Marketing Director

Unclassified - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Mid Level

Chicago, IL

About the position

The Marketing Director at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Griffin MSI) plays a pivotal role in defining, developing, and implementing the brand strategy for the museum. This position is crucial for supporting the Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer in driving unaided brand awareness, audience engagement, and revenue generation. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in marketing, particularly in building and growing brands, and will be excited about the opportunity to contribute to the museum's mission of inspiring curiosity and engagement in science and technology. In this role, the Marketing Director will be responsible for overseeing all advertising campaigns and marketing strategies related to the museum's overall brand, as well as its temporary and permanent exhibitions and educational programs. The primary goal is to drive attendance and admission revenue through innovative marketing initiatives. The Marketing Director will manage partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders, including agencies, exhibition organizers, sponsors, and various museum departments. This individual will also own the relationship with the advertising agency, ensuring that creative and media strategies align with the museum's brand identity. Additionally, the Marketing Director will oversee the creation of marketing messages across various channels, including paid social media, digital platforms, and email communications. Budget management for marketing and advertising will also fall under this role, along with the responsibility of supporting partner relationships with organizations such as CityPASS, Go Chicago, and Groupon. The Marketing Director will periodically assess pricing opportunities to maximize revenue and maintain awareness of competitive trends in the museum and cultural landscape, both locally and internationally. Representing Griffin MSI among peer groups and affiliations will also be a key aspect of this position, along with other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for all advertising campaigns and marketing strategies for the overall brand, temporary and permanent exhibitions, and education programs to drive attendance and admission revenue.
• Manage partnerships with internal and external stakeholders such as agencies, exhibition organizers and sponsors, and Museum departments.
• Own the advertising agency relationship from creative and media perspectives.
• Manage the Museum's brand identity and its execution across all channels, in partnership with the Design department.
• Oversee and/or write copy for marketing messages across advertising and marketing channels including paid social, digital, and email as needed.
• Develop and manage the marketing and advertising budgets.
• Support partner relationships with CityPASS, Go Chicago, Groupon etc. and lead marketing strategies to drive significant supplemental revenue through those and other third discount programs.
• Periodically assess pricing opportunities to maximize revenue.
• Maintain awareness of competitive trends in the museum and cultural landscape locally and internationally; drive business data analysis and set campaign goals and metrics.
• Represent the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry among peer groups supporting Museums in the Park and Choose Chicago affiliations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Seven (7) to ten (10) years of related experience, preferably in an agency environment.
• Bachelor's degree is a plus.
• Results-oriented with an exceptional track record of developing profitable engagement marketing programs.
• Proven record of achieving results in a fast-moving, dynamic environment.
• Strong leadership skills and a proven ability to manage, mentor, and develop high-performing and highly engaged teams.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to work independently while also able to build strong internal relationships and build consensus on critical initiatives.
• Demonstrates excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and management skills to interact with staff, colleagues, senior leadership, media and cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; comfortable leveraging large amounts of data to drive decisions and a passion for continuous testing and optimization.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects simultaneously and prioritizing time and resources based on business impact.
• Passion for delighting and advocating for customers and have intimate understanding of how and when to influence customer behavior.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in the museum or cultural sector is preferred.
• Familiarity with digital marketing tools and analytics platforms.

Benefits

• Benefits starting day one of employment.
• Free admission to Griffin MSI for family and friends.
• Free admission to other museums.
• Free parking in Griffin MSI's garage.