Company Background
The Houston Dynamo Football Club (HDFC) is a multi-faceted organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting soccer participation and growth in Houston, TX and beyond. The Club’s brands include men's and women's professional teams - the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and Houston Dash (NWSL), a development academy, Houston Dynamo Dash Charities, as well as Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park.
The Club has a rich history, including MLS Cup titles (2006, 2007) and in-season tournament championships for both the Dynamo (2018) and Dash (2020) and is focused on building toward the next championships, inspiring and uniting the city of Houston through the sport of soccer and community outreach, and creating the most inclusive sporting experience and diverse fan base in the city and state.
Purpose of the Job
This role is a key position in the Marketing department and will be responsible for developing, planning and executing programs and events for the Fan and Community Engagement departments to meet the overall goals and objectives of HDFC. This position will be responsible for helping build relationships within the community of Houston and work collaboratively with internal and external groups to create and execute events across the organization that further the HDFC brands. The Director of Fan and Community Engagement will directly supervise a team of three full time staff and oversee management of part-time marketing/event staff.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Develops and leads new fan engagement strategies and grass roots marketing through partnerships and in-market activation.
- Initiates and leads marketing and promotional event plans as part of the integrated marketing offense, partnering with other internal departments and/or external stakeholders around specific marketing plans, goals and objectives.
- Sets strategy for and oversees planning and execution of the Club’s community and school programs throughout the year, keeping a strategic eye on driving awareness of the team and it’s efforts.
- Partners with and supports Stadium Event and Guest Experience teams to enhance the event experience and build out event content and programming.
- Activates onsite event experience plans for matches and other Stadium events.
- Oversees planning and execution in-house events, including but not limited to, Meet the Team, Fanfest, Watch Parties, Select-A-Seat and more.
- Creates and manages evaluation tool to measure outcomes and levels of success related to fan and community engagement strategies to inform annual marketing plans.
- Oversees select Community and Charities fundraising activities, in conjunction with the VP of Community Engagement and Manager of Community Engagement, including but not limited, to 50/50 Raffles, auctions, charitable events and more.
- Helps develop detailed semi-annual and annual reports for internal and external purposes aimed at providing a snapshot of the Club’s efforts, impact and key insights from the activation.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualification Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree – required.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience or background in community or fan engagement– required, sports experience a plus.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) – required.
- Bilingual English/Spanish – preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Attributes
- Ability to identify problems and their root causes, and to develop and recommend effective solutions.
- Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills at all levels of the organization and with external contacts.
- Innovative thinker and self-starter with perseverance to lead projects to success.
- Superior level of detail orientation, accuracy, and sense of urgency.
- Proven ability to organize information and present it in a clear and concise manner.
- Strong time management skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and to balance multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines, including last minute requests, in a timely manner.
- Ability to lead and drive alignment across teams and seniority levels.
- Maintains Organizational Core Competencies.
Organizational Core Competencies
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Accountable – Holds themselves (and when appropriate others) accountable for achieving goals and objectives.
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Collaborative – Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational outcomes.
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Progressive – Open minded, accepting, creative, and innovative in approach.
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Values Driven – Being ethical in decision making and operating with professional integrity.
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Agile – Achieves personal and organizational success within a changing, dynamic and complex environment. Ability to handle ambiguity.
Additional Competencies for Leadership
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Strategic – Leads opportunity and is committed to continuous improvement aligned with the organizational vision and direction.
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Resilient – Demonstrates personal resilience within a demanding environment of high expectations.
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Enabling – Drives excellence through valuing and developing others.
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Business Acumen – Superior ability to understand and effectively navigate area of responsibility and various business scenarios.
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Good Judgment – Strong critical thinking skills and ability to exercise discretion and good judgement.
Other Information
Diverse candidates of all backgrounds are welcome, and the Club seeks individuals passionate about sport, inspiring the city and devoted to the organization's growth. While duties and responsibilities vary across positions, we are seeking individuals who are accountable, collaborative, progressive, agile and ethical/values driven.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
