Director, Marketing & Fan Development

Gondola; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Des Moines Buccaneers are seeking a Director of Marketing & Fan Development to lead marketing, social media, community and game operations strategy. This role reports to the President and oversees a team and cross-functional partners to grow fan engagement and drive revenue.

You will translate business objectives into creative campaigns, manage partnerships, and oversee digital content, retail marketing, and community programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field.
• 3+ years of marketing experience, with leadership responsibility.
• Excellent customer service, problem solving, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work long days, evenings, weekends, and travel when necessary.
• U.S. work authorization.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team: mentor social media and community engagement staff and coordinate with leadership.
• Creative management: translate objectives into briefs and manage design processes.
• Develop partnerships to generate revenue and extend brand reach.
• Oversee events, themed games, and fan experiences to boost engagement.
• Drive digital/content programs and maintain brand consistency across channels.
• Support retail marketing for team store and ecommerce operations.
• Lead social responsibility and community programming initiatives.

Skills

Fan engagement

Leadership

Project management

Creative marketing

Data-driven decisions

Marketing technology

Cross-functional collaboration

stakeholder management

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing / Communications / Business

Tools

Email marketing

Web analytics

CRM platforms

Loyalty programs

Job description

# Director, Marketing & Fan Development## Des Moines Buccaneers•### @desmoinesbuccaneersPosted on 8/4/2026•Full-time## Job Description***In order to be considered for this role, after clicking "Apply Now" above and being redirected, you must fully complete the application process on the follow-up screen.*****Job Title**: Director, Marketing**Date**: 8/2/2026**Department**: Business Operations**Reports to**: President**What It’s Like Working Here:**At the Des Moines Buccaneers, our commitment to development isn’t just on the ice. We are dedicated to ensuring all of our employees are equipped with the tools to not only be successful, but thrive in their career. With a fun, collaborative culture and plenty of room for impact, the Des Moines Buccaneers is the perfect place to continue in the world of sport and grow your career!This position, as department head, will manage the marketing, social media, community and game operations team, and be responsible for department strategy and people leadership. The Director is responsible for collaboration and driving incremental dollars through creative marketing efforts, sharing our story digitally and engaging fans in a unique fashion.\*\*Key Responsibility Areas: \*\** **Lead the team:** Manage and mentor direct reports: social media coordinator & community engagement coordinator along with various game night staff. In addition, collaborate with the President and Director, Sales within to set strategies, operate the department, and connect the dots across the organization to uncover new opportunities.* **Creative Management:** Liaise between internal department clients and our team of designers. Translate business objectives into thoughtful creative briefs and manage the process.* **Global Partnerships:** Serve as a strategic thought partner with the sales and activation teams to help develop platforms and tactics that can generate revenue and be mutually beneficial to the team and partner brands. Leverage partnerships to generate fan engagement. Help ensure cobranded programs maintain brand standards.* **Entertainment and Events:** Drive collaboration among stakeholders for themed games, fan giveaways, and experiences that create unforgettable moments for our guests. Support the creative needs of our Sacramento Kings Dancers, Mascot, and other Entertainment team requests.* **Digital & Content:** Work closely with these teams to support internal content development, extend Marketing initiatives and partnered programs, and maintain the brand across digital channels.* **Retail Marketing:** With the help of the Manager, Retail Marketing, oversee Marketing support for the Team Store in-arena and ecommerce operations.* **Social Responsibility:** With the help of your team, support community programming and youth initiatives.\*\*Key skills and experiences we’re looking for: \*\** A passion for fan engagement, collaboration, and managing people and projects* Creative mindset with the ability to develop innovative programs that are valuable for our brand, fans, and partners.* Demonstrated experience translating business objectives into creative briefs and managing creative projects* Experience managing multiple complex marketing projects in a fast-paced environment* An excellent relationship builder who can guide cross-functional teams and collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners.* Interest in gathering and applying data to improve decision-making and fan experiences* Understanding of marketing technologies and improving user experiences (email, web, app, loyalty)* Ability to synthesize marketing plans and deliver reports that identify key results and opportunities\*\*Qualifications: \*\** Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) from a four-year College or university in Marketing, Communications, Business or a related field.* 3+ years of marketing experience, ideally with a team, agency, or consumer brand, with 1 year in a leadership role* Excellent customer service skills.* Ability to solve problems quickly.* Attention to detail is a must.* Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects.* Ability to work as business needs require which may include long days, evenings, weekends, occasional holidays, and travel if / when necessary.* Must have U.S. work authorization.We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.