Senior Marketing Director

Dark Horse Athletics•Blaine, MN

About The Position

We’re hiring a Senior Marketing Leader to own and lead the entire marketing function, from strategy through execution, across our direct-to-consumer hockey training services, tournaments, teams, and partnerships. This is not a “campaign manager” role. This is a strategist + builder + operator + leader role. You will define how we go to market, deliver our messaging, lead our digital ecosystem, and build a high-performing marketing team. You’ll partner closely with leadership to connect marketing directly to revenue, brand growth, and customer experience.

Requirements

8–15+ years in marketing, with senior leadership experience
Proven ability to build and scale (not just manage) direct-to-consumer brand marketing functions
Strong background in digital marketing, brand strategy, and performance marketing
Experience in sports, fitness, or athletics brands (required)
Strong strategic thinking + execution ability
Excellent writing and messaging skills (non-negotiable)
Deep experience across digital marketing channels, with comfort using marketing technology, digital tools, data, and analytics
Experience building integrated, multi-channel campaigns
Data-driven mindset and comfortable with metrics, dashboards, and ROI analysis
HubSpot (CRM, email, automation)
Google Analytics (GA4) and reporting tools
WordPress
Marketing automation, workflows, and campaign orchestration
Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive)
Experience leveraging AI platforms for content, analysis, and workflow acceleration
Experience managing, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams
High ownership, accountability, and bias toward action
Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, growth-stage, entrepreneurial environment
Ability to bring focus and clarity to teams that may be doing too many things

Nice To Haves

Experience in an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) company
Experience with design tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma)
Basic web development or coding knowledge (HTML/CSS, SEO)
Experience in DTC eCommerce platforms (i.e., Shopify)

Responsibilities

Develop and lead the overall brand and marketing strategy
Apply and operationalize the defined go-to-market focus, target audiences, and positioning
Translate business goals into a marketing roadmap with clear marketing priorities, plans, and measurable outcomes
Bring structure and prioritization to marketing efforts
Establish marketing as a core growth driver, not a support function
Identify and prioritize highest-impact initiatives; eliminate low-value or distracting activities
Own and evolve the brand voice, story, and positioning
Develop clear, differentiated messaging in a competitive landscape
Lead content strategy across all channels, including digital, social, email, and campaigns
Ensure consistency and quality across all brand touchpoints
Build and scale a repeatable content engine aligned to brand and growth goals
Oversee all digital channels (website, social, email, paid media, etc.)
Optimize the full buyer/customer journey (awareness → conversion → retention → advocacy)
Leverage marketing technology (CRM, analytics, automation tools) to drive performance
Build dashboards and reporting to track KPIs and ROI
Provide clear direction, feedback, and prioritization to internal and external resources
Ensure all visual output aligns with brand standards, messaging, and performance goals
Collaborate on campaigns, content, and digital experiences to elevate brand quality
Maintain a high bar for design, content, and overall brand presentation
Lead, mentor, and develop the internal marketing team
Manage external partners (agencies, freelancers, partners, creators)
Build structure, processes, and consistent marketing cadence (planning, execution, and reporting rhythms) to drive accountability and results
Balance high-level strategy with hands-on execution
Drive measurable growth in brand awareness, customer acquisition, engagement, and retention
Align closely with sales, operations, and leadership on growth goals
Continuously evaluate and optimize marketing spend and ROI