Marketing Lead (DC Defenders)

XFL Properties DBA United Football League•Washington, DC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Marketing Lead is responsible for the DC Defenders’ local team marketing and branding efforts, translating the league’s marketing strategy into a year-round go-to-market plan and overseeing its execution. The role focuses on building the fan base, increasing brand awareness, driving grassroots and community initiatives, engaging fans across digital and social platforms, and supporting business performance, ticket sales, and game attendance. It serves as steward of the team brand and collaborates with league and team staff—including marketing, content, creative, ticketing, communications, sponsorship, social media, production, and venue teams—to advance shared business and brand goals. The position has a dual reporting structure to the Head of Business Operations (Team) and the league’s Senior Director, Brand & Team Marketing. The Marketing Lead develops and executes campaigns to support revenue goals, acquire and retain fans, and build brand awareness. The role oversees local field marketing and grassroots activations, community relationships, digital and social campaigns, game-day engagement and logistics, promotional staffing, and the team marketing budget. It is a hybrid role based in Washington, D.C., with required attendance at games and key events, a flexible schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holidays, local travel, and moderate out-of-market travel of less than 25%. The role may involve prolonged sitting and computer use and occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of progressive marketing management experience, with an emphasis on consumer-facing sports, media, or entertainment industries.
Expertise in marketing and digital technology, including industry trends, key industry leaders, terminology, and the sports entertainment and media landscape.
Ability to create campaigns, promotions, and digital assets with sound brand judgment and the ability to generate brand energy.
Proven ability to execute strategic marketing plans focused on growth and aligned with company goals and vision.
Ability to manage complexity and ambiguity, lead multiple projects in parallel, understand business challenges, and develop forward-thinking solutions.
Understanding of local market ticket-buying habits and fan-engagement nuances.
Ability to work effectively with stakeholders across the company, agencies, and client organizations.
Self-starter with an energetic and resilient mindset, enthusiasm, and determination to meet deliverables, timelines, and objectives.
Exceptional communication, sales and promotions, and customer service skills.
Superior verbal and written communication skills.
Availability for a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays, and presence at all games and key events.
Ability to travel locally and make moderate out-of-market trips of less than 25% as needed.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods and work on a computer.
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds at times.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute team marketing campaigns that support revenue goals, build brand awareness, acquire new fans, and retain current fans.
Translate league marketing strategy into a season-long go-to-market plan and oversee execution with league email, social, creative, and digital/media teams.
Submit creative requests, write email copy, and traffic assets as needed.
Collaborate with Marketing, Content, and Creative teams on advertising, branding, promotional, grassroots, ticketing, theme-game, tentpole, sweepstakes, lead-generation, and fan-engagement campaigns.
Coordinate with seasonal social media teams to align digital content plans and messaging with marketing initiatives.
Lead local field marketing and grassroots activations, including community events, social responsibility efforts, on-site and digital/social activations, fan promotions, street teams, brand ambassadors, and event activations.
Use local market insights to recommend and evaluate campaign messaging, media placements, audiences, and hyper-local marketing plans.
Build the local team brand, personality, and reputation, and engage fans, local partners, and stakeholders.
Execute promotions, content capture, and partner activations with sponsors, other sports teams, community organizations, and other local partners to build the brand and drive attendance.
Develop strategic initiatives with the communications team to generate earned media and grow the brand.
Partner with Sponsorship and Ticketing leads on campaigns and programs that drive revenue.
Collaborate with the content team on storytelling, promotions, and database growth initiatives across digital products.
Promote the league, local talent, players, and coaches through local marketing efforts.
Develop fan-engagement ideas and facilitate game-day activations, event planning, and logistics.
Provide weekly information for production timelines and run-of-show materials to support game presentation and accurate game-day scripts.
Manage game-day staff, talent, and other individuals working games and events.
Coordinate with production and venue staff on pre-show and game-day fan experience.
Source, build, and maintain fully staffed street and promotional teams for local grassroots marketing efforts.
Manage the team marketing budget and deliver against marketing performance metrics.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of Business Operations and/or Senior Director, Brand & Team Marketing.