New Balance - Head of Marketing, Global Football - Warrington

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

JOB MISSION:

As the Head of Global Football Marketing, you will lead the Global Football Marketing team and establish the go-to-market vision and creative expressions for the category. You will play a senior role in the Global Football organization, collaborating with leaders of product, sports marketing and merchandising to deliver against the long-term commercial and strategic goals of the business.  You will lead a team of marketers to devise and manage global seasonal creative campaigns and activation plans whilst working in partnership with regional marketing leads across North America, Europe, Japan, APAC and Latin America to amplify at a global and local level. You will be highly adept at driving the vision for a team, developing talent and able to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internally at New Balance and externally with partners across our network of partner clubs, athletes, ambassadors, and commercial accounts.

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Global Football Marketing Strategy

• Lead the creation and delivery of the long-term Global Football marketing strategy. Collaborate with leaders across the football business (Product, Sports Marketing and Merchandising) to build and evolve a strategic vision for the category, with a specific focus on driving brand consideration and demand creation for New Balance in the football category.

• Deliver the vision for seasonal football storytelling and develop the sell-in materials across all go-to-market milestones for the category for multiple seasons at any one time.

• Drive and manage the cross-functional strategic approach to key global football sporting moments, collaborating with team members across the business to drive plans which deliver against commercial and brand goals.

• Establish strong working relationships with international and regional marketing leads to champion and support in the activation and amplification of Global Football marketing plans.

• Partner with Global Sports Marketing to build a strategic approach to new athlete announcements, establishing the positioning of each announcement across brand, football and other relevant areas of the business to create high impact creative plans.

Global Football Activation Strategy

• Collaborate with Athlete Activation on football athlete annual activation plans against long-term athlete activation strategies. Build the vision for how football athletes are integrated into the football marketing approach and lead the Global Football Marketing team to deliver these plans.

• Build the seasonal creative and commercial programmes for all Global Football footwear product, ensuring a distinctive on-brand, commercially-oriented approach which builds a unique positioning for New Balance in the Global Football footwear market.

• Lead the team to build and deliver the annual activation plans around key Global Football club partners, building the creative vision for the seasonal club kit collections campaigns and delivering in-season activation plans around each partnership.

• Own the Global Football marketing relationship with Global Energy and Lifestyle teams to develop activation strategies connecting key global collaboration partners and entertainment ambassadors with highly considered global football moments and stories.

• Work with regional marketers to develop annual activation and marketing plans with specialty retail partners which support the long-range plan growth goals for the category.

Leadership and Management

• Lead the Global Football Marketing team to deliver marketing strategy and campaigns which drive the New Balance business towards its aligned long-term business vision and goals.

• Line management responsibility for Global Marketing Managers, also providing guidance and mentorship on the management of their own direct reports. Empower the overall team to build their experience and in different areas of football brand marketing and prioritising the creation of opportunities for their continued ongoing growth as future leaders in the business.

• Responsible for brokering relationships between the Global Football Marketing team and other teams within Global Performance Marketing, fostering an environment of collaboration and best practice sharing to encourage team learning opportunities.

• Ownership of the category marketing team budget, responsible for allocating capacity and resource to projects and working with the team to manage regular budget tracking and updates to the senior team.

REQUIRMENTS FOR SUCCESS:

• 10 years’+ of progressive experience working in a marketing related role.

• Experience in developing and delivering long-term strategic plans and creative vision for a Global commercial business.

• Superior approach to cross-category problem solving and ideation with a strong bias to collaboration across a matrix structured organization.

• Experience of working with global sports teams and high professional athletes, developing strategic activation plans connecting to category demand creation, preferred.

• Proven leadership and line management experience.

• Strong passion for sport culture and in particular global football.

• Excellent organizational, planning, interpersonal and presentation skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

New Balance is committed to equality of opportunity for all current and prospective associates regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership and gender reassignment.  We are an equal opportunity employer and support a culture of diversity and inclusion.

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