Director of Marketing - i9 Sports

Company OverviewYouth Enrichment Brands is the nation’s leading youth activities platform, offering camps, classes, leagues, and lessons for over 1 million kids each year. The YEB mission is to help as many kids as possible discover and develop their passion while building critical skills for life. YEB encompasses i9 Sports (the nation’s largest youth league franchisor) https://www.i9sports.com/ , School of Rock (the most revolutionary music education school in the world), Streamline Brands (the leading franchisor of swim school concepts), US Sports Camps (the official provider of Nike Camps), and more premier youth activity brands. Please visit www.yeb.com to learn more.With over 4 million registrations annually, i9 Sports is the nation’s largest multi-sport provider focused exclusively on high-quality, community-based youth sports. We are committed to our mission of Helping Kids Succeed in Life Through Sports.Role OverviewThe Director of Marketing is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping how i9 Sports shows up to franchisees, parents, and partners—ensuring clarity, consistency, and execution across all brand touchpoints.This role owns brand positioning, messaging, system-wide communications, and content strategy, while serving as a key connector across Marketing, IT, Operations, and YEB shared services. The focus is on building strong foundations, aligning national strategy with local execution, and ensuring marketing initiatives are scalable, adoptable, and operationally sound in a franchise environment.This leader balances brand stewardship with growth enablement—ensuring messaging and communications don’t just look good, but drive adoption, trust, and measurable business results across a distributed system.Core ResponsibilitiesBrand Strategy & PositioningOwn and evolve the i9 Sports brand voice, positioning, and messaging framework across all channelsEnsure brand consistency across web, email, paid media, social, and franchise communicationsLead brand updates and rollout plans that are realistic, scalable, and adoptable system-wideServe as final approver for brand messaging and system-wide communicationsProactively identify gaps, risks, and opportunities in brand perception and system adoptionCommunications & Content LeadershipOversee all franchise-facing communications, including the weekly Between the Goal Post newsletterEnsure communications are concise, action-oriented, and tied to clear business outcomesGuide content strategy across blogs, newsletters, social media, and campaignsPartner with CRM and Digital teams to execute lifecycle communications in HubSpotDevelop and manage an annual strategic communications and marketing calendarLeverage AI and emerging tools to improve content efficiency and performanceDigital Presence & Brand GovernanceProvide strategic oversight of i9 Sports digital properties, including ongoing website content, brand updates and SEO/AEO content strategyPartner with Digital/IT and agency partners on UX, consumer journey and website optimizationLead sport- and program-specific brand storytelling across digital propertiesDirect photo, video and creative strategy, including vendor management and creative directionOversee on-field branding, merchandise/apparel and physical brand touchpoints to ensure brand consistencyOversee Canva platform strategy to drive simplicity, adoption and brand consistencyCampaigns, PR & Thought LeadershipLead PR and earned media strategy in partnership with external agenciesBuild i9 Sports thought leadership through media, executive visibility, speaking opportunities and strategic storytellingIdentify, develop and activate strategic brand partnerships aligned with business and brand prioritiesLead national campaigns and brand platforms, including Gains for the Girls, from positioning through activationAlign partnerships, influencers, PR and campaigns into an integrated annual strategyFranchise Alignment & EnablementEnsure national marketing strategies translate effectively at the local levelSupport adoption of the Local Marketing Playbook, PPC Match Back Program, and CRM initiativesMaintain franchise trust through clear expectations, consistent communication, and practical toolsPartner with Franchise Development to support franchise sales through brand positioning, messaging, content, creative assets and storytelling that clearly communicate the strength and differentiation of the i9 Sports brand.Technology Alignment & Program ManagementAct as a bridge between Marketing, IT, Operations, and YEB shared servicesEnsure alignment across core platforms:Franchise Manager (programs, registrations, POS)HubSpot (CRM, automation, email deliverability)Websites, paid media, analytics toolsLead cross-functional initiatives with clear ownership, timelines, and accountabilityIdentify risks early, escalate issues, and ensure execution disciplineBe technically fluent (not hands-on technical)—able to manage dependencies and integrationsLeadership & CollaborationProvide clear direction, expectations, and accountability within the marketing teamBalance collaboration with decisive ownershipLead with transparency, discipline, and a strong understanding of franchise dynamicsSkills & Experience7–10+ years of experience in brand, marketing communications, or integrated marketing rolesExperience within franchise, multi-unit, or distributed systems strongly preferredProven ability to operate strategically while staying close to executionStrong leadership in brand positioning, messaging, and content strategyDeep experience with CRM and marketing automation (HubSpot preferred)Excellent writing, editing, and storytelling skillsAnalytical, results-oriented mindset tied to business outcomesProficiency with modern marketing tools (HubSpot, WordPress, Canva, social platforms, Google Business)Highly collaborative, organized, and adaptablePassion for youth development, sports, and mission-driven brandsWhy this Role MattersThis role is critical to ensuring i9 Sports shows up consistently, credibly, and confidently as a youth sports leader built on fun, inclusion, and life skills—not pressure or early specialization. The Director of Brand, Communications & Enablement will help shape how millions of families, franchisees, and partners experience the brand each year.