Marketing Director

Position Overview:

The Wisconsin Historical Foundation is seeking a creative and strategic marketing leader to join our team! If you thrive on developing and implementing marketing strategies, bringing brands to life, and leading teams to achieve exciting growth targets, then this opportunity may be for you.

The Marketing Director oversees a team of communications, annual giving, marketing, and public relations professionals charged with creating and executing proactive plans that increase public awareness of the Wisconsin Historical Society and grow contributed and earned revenue to support the Society’s mission of becoming a nationally recognized organization. This energetic leader drives the team to set strategies that align with Society priorities, execute annual plans that maximize public visibility for key program areas, and increase audience engagement with the Society through top-notch communications. These strategies must drive growth in contributed revenue, earned revenue, program attendance, and audience engagement both in-person and virtually.

The ideal candidate is a creative thinker who has a proven track record of translating big vision into action. You love bringing a brand to life within an organization and to external audiences by delivering powerful brand experiences in all areas of marketing and communications. You have an audience-first attitude that ensures all plans are focused on nurturing customers and members while also attracting new engagement. Telling stories that build brand equity, drive conversions, and provide lasting impressions is what keeps you up at night. On the flip side, you have a thorough knowledge of all the latest marketing tactics, and you understand the importance of data, analytics, and process to create strong campaigns. Naturally, you are an excellent communicator both in-person, on camera, and through the written word. You love building relationships because the best marketing starts with internal buy-in and is made even stronger through external partnerships.

If you are looking to apply these skills to a complex, growth-oriented and fast-paced organization that is all about sharing stories, we hope to hear from you!

• Set marketing, communication and annual giving team short and long-term strategies and budgets to grow the Society into a nationally renowned history organization and achieve aggressive growth targets. 
• Direct all brand strategy and increase brand awareness of the Society regionally and nationally. 
• Oversee all external communication work plans and processes to ensure alignment of messaging, brand voice, content, and creative strategies to achieve common priorities and goals. 
• Direct all marketing strategy, ensuring creativity, audience-focus, and brand voice are center stage on all campaigns whether in print, web, in-person, or on social. 
• Directly supervise the Strategic Communications Director (working title), Project Manager, Marketing & Brand Manager, and Annual Giving Manager and create a positive work environment with strong team alignment. 
• Support Foundation Executive Director with Foundation operational and leadership needs.
• Oversee all membership and annual giving growth and program strategies, ensuring a members-first mentality is achieved throughout all external communications and growth efforts. 
• Work with Strategic Communications Director (working title) to develop and execute annual proactive content strategy and engagement planswith progressively aggressive measurable outcomestopositionthe Societyasa thought leader andgo to organization for Wisconsin and American history. 
• Work directly with the Society’s Chief Program Officer and IT Director to align marketing strategies with web development priorities, retail growth, programming, customer service, and Society outreach initiatives. 
• Utilize the existing membership program as a vehicle for growth in awareness and engagement. 
• Develop and implement plans to exponentially increase annual giving, brand awareness and conversions for all major capital campaigns, with specific focus on the Campaign for a New Wisconsin History Museum and the New Arrivals Campaign at Old World Wisconsin. 
• Oversee systems for analytics and reports to ensure and showcase growth and return on investment in all activity. 
• Serve on the Executive Management Team, which is responsible for setting organizational strategy, achieving the long-term results for the Society, and integrating the work of staff and teams across the organization.

Marketing Campaign Development & Execution (30%):

• Work with Marketing and Brand Manager to deliver best in class seasonal brand campaigns, driving attendance at our historic sites and attractions, retail revenue growth, program and resource engagement, and exponentially increased brand awareness. 
• Lead cross functional alignment on key campaign launch moments and seasonal business priorities in market, ensuring third party creative agency is delivering on expectations. Inform and drive senior management alignment on best practices in seasonal marketing storytelling.

Partner Relationships (10%):

• Promote and create Society impact by actively cultivating and managing relationships with key partner organizations to open doors to new opportunities and brand experiences.
• Develop and maintain critical relationships with marketing colleagues at key partner organizations, journalists, bloggers, and other key influencers across the region and nation to elevate the visibility of our key initiatives, products, services, and campaigns.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, brand, communications, journalism, public relations, or similar field. 
• Master’s degree in marketing, communications, or similar field preferred. 
• 5+ years’ experience in a marketing and/or communications leadership role. 
• 3+ years’ experience working directly on marketing or communications tactical level work.
• 3+ years’ experience leading a team to achieve success and experience in managing a diverse and creative group of individuals and leading change based on purpose and values
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. 
• Experience working collaboratively with executives, cross-functional colleagues, marketing, and fundraising teams and a demonstrated ability to work with and inspire a broad range of individuals to work towards a common goal. 
• Extensive digital experience and a proven track record of success in digital content creation.
• Demonstrated success as a conceptual thinker that understands complex issues and how to drive new concepts and creative solutions. 
• Strategic leader with the proven ability to recruit, retain, motivate, and develop team.

Physical Demands:

This position requires the ability to do one or more of the following throughout the day: frequently remain in a stationary position for long periods of time, move about in an office environment, and operate a computer and telephone.

Application Details:

This is a full-time position with an excellent benefits package that includes health insurance. Pay will be dependent upon qualifications and experience.