Marketing Director

SI Professional Search LLC; Orlando (FL); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Our client company is a rapidly growing consumer brand in the quick-service café space seeking a Director of Marketing to own the function during expansion. Based in Orlando with hybrid options from Tampa, this role requires hands-on leadership and end-to-end execution.

The base salary range is $130,000–$175,000, with travel as the company expands into new markets. You will shape brand strategy, digital marketing, AI-enabled workflows, and multi-store growth initiatives.

Qualifications

• Significant marketing experience in a consumer-facing business, with QSR experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting multi-location, high-growth, franchise, restaurant, hospitality, or retail organization in the growth mode.
• A track record of being both a strategic thinker and a hands-on executor.
• Strong knowledge of TikTok, Instagram, social media, digital marketing, and contemporary consumer behavior.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI and modern marketing technology to increase speed, creativity, insight, and productivity.
• Experience with local store marketing and new-location launches.
• Strong understanding of digital customer acquisition, retention, loyalty, and marketing analytics.
• Ability to manage agencies, freelancers, creators, and outside partners effectively.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort tying marketing activity to measurable business results.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work directly with senior leadership.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating in an environment where priorities can evolve quickly.
• The willingness to roll up your sleeves and execute—not simply manage.
• During the interview process will want to see past effective marketing campaigns

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the marketing strategy as the company expands into new markets.
• Protect and strengthen the brand while developing campaigns that increase awareness, customer traffic, engagement, and loyalty.
• Lead the brand's presence across TikTok, Instagram, and emerging social platforms with a distinctive voice.
• Build a modern, technology-enabled marketing operation leveraging AI and marketing technologies.
• Develop repeatable marketing playbooks for new store openings and existing locations.
• Create scalable programs for deployment as the company expands to additional cities and states.
• Develop strategies for college-campus expansion to reach students through digital, social, and campus channels.
• Drive measurable customer acquisition, frequency, loyalty, and lifetime value through data and channels.
• Establish KPIs and reporting; manage external partners and agencies for leverage.

Job description

Our client company is redefining the quick-service café experience with bold, indulgent cream cheese flavors, fresh-baked bagels, and a vibrant brand that resonates with families, students, and breakfast lovers nationwide.

With rapid expansion across cities and states—and a differentiated growth strategy centered around college campuses—our client is entering an exciting stage of growth. As they scale their multi-state footprint, they are building the team, technology, and operating infrastructure needed to support the next phase of the company.

Director of Marketing

Seeking a highly entrepreneurial Director of Marketing to own and build the company's marketing function during a period of significant expansion.

This is not a traditional corporate marketing role—and it is not a position for someone who expects to inherit a large team or established marketing infrastructure.

The Director of Marketing will initially be the sole dedicated marketing leader, responsible for setting the strategy and executing against it. The right person is a hands-on operator who can move comfortably between brand strategy, social media, local store marketing, digital acquisition, content, analytics, and new-store openings.

The ideal candidate brings experience in consumer-facing, multi-location businesses, preferably within the quick-service restaurant (QSR), restaurant, hospitality, retail, or franchise environment.

Just as importantly, this person must understand how modern technology and AI can dramatically increase the productivity and capabilities of a lean marketing organization.

Responsibilities:

Brand & Marketing Strategy

Own and evolve the marketing strategy as the company expands into new markets. Protect and strengthen the brand while developing campaigns that increase awareness, customer traffic, engagement, and loyalty.

Social Media & Content

Lead the brand's presence across TikTok, Instagram, and emerging social platforms, developing a distinctive voice and content strategy that connects authentically with our core audiences.

Understand what makes content shareable and culturally relevant—and be willing to test, learn, and move quickly rather than rely on traditional marketing playbooks.

AI & Marketing Technology

Build a modern, technology-enabled marketing operation.

Identify and leverage AI and marketing technologies to accelerate content creation, creative development, customer insights, campaign execution, analytics, testing, and overall productivity.

Company leaders are not looking for someone who simply "uses AI." They want someone who understands how to incorporate it into the way marketing actually operates.

New Store & Local Marketing

Develop repeatable marketing playbooks for new store openings and existing locations, including pre-opening awareness, launch campaigns, community engagement, partnerships, events, promotions, and ongoing local-store marketing.

Create scalable programs that can be deployed efficiently as the company enters additional cities and states.

College Campus Growth

Develop marketing strategies specifically designed for college-campus expansion strategy. Build programs that reach students where they spend their time—digitally, socially, and on campus—and develop partnerships, activations, ambassadors, and other creative approaches that make the company part of campus culture.

Customer Acquisition & Retention

Develop programs that drive measurable customer acquisition, frequency, loyalty, and lifetime value. Use customer data, digital channels, loyalty programs, promotions, and experimentation to understand what drives traffic and repeat visits.

Marketing Analytics

Establish clear marketing KPIs and reporting.

Measure what works, what doesn't, and where the company should invest its marketing dollars. Bring a disciplined, ROI-oriented mindset to marketing decisions without slowing down experimentation.

Identify and manage outside agencies, freelancers, creators, technology providers, and other partners where they provide leverage.

Because this role will initially operate without a dedicated internal marketing staff, the ability to build an effective external network and get results through partners will be important.

What We're Looking For

The strongest candidates will have:

• Significant marketing experience in a consumer-facing business, with QSR experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting multi-location, high-growth, franchise, restaurant, hospitality, or retail organization in the growth mode. Must demonstrate through numbers significant multi-store growth experience.
• A track record of being both a strategic thinker and a hands-on executor.
• Strong knowledge of TikTok, Instagram, social media, digital marketing, and contemporary consumer behavior.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI and modern marketing technology to increase speed, creativity, insight, and productivity.
• Experience with local store marketing and new-location launches.
• Strong understanding of digital customer acquisition, retention, loyalty, and marketing analytics.
• Ability to manage agencies, freelancers, creators, and outside partners effectively.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort tying marketing activity to measurable business results.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work directly with senior leadership.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating in an environment where priorities can evolve quickly.
• The willingness to roll up your sleeves and execute—not simply manage.
• During the interview process will want to see past effective marketing campaigns

The Person Who Will Thrive Here

You will probably love this opportunity if you see a blank sheet of paper as exciting rather than intimidating.

You are resourceful. You don't need a large team to get things done. You know when to do something yourself, when technology can solve the problem, and when an outside specialist can provide leverage.

You understand that a fast-growing entrepreneurial company requires speed, adaptability, judgment, and ownership.

You are equally comfortable discussing brand positioning with leadership, reviewing yesterday's marketing performance, developing a TikTok concept, experimenting with an AI tool, working with a local store on an opening campaign, or figuring out why a promotion isn't driving traffic.

Most importantly, you want the opportunity to build.

Compensation & Location

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $130,000–$175,000 depending on experience and qualifications.

The position is preferably based in Orlando, Florida where the corporate office will be located. Consideration for hybrid from Tampa, Florida also considered.

Some travel should be expected as the company continues expanding into new markets.

Reasons to Join:

• Opportunity to join a rapidly scaling consumer brand at a pivotal moment in its growth.
• You own the process and marketing plan. This is your chance to build a brand, multi-location, multi-state.
• Direct exposure to the CEO and executive leadership growing into a VP of Marketing position.
• A dynamic, entrepreneurial culture where your ideas and contributions matter.
• A voice to influence process and technology as the company innovates, modernizes, and implements the correct processes.