Chief Marketing and Branding Officer

Company Description

theacc.com

The Atlantic Coast Conference, through its member institutions, seeks to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities of its student-athletes, while enriching their quality of life. It strives to do so by affording individuals an equitable opportunity to pursue academic excellence and compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics competition in a broad spectrum of sports and championships. The Conference will provide leadership in attaining these goals, by promoting diversity and mutual trust among its member institutions, in a spirit of fairness for all. It strongly adheres to the principles of integrity and sportsmanship, and supports the total development of the student-athlete and each member institution's athletics staff, with the intent of producing enlightened leadership for tomorrow.

Scope And Responsibilities

The Chief Marketing and Branding Officer (CMBO) is a visionary and creative leader responsible for setting the strategic direction and execution of all marketing and branding efforts for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This executive role oversees the development and implementation of comprehensive programs that elevate the Conference’s brand, enhance its digital and social media presence, and drive compelling content that resonates with diverse audiences. The CMBO will build and lead a high-performing team that designs end-to-end processes that drive impactful messaging, branding, digital and social engagement, and content strategies that advance the Conference’s visibility and reputation and support growth objectives.

Responsibilities

The candidate should thrive in a fast-paced, forward-thinking environment, enjoy working and communicating with others, and possess the ability to conceive and execute high-profile events that authentically represent the ACC’s values and identity. The position reports directly to the Commissioner and is responsible for the following:

Brand & Marketing Strategy

• Lead the vision and execution of all brand, marketing, and creative initiatives that elevate the ACC’s identity and national presence.
• Define and articulate the ACC’s voice, tone, and visual identity across digital, social, experiential, and traditional platforms.
• Direct the Marketing & Branding department, providing strategic leadership across creative development, content production, and integrated marketing efforts.
• Oversee and apply consumer insights and market research to inform brand positioning and strategic planning.
• Continuously assess the Marketing & Branding function for innovation opportunities, expansion potential, and ways to enhance value for member institutions and the conference to position both as the premier destination for prospective student-athletes, consumers, donors, etc.
• Serve as the primary liaison with external agencies and partners, leading collaboration on brand and programming strategy.
  
  

Fan Engagement & Experience

• Lead the development of multi-channel campaigns that drive awareness, engagement, and audience growth that directly impacts and drives ratings & viewership.
• Design and deliver Championship event experiences that inspire fan affinity and celebrate student-athlete achievement, reinforcing the ACC brand.
• Collaborate with the CRO and commercial teams on merchandise marketing and licensing initiatives, ensuring consistency with the brand’s identity and integrity.
• Partner with the CRO on advertising, digital marketing, events, and activations that advance fan engagement while supporting revenue goals; create innovative and effective marketing strategies that drive sales to our championships.
• Manage licensee relationships to maintain brand compliance and strategically expand retail and product distribution.
• Develop and implement the creation and execution of marketing and sponsorship initiatives, including creative elements, client activations, etc.
• Build and deepen relationships with fans through targeted outreach, storytelling, and campaigns that enhance brand loyalty.
  
  

Digital, Content & Analytics

• Champion a digital-first mindset, applying audience segmentation, platform-specific strategies, and modern storytelling to strengthen reach.
• Lead a unified content strategy—social, video, editorial—that builds community and amplifies student-athlete stories.
• Build a robust analytics capability to measure audience behavior, campaign performance, and brand health.
• Identify and test emerging platforms, marketing technologies, and automation tools to foster innovation and optimize performance.
  
  

Collaborative Leadership

• Inspire a culture of innovation across the ACC and its member institutions, encouraging exploration of creative marketing concepts and modern fan engagement models.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to ensure marketing strategies align with overarching organizational goals and business outcomes.
• Develop and own a multi-year roadmap that expands fan reach and engagement, cultivates new audiences, and strengthens brand influence.
• Define and track key performance indicators, and provide regular updates to the Commissioner, Senior Leadership, and athletic directors on progress, trends, and strategic opportunities.
  
  

Institutional Collaboration

• Lead and sustain a league-wide coalition of campus and athletic marketing leaders to drive coordinated campaigns and marketplace strategies that scale across the Conference.
• Act as the Conference’s marketing & brand liaison to member institutions, cultivating a network of campus leaders (athletics, advancement, etc.) to surface ideas and co-develop opportunities.
• Convert campus-sourced deliverables into scalable Conference assets and programs, ensuring each initiative advances student-athlete success and visibility and delivers measurable shared growth.
  
  

Key Selection Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of related and successful experience, including in management and leadership/supervisory roles in business, sports, media, entertainment, or related industries.
• Demonstrated success overseeing major brands and brand events; a creative thinker and builder with a passion for creating meaningful connections and lasting memories.
• Development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns (digital, social, traditional, experiential).
• Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets and aligning strategies and resources with priorities.
• Mindset of collaboration to drive results through strategy, the sharing of ideas and the implementation of concepts that will connect, inspire and motivate our consumers.
  
  

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with professional league(s) or team(s), major brands, and/or consumer goods and deep experience in the business of marketing.
• Proven success in leading and scaling brand strategy across multiple channels and markets.
• Demonstrated understanding of omnichannel marketing and customer journey optimization.
• Deep knowledge of performance marketing, analytics, and ROI-driven decision-making.
• Experience managing or negotiating brand licensing agreements and partnerships.
• Familiarity with co-branding, IP usage, and merchandising strategies to extend brand reach.
  
  

Personal / Professional Attributes

• Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills; proactive communicator with high level of organization.
• Problem solving, critical thinking and excellent time management skills.
• Proven ability to take initiative and make sound decisions without direction.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously with high attention to detail.
• Proven team-builder and team player, listener, and collaborator; proven ability to maintain a positive attitude; reliable and dependable.
• Demonstrate a calm, courteous and professional demeanor under pressure when working with a variety of situations and/or people.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of privileged and sensitive information.
• Display leadership, a service mindset, integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
• Always represent the ACC and its member institutions with pride and professionalism.
  
  

Work Environment

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk, up to 8 hours.
• Ability to remain standing/walking for up to 4 hours.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25lbs. of equipment (if applicable).
• Due to the nature of the ACC’s business, travel will occur to multiple sites as dictated by major and minor event schedules.
• Due to the nature of events indoors and outdoors, you must be able to endure varying weather conditions including wind, rain, and high and low temperatures.
• Understanding that due to the nature of our business working hours can include nights, weekends and holidays as necessary.
  
  

Application Instructions

• To apply, please submit a resume to DHR Global at [email protected]