AC Grand Rapids is an MLS NEXT Pro expansion club set to launch in 2027. As a new pillar in the West Michigan sports landscape, the club is committed to building a best‑in‑class sporting and entertainment organization that reflects the pride, passion, and values of the Grand Rapids community. We are building an innovative and community-driven club that wins on and off the pitch.
Position Summary
The Manager of Integrated Marketing and Community Engagement will play a foundational role in handling the week-to-week integrated marketing priorities for AC Grand Rapids. This role is responsible for executing paid digital marketing, managing paid media vendor relationships, supporting grassroots marketing and community efforts, and amplifying the club’s community pillars and initiatives through strategic community partnerships across West Michigan. The Manager, Integrated Marketing and Community Engagement works closely across all departments to ensure marketing initiatives reflect every aspect of the organization while remaining consistent with the AC Grand Rapids brand, helping drive demand for the club’s products and experiences and building an authentic connection between the club and the West Michigan community.
Primary Responsibilities
Handle week-to-week integrated marketing priorities, ensuring campaigns and initiatives are planned, executed, and measured on schedule.
Build and maintain the integrated marketing calendar, aligning campaigns, promotions, and community activations with the match schedule and broader club initiatives.
Plan, execute, and optimize paid digital marketing campaigns across Meta, Google, programmatic, and other digital platforms to drive ticketing, merchandise, and brand awareness.
Support planning and execution of club-hosted events such as watch parties, meet‑the‑team events, kit launches, and season ticket member events.
Build and lead grassroots programming across West Michigan, including youth soccer, schools, supporter groups, neighborhood organizations, and local businesses.
Own vendor relationships and buys across paid radio, billboard, television, out-of‑home, and other traditional media channels.
Support community efforts, including building strategic community partnerships, database growth initiatives, camps and clinics marketing support, and identification of community events for club presence.
Maintain the club website and applicable other channels in collaboration with Creative Manager, ensuring content reflects current promotions, matches, events, and key messaging.
Create and implement marketing campaigns to help drive demand for ticketing products, including single‑match tickets, season tickets, groups, hospitality areas, and exclusive offers.
Plan and execute email and SMS marketing campaigns, including segmentation, A/B testing, and automation workflows that nurture fans from awareness through conversion and retention.
Oversee negotiation, creative development, and trafficking of all paid media advertising, as well as strategic in‑house asset management of owned channels, including digital, print, outdoor, and in‑stadium.
Track, measure, and report on campaign performance, including spend, ROI, attribution, and audience engagement, and make data‑informed recommendations to improve results.
Compile marketing data and analytics to identify trends and make strategic recommendations to leadership.
Work alongside the ticket sales and partnerships teams to create and execute marketing campaigns, including copywriting, graphic development, campaign timelines, list pulls from CRM and analytics platforms, and outreach across multiple channels.
Partner with ticketing to leverage CRM data for audience segmentation and targeted campaigns.
Develop creative strategies in partnership with the corporate partnerships team to promote partners through social media, email marketing, community outreach, and website recognition.
Maintain strong relationships with media outlets, influencers, third‑party providers, vendors, and platform representatives (ticketing, CRM, email/SMS, and auction tools).
Coordinate off‑season promotions meetings to build a promo calendar for the upcoming season.
Work in unison with the VP, Integrated Marketing and Communications to implement department goals.
Manage the integrated marketing budget allocation for assigned channels and campaigns, including forecasting and expense tracking.
Maintain an up‑to‑date awareness of MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and sports marketing trends, statistics, strategies, and activities.
Assist with the development, coordination, and implementation of game day activities as needed.
Provide the highest standards of customer service to every fan, client, and partner.
Perform other duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
At least 3 years of experience in integrated marketing, digital marketing, or a related role, preferably within a sports or entertainment environment.
Hands‑on experience managing paid digital campaigns on Meta Business Manager, Google Ads, and comparable platforms.
Experience managing paid media vendor relationships across radio, billboard, TV, and other traditional channels.
Established track record of results in digital growth and campaign performance.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including copywriting.
Proficiency with marketing tools and platforms (CRM systems such as HubSpot or Salesforce, email/SMS platforms, social media management tools, ticketing analytics platforms, website content management systems, and creative tools such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro).
Must be proficient in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Must be willing to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, holidays, and match days.
Must be willing to travel when necessary.
Must pass pre‑employment screens.
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience in a professional or collegiate sports marketing environment.
Experience with soccer‑specific marketing or community programs (camps, clinics, grassroots).
Familiarity with the West Michigan media and community landscape.
Understanding or knowledge of the professional soccer landscape/culture.
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