Audience and Channels Manager

Crusaders; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Crusaders and Matatš are seeking an experienced Audience & Channels Manager to lead how our brands connect with audiences across every touchpoint. This role ensures ownership of audience planning, channel performance and campaign integration across the Crusaders marketing team.

You'll lead cross-brand planning, align channels, and own delivery of websites, EDMs and paid media while working with Braze and other platforms to drive engagement and growth.

Qualifications

• 8+ years' experience across marketing, audience growth, campaigns, channels or digital marketing.
• Experience leading people, specialist disciplines or high-performing teams.
• Experience turning strategy into integrated campaigns and channel plans.
• Hands-on experience with websites, EDMs, paid media (SEO/GEO & display), CRM and marketing automation platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead audience and channel planning across the Crusaders and Matatš brands.
• Turn marketing priorities into clear campaigns, channel plans and audience activity.
• Lead integrated planning across campaigns, content, communications, creative and channels.
• Ensure audience-facing activity is aligned, delivered on time and measured meaningfully.
• Lead and develop the Communications & Media Manager, Digital Content Lead and Design & Brand Executive for Crusaders activity.
• Work alongside the Matatš Commercial & Marketing Manager to support audience, channel and campaign delivery.
• Own the performance and continuous improvement of Crusaders and Matatš websites.
• Lead paid digital media, search and audience acquisition activity.
• Build and deliver EDMs, automations and personalised communications through Braze and other marketing platforms.
• Lead reporting, insights and performance improvement across marketing channels.
• Work closely with the Consumer Manager to support customer acquisition, engagement and retention.
• Partner with the Partnerships team to ensure campaigns and channels support agreed commercial outcomes where appropriate.

Skills

Audience planning

Channel management

Campaign integration

Leadership

Digital marketing

Tools

Braze

Campaignware

Job description

The Crusaders and Matatš have entered a new era.

With the move to our new home at One New Zealand Stadium, and launch our 2027 marketing strategy, we're looking for an experienced Audience & Channels Manager to help lead how our brands connect with audiences across every touchpoint. This role exists to make sure every audience-facing channel pulls in the same direction.

We've deliberately evolved this role beyond a traditional digital marketing function to create clearer ownership of audience planning, channel performance and campaign integration across the Crusaders marketing team.

You'll connect audience planning, campaign delivery, content, communications and channel performance, while retaining hands-on responsibility for websites, EDMs, paid digital media, search and marketing technology. For Crusaders activity, you'll lead the integration of Communications, Content and Design functions to ensure campaigns, stories and audience activity work together as one connected plan.

For Matatš activity, you'll work alongside the Commercial & Marketing Manager, providing channel expertise and delivery support that helps bring Matatš priorities to life.

We're looking for an experienced marketing leader who combines strong audience and channel expertise with the ability to lead people, shape plans and drive alignment across multiple teams. You'll be confident setting direction, making decisions and influencing outcomes, while still rolling up your sleeves for the channels you own and deliver on.

What You'll Do

• Lead audience and channel planning across the Crusaders and Matatš brands.
• Turn marketing priorities into clear campaigns, channel plans and audience activity.
• Lead integrated planning across campaigns, content, communications, creative and channels.
• Ensure audience-facing activity is aligned, delivered on time and measured meaningfully.
• Lead and develop the Communications & Media Manager, Digital Content Lead and Design & Brand Executive for Crusaders activity.
• Work alongside the Matatš Commercial & Marketing Manager to support audience, channel and campaign delivery.
• Own the performance and continuous improvement of Crusaders and Matatš websites.
• Lead paid digital media, search and audience acquisition activity.
• Build and deliver EDMs, automations and personalised communications through Braze and other marketing platforms.
• Lead reporting, insights and performance improvement across marketing channels.
• Work closely with the Consumer Manager to support customer acquisition, engagement and retention.
• Partner with the Partnerships team to ensure campaigns and channels support agreed commercial outcomes where appropriate.

About You

You're an experienced marketing professional who has progressed beyond purely managing channels and campaigns, but still enjoys getting your hands dirty.

You understand how strong audience planning, content, communications and channels work together to deliver results. You're comfortable setting direction, leading people and influencing decisions, while retaining enough technical capability to own key digital platforms and channel performance yourself.

You may currently be leading audience growth, campaigns, digital marketing, channels or integrated marketing activity within a customer-focused organisation, and are looking for an opportunity to take broader responsibility for strategy, leadership and organisational impact.

You'll bring:

• 8+ years' experience across marketing, audience growth, campaigns, channels or digital marketing.
• Experience leading people, specialist disciplines or high-performing teams.
• Experience turning strategy into integrated campaigns and channel plans.
• Hands-on experience with websites, EDMs, paid media (SEO/GEO & display), CRM and marketing automation platforms.
• Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of how marketing contributes to organisational outcomes.
• Experience using reporting, insights and performance data to drive decisions.
• The confidence to influence, prioritise and make decisions in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• A practical mindset and willingness to stay involved in delivery rather than lead from a distance.

Experience with Braze, Campaignware, or similar platforms will be highly regarded. Experience in professional sport, entertainment, events or another audience-led organisation would also be advantageous.

Why Join Us?

This is one of the most exciting audience and channel leadership opportunities in New Zealand sport.

As we build our future in One New Zealand Stadium, you'll play a key role in bringing our marketing strategy to life, helping ensure our audiences experience the Crusaders and Matatš brands consistently across every touchpoint.

You'll work at the intersection of audience growth, digital performance, content, communications and brand, helping create the systems, capability and alignment needed to support our next phase of growth. You'll also be joining at a unique moment in the club's history, helping shape how we connect with audiences as we establish ourselves in One New Zealand Stadium and bring our One of Us platform to life.

If you're passionate about audience growth, storytelling, digital performance and building connected experiences, we'd love to hear from you.

Applications close COB Friday 2nd October 2026.