marketing priorities, campaign objectives, target audiences, messaging strategies, timelines, and performance expectations.
Develop and maintain an integrated marketing calendar covering campaigns, fundraising initiatives, events, business promotions, publications, digital communications, and community outreach.
Prioritize incoming marketing requests and assign work according to organizational needs, deadlines, resources, and team responsibilities.
Lead, coach, and provide performance feedback to assigned Marketing staff; establish clear responsibilities across strategy, digital execution, creative production, and event operations.
Develop department processes, workflows, standards, and project management practices.
Oversee the Marketing budget and recommend resource allocations for advertising, printing, promotional materials, digital tools, vendors, and other marketing activities.
Develop integrated campaigns across social media, email, digital, print, advertising, public relations, and community channels; define objectives, messages, calls to action, audiences, distribution plans, and success measures.
Provide content and creative direction to team members and review and approve significant marketing communications for brand and strategic alignment.
Partner with Development leadership on fundraising communications, appeals, Giving Tuesday, donor-facing campaigns, and major fundraising initiatives.
Partner with departments to promote programs, services, recruitment initiatives, events, and campus businesses.
Steward the Lambs Farm brand, organizational voice, and external messaging; establish and maintain brand standards and visual guidelines.
Ensure communications represent adults with developmental disabilities respectfully and authentically, and that materials accurately represent organizational programs, businesses, services, and fundraising priorities.
Set strategies and performance expectations for social media, email marketing, website content, and digital advertising; guide routine digital execution and review performance data.
Build relationships with media outlets, community organizations, businesses, sponsors, tourism partners, and other external stakeholders.
Serve as a primary Marketing contact for media inquiries and coordinate organizational responses with executive leadership when appropriate.
Identify earned media, community awareness, partnership, cross-promotion, and visibility opportunities; develop press releases, media pitches, talking points, organizational statements, and other significant external communications as needed.
Manage relationships with advertising, website, media, and other external marketing agencies and consultants; set advertising priorities, approve campaign direction, monitor deliverables, and evaluate vendor performance.
Coordinate major website projects, technical updates, and agency-supported initiatives beyond routine internal website maintenance.
Establish and monitor performance indicators; analyze social media, email, website, campaign, event promotion, and advertising results and provide leadership with performance updates and strategic recommendations.
Develop marketing and promotional strategies for organizational and fundraising events, setting audiences, timelines, messaging, channels, and objectives and assigning deliverables to Marketing team members.
Participate in major organizational events as needed, including occasional evenings and weekends.
Travel locally as needed for community engagement, media opportunities, vendor meetings, networking, and organizational events.
Occasionally transport marketing or event materials weighing up to 25 pounds.