Director, Marketing - Product, Lifecycle, Performance
- Full-time
Company Description
At Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership (MLSE), we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that is representative of our community and where all employees feel they belong and can reach their full potential. We are Canada’s preeminent leader in delivering top quality sport and entertainment experiences and one of North America’s leading providers of exceptional fan experiences. We are the parent company of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors, Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC, the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and development teams with the Toronto Marlies (American Hockey League), Raptors 905 (NBA G League), Toronto FC II (MLS NEXT Pro League) and Raptors Uprising Gaming Club, the Toronto Raptors Esports franchise in the NBA 2K League.
MLSE owns and/or operates all the venues our teams play and train in, including Scotiabank Arena, BMO Field, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Ford Performance Centre, BMO Training Ground, and OVO Athletic Centre. We also provide fans in Toronto with incredible live music and entertainment events, as well as exceptional culinary experiences through our restaurants (e11even and RS) and clubs (Hot Stove Club, ScotiaClub and Platinum Club). Through MLSE Foundation, we have invested more than $45 million into Ontario communities since 2009 and with MLSE LaunchPad, we provide a place where youth facing barriers use sport to recognize and reach their potential.
We achieve all of this through our Common Purpose - to unite and empower our employees to create extraordinary moments for our fans and each other. Come be a part of the team.
Job Description
Reporting to the Senior Director, Marketing, you will be MLSE’s marketing leader across three distinct, fast-growing areas: product marketing, go-to-market strategy, and lifecycle & performance marketing. You will be at the centre of evolving the department’s approach to secure future growth that is industry-leading in effectiveness and efficiency: how we market our core products in a changing landscape and launching net-new initiatives that future-proof our organization. You will be accountable for harnessing strategic vision, operational excellence, and cross-functional leadership to build marketing centres of excellence that grow fans and fandom, make us a more efficient business, and grow top- and bottom-line commercial results. You will directly mentor and manage a team of three Manager-level leaders and create a high empathy and high performance culture, with the full team of seven to unify and elevate marketing practices across the organization.
- Strategic Direction & Vision: Develop and articulate a unified marketing vision that integrates product marketing, go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and lifecycle & performance marketing to meet business goals. Guide, collaborate, and coach respective Managers in the creation of their comprehensive methodologies, processes, and functional strategies.
- Innovation & Change Management: Serve as a key driver of organizational change by guiding the adoption of new marketing initiatives. Develop and execute structured change management plans including stakeholder engagement, communication strategies, training, and feedback mechanisms to ensure alignment and buy-in at all levels of the organization.
- Budget & Resource Allocation Ownership: Validate in-depth financial analyses of P&Ls to assess effectiveness, identify cost-saving opportunities and inform future budgeting decisions that ensure an EBITDA positive position. Build and present business cases to secure buy-in from leadership. Allocate resources (budget, people, time) effectively across campaigns and projects to maximize team productivity and campaign success.
- Data Transformation Champion: Lead and support the transformation of the marketing organization into a data-driven powerhouse by integrating advanced analytics, data insights, and measurement frameworks into every aspect of the group. Collaborate with the Business Intelligence and CRM teams to streamline data collection, governance, and reporting, ensuring consistent, accurate, and actionable insights across marketing initiatives. Champion a culture of data fluency by designing training programs, providing mentorship, and establishing best practices.
- Senior Leadership Alignment: Provide regular updates and comprehensive reports to senior leadership on group performance, strategic initiatives, and department progress. Coach Managers on how to manage up to an executive audience. Collaborate with senior leadership to align change initiatives with overall business goals, ensuring that all transformations are strategic, scalable, and impactful.
- Cross-functional Leadership & Alignment: Act as a bridge between Marketing and senior leadership across the full suite of departments, including Ticketing, Membership, Global Partnerships, LIVE, Business Intelligence, Digital Labs, Finance, Venue & Operations. Present strategies, performance metrics, and insights to executive stakeholders, driving informed decision-making at the highest level. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align efforts to priority business objectives, commercial targets, and brand standards.
- Team Leadership & Development: Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing team of managers, fostering growth, accountability, and collaboration. Establish clear KPIs and success metrics for each functional area while encouraging innovation and creativity within the team. Provide coaching and development opportunities to help team members excel in their roles and advance their careers. Lead by example as an inclusive leader to celebrate and impart our MLSE values across the team.
- Product Marketing Leadership: Guide the high-quality development of KPIs, audience insights, value propositions, and messaging frameworks that resonate with target demographics and deliver on business objectives. Collaborate with Commercial and Digital Labs leadership to refine offerings and align marketing strategies with roadmaps.
- Go-to-Market Strategy Leadership: Guide the high-quality development of planning, creative briefing, and digital integration for new launches, campaigns, and initiatives. Oversee campaign analytics and performance tracking to continuously refine strategies, find efficiencies, and improve outcomes. Collaborate with Creative, Content, and Digital Labs leadership to ensure campaign messaging and visuals align with overarching brand and product narratives.
- Lifecycle & Performance Marketing Leadership: Guide the high-quality development of a fan lifecycle strategy encompassing email, SMS, CRM, and digital advertising campaigns. Optimize customer journeys to maximize engagement, retention, and lifetime value. Oversee and collaborate with relevant cross-functional leaders to ensure effective paid media and advertising strategies, aligning investment with audience, performance, and growth needs.
Qualifications
Note: Before reviewing the qualifications listed below, we want you to know that we understand you may not meet all the qualifications described and have other relevant expertise and experience. We invite you to please share this with us in the "Message to the Hiring Manager" section of our online application.
- A leader with 10+ years of strategic and channel marketing experience including time managing teams within innovation and performance driven environments.
- A subject matter expert with experience establishing and/or evolving a performance marketing centre of excellence inside of a matrixed organization.
- A coach with a track record of committed to development and growth of their team.
- A critical thinker with a passion for marketing effectiveness and innovating how to assess the impact of various channels and optimize to achieve campaign and business results.
- A thought leader able to think at 50,000 ft and quickly mobilize a team to dive into the details to make it real.
- Relevant accreditations and certifications related to digital, 1:1, and performance marketing.
- Experience managing and keeping different types of specialized marketing agencies accountable to spend and effectiveness.
- Performs well under pressure and never loses sight of the end goal.
- Comfortable in front of a crowd, able to create and sell a story to bring others along.
- A cultural builder focused on injecting energy, intellect and vision into the marketing team; driven by helping to build the career of others while playing any number of roles on a high performing team.
- Familiarity with marketing automation tools, CRM platforms, and analytics dashboards (e.g. Salesforce, StellarAlgo, TM1, Archtics, Airtable, PowerBI) are assets.
Additional Information
Apply by: January 3rd, 2025
Experience the thrill of the Sports & Entertainment industry in a flexible (hybrid) work environment that supports employee wellbeing.
As a part of our recruitment process AI may be utilized to: screen applications, assess qualifications, and enhance candidate selection. We remain committed to ensuring a fair and equitable hiring experience for all candidates.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
At MLSE, we are committed to building an equitable, diverse and inclusive organization.
We are an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability. MLSE will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in the job application process. If you have difficulty using our online application system and you need an accommodation due to a disability, please email [email protected]. Please note this email is only for accommodation requests. Resumes sent to this email address will not be considered.
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