General Manager, Fire Pitch

Chicago Fire - Director

Chicago · IL

Facility/Venue Management

$100,000 - $110,000 / year

hours ago

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The Chicago Fire Football Club (Chicago Fire FC) is an American professional soccer club that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top U.S. domestic league. Founded on October 8, 1997, on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Club began play in 1998 as one of the League’s first expansion franchises. The Fire have won six major domestic titles, including the 1998 MLS Cup; the 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups; as well as the 2003 MLS Supporters’ Shield.

The Club recently announced plans to build a $750M+ privately financed downtown stadium in Chicago in 2028. The stadium will anchor Chicago’s newest neighborhood, the 78, a 62-acre development and entertainment district located along the Chicago River just south of Roosevelt Road. For more information on our bold plans, visit DearChicago.com.

Additionally, the Club recently opened the state-of-the-art $100M Endeavor Health Performance Center in March 2025 that has set the standard for North American training facilities. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an audacious and ambitious vision that will transform the brand and the company in the coming years.

At Chicago Fire FC, we’re on a mission to entertain, serve, and unite Chicago by delivering excellence on and off the pitch to ensure a world-class experience. As a club we let our values guide everything we do: we uphold uncompromising integrity, show respect for all at all times, never settle for less, constantly innovate, and hold ourselves relentlessly accountable.

Position Overview:
Chicago Fire Football Club is seeking a strategic and hands-on General Manager, Fire Pitch, the Club’s premier indoor/outdoor community soccer facility and home to the 2nd Star Tavern restaurant on the north side of Chicago. This facility hosts over 300,000 annual visitors across youth and adult programming.

The General Manager will lead the long-term strategy and day-to-day execution of all operations and maintenance efforts at the Fire Pitch and 2nd Star Tavern, ensuring an elite-level guest experience and high standards of cleanliness, safety, and operational excellence. This role oversees all maintenance, vendor relationships, capital planning, budget tracking, and event support and plays a key leadership role in setting the tone for the facility and restaurant’s culture and service standards.

This role reports to the Chief Financial Officer, SVP of Programming Revenue

Job Responsibilities:

Facility Operations
- Develop and execute long-term operational strategies, including seasonal planning, capital projects, and maintenance schedules.
- Lead all facility staff: hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management.
- Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service agreements (janitorial, HVAC, turf, maintenance, etc.).
- Oversee budgeting, cost control, purchasing, and resource planning.
- Direct seasonal dome conversion projects in partnership with contractors and facility teams.
- Ensure compliance with safety standards, building codes, and regulations.
- Support programming and event operations in collaboration with internal and external partners.
- Act as liaison between Fire Pitch and other relevant CFFC departments ensuring interdepartmental collaboration and efficiency
- Serve as primary contact for emergency and incident response.
- Maintain inventories, facility calendars, SOPs, and vendor records.
- Champion a culture of excellence, inclusion, customer service, and collaboration.
Revenue Generation
- Develop and execute strategies to maximize rental revenue and position Fire Pitch as a premier soccer and community destination.
- Partner with programming teams to optimize field usage and scheduling for revenue growth and guest satisfaction.
- Identify and pursue new participation and revenue opportunities through the Fire Pitch marketplace and community offerings.
- Collaborate with restaurant management to increase traffic, events, and sales at 2nd Star Tavern, appealing to both soccer and non-soccer audiences.
- Significantly increase the number of larger scale events, such as corporate outings, that generate field rental revenue as well as F&B revenue.
- Act as Fire Pitch ambassador, representing the Club’s brand, vision, and values in the community.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in facility operations.
Demonstrated success in driving revenue growth through facility rentals, programming optimization, or hospitality/event partnerships.
Strong working knowledge of building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing), turf management, and vendor coordination.
Budget management and capital planning skills, with the ability to balance cost control and revenue generation.
Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
Proven success working in a fast paced environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and facility management systems.
Must display a strong work ethic and desire to build a career in professional sports.
Ability to work non-traditional hours, including nights, weekends and holidays.

Preferred Qualifications:

Previous work experience in sports, recreation, hospitality or events.
Bachelor’s degree in Facility Management, Sports Administration, Business, or related field.
Prior experience working with artificial turf and indoor dome structures.
Background in sales, event management, or community programming with measurable revenue results.
Spanish language fluency a plus.

Compensation:

This role offers a salary range of $100,000-$110,000. Final salary is determined by carefully considering the applicant's background, experience, and qualifications. Base pay may vary significantly based on geographic location, job-specific knowledge, skills, and overall experience
This role is classified as Full-time, exempt
This role is bonus eligible based on club-wide goals
Additional benefits & perks: Official Chicago Fire FC Website

Please note:

Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Our diversity initiatives start with the recruitment and selection process; therefore, we’d like to welcome all diverse candidates to apply to opportunities within our Club.
CFFC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and maintaining a workplace for employees and applicants for employment that is free from discrimination. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, age, veteran or military status, disability, sexual orientation, sexual orientation or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
- If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the People and Culture Department at [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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