Marketing Manager

SmithGroupJJR is currently looking for qualified candidates to fill an opening for Marketing Manager in our Chicago office. We are seeking a talented leader who is committed to design excellence, who thrives in an environment of deadline-intense collaboration, and who demonstrates a high degree of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Manages marketing team including staff development, mentorship, training, and hiring. 
• Accountable for quality control of marketing and communications activities for the Chicago office. 
• Works closely with office leadership and business development team to develop and implement overall marketing, communications and sales strategy for the Chicago office. 
• Develops strategy for project-specific marketing activities in concert with the business development team and studio leadership, and establishes a pursuit schedule and budget. 
• Oversees local implementation of the SmithGroupJJR brand messaging and visual identity in alignment with corporate standards and guidelines. 
• Supervises (and participates in as necessary) the development of all marketing materials. 
• Supervises the ongoing development and refinement of marketing content that tells compelling stories that resonate with Chicago’s target audiences. 
• Manages workload of marketing team, setting priorities and schedules based on the needs of office and studio leadership, the business development team and in support of corporate initiatives. 
• Collaborates with office leadership and corporate marketing to develop and execute specific communications initiatives to raise visibility of the firm and position key staff as design and knowledge leaders. 
• Develops and implements communications and thought leadership plans to establish Chicago practice as a design leader in Chicago’s key markets. 
• Develops media relations and social media plans to target key media targets, cultivate press relationships and pitch articles that will support marketing goals. 
• Serves as a communication link between studios, disciplines, and corporate resources, sharing marketing activities and efficacy of efforts. 
• Conducts post-award debriefings with prospects regardless of outcome, and revises qualifications and proposal strategies as appropriate. 
• Develops systems to extract, categorize and retrieve information related to consultants, personnel, projects, prior proposals, boilerplate, visuals, mailing lists, and promotional items. 
• Refines the design/production process to improve efficiency and quality control. 
• Analyzes costs/benefits for marketing techniques and continuously improves effectiveness of activities. 
• Conducts marketing and communications-related workshops/training for the principals and technical staff. 
• Develops, evaluates and reports progress of annual marketing and communications plan, including specific goals, strategies, action plans, and schedules. 
• Collaborates with office leadership to develop annual marketing budget, monitors resources to ensure consistency with budget and plan. 
• Represents firm to clients, business associates and industry-related organizations, as needed. 
• Communicates corporate marketing & communications strategies with marketing team. 
• Accountable for the development and maintenance of accurate and complete office-generated marketing data in the firm marketing information systems, including Deltek Vision, N drive and the Marketing SharePoint site. 
• Interfaces with people both inside and outside the firm as necessary to fulfill job requirements. 
• Directs and assists in research of markets and clients, sharing relevant information with other offices and practices. 
• Leads implementation of corporate marketing, communications and social media initiatives. 
• Assists in other marketing areas as requested or assigned.

An ideal candidate has:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field required 
• Minimum of five years of work experience in the A/E/C industry required 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, InDesign, PhotoShop and Illustrator required 
• CPSM certification preferred 
• The ability to successfully mentor staff in a manner that supports continuous learning, team collaboration and career development 
• Demonstrates poise and a leadership style that will instill confidence and trust among internal and external leadership 
• Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills, including written and oral communications 
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving and attention to details skills 
• Excellent time management skills, passion for details and ability to work on multiple assignments simultaneously while maintaining a high level of quality and accuracy 
• Excellent project management skills 
• The ability to think creatively and strategically 
• Strong technical, graphic, presentation, and social media skills

SmithGroupJJR offers competitive compensation and an excellent benefit package, including 401(k) and tuition reimbursement. We offer three weeks of paid time off within the first year of employment, with the option of purchasing additional time off, and eight (8) paid holidays. We also offer an alternative work schedule that provides employees with an additional fourteen to fifteen days off per year (usually Fridays) to help with work/life balance.