Grassroots Marketing Manager: Community Activations

Sporting Kansas City; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Sporting Kansas City is seeking a Manager of Grassroots Marketing to lead off-site community activations and build the club’s visibility across Kansas City and the region. You will develop annual plans, manage partnerships, and collaborate with brand ambassadors to translate campaigns into engaging attendee experiences.

The role requires four+ years in grassroots or experiential marketing, strong project management, and the ability to work evenings and weekends at events across the region.

Qualifications

• Four or more years of experience in grassroots marketing, experiential marketing, community engagement, event marketing, or a related field.
• Experience planning and executing multiple activations or events at the same time.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage an annual grassroots marketing plan and activation calendar aligned with Sporting KC’s marketing priorities.
• Lead community activations from initial evaluation through on-site execution and follow-up.
• Manage pub relationships, watch parties, collegiate programs, and other local platforms where Sporting can maintain an ongoing presence.
• Build relationships with businesses, campuses, community organizations, and regional partners.
• Evaluate activation opportunities and decide which to lead, support, or decline.
• Develop activation concepts and experiences reflecting the Sporting KC brand.
• Manage off-site Brand Ambassador deployment, including staffing plans and briefs.
• Partner with Brand Ambassador Leads to maintain consistent execution and fan engagement.
• Manage signage, materials, equipment, inventory, vendors, and other logistics for grassroots programs.
• Coordinate with Creative, Social Media, Digital, and other Marketing Channel Leads to connect activations to campaigns.
• Coordinate fan data collection and follow-up with Digital and CRM partners.
• Monitor program budgets and report on participation and results.
• Identify areas for expanding Sporting KC’s local presence.

Skills

Grassroots marketing

Experiential marketing

Community engagement

Event marketing

Project management

Communication

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Job description

Sporting Kansas City is seeking a Manager of Grassroots Marketing to lead off-site community activations and build the club’s visibility across Kansas City and the region. You will develop annual plans, manage partnerships, and collaborate with brand ambassadors to translate campaigns into engaging attendee experiences.

The role requires four+ years in grassroots or experiential marketing, strong project management, and the ability to work evenings and weekends at events across the region.