Senior Director Marketing

About the Role

The Senior Director of Marketing is the most senior marketing leader for adidas Golf, owning the integrated global agenda across Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing. This role sets the vision, strategy, and investment priorities across Storytelling, Activation, Digital, Social, PR, Retail Marketing, Creative Development, and the global athlete and partner portfolio. As a member of the Golf Senior Leadership Team, the position connects athlete credibility, consumer storytelling, product innovation, and marketplace activation into one cohesive marketing strategy that drives brand desirability, demand creation, and sustainable business growth. The role also serves as the senior functional leader for Sports Marketing, owning portfolio strategy, investment priorities, key contracting, and relationship decisions.

Responsibilities

• Integrated Marketing Strategy and Business Leadership
  • Own and evolve the multi-year global Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing strategy for adidas Golf, aligned with Golf, Brand, and Enterprise strategy.
  • Set the integrated consumer and athlete agenda across Storytelling, Activation, Sports Marketing, Digital, Social, PR, Retail Marketing, and Creative Development.
  • Represent Marketing on the Golf Senior Leadership Team and shape Business Unit strategy, growth priorities, resource choices, and organizational decisions.
  • Translate consumer, cultural, athlete, marketplace, and commercial insight into clear marketing priorities and measurable brand and business outcomes.
  • Ensure Sports Marketing operates as a horizontal capability that informs and strengthens Storytelling, Activation, Product, Design, Development, Go-to-Market, and Commercial execution.
• Sports Marketing Strategy, Portfolio, and Contract Leadership
  • Own the global adidas Golf Sports Marketing strategy, athlete and partner portfolio architecture, and multi-year investment priorities across professional, amateur, and collegiate golf.
  • Set the direction and decision criteria for athlete identification, scouting, evaluation, recruitment, renewal, and exit recommendations based on brand fit, product credibility, consumer influence, geographic relevance, and commercial value.
  • Lead or directly oversee the most material athlete and partner negotiations with agents, management companies, tours, and golf organizations in partnership with Legal, Finance, and relevant adidas stakeholders.
  • Own senior relationships with priority athletes, agents, and strategic partners and serve as the executive escalation point for significant contractual, service, performance, reputational, or athlete-welfare matters.
  • Maintain visible leadership within the golf ecosystem, including appropriate presence at major professional and amateur events.
  • Set governance for contracts, rights, obligations, renewals, portfolio reviews, risk management, and return on investment.
• Athlete Integration, Brand Activation, and Product Partnership
  • Ensure contracted athlete and partner rights are fully integrated into global storytelling, activation, digital, social, PR, retail, and commercial plans.
  • Create a clear connection between athlete identification and signing, athlete servicing, rights utilization, and consumer-facing activation.
  • Partner with Product Marketing, Design, and Development to embed athlete insight, testing, and performance feedback into product creation, validation, and launch priorities.
  • Align Sports Marketing, Storytelling, and Activation leaders around a shared seasonal athlete and asset plan that advances priority products and brand narratives.
  • Ensure athlete scripting, appearances, content, product seeding, and event participation strengthen both adidas Golf and partner value.
  • Monitor athlete performance, competitive activity, golf industry developments, and emerging talent to inform future strategy and portfolio choices.
• Investment, Performance, and Global Governance
  • Own global marketing investment principles and annual resource allocation across brand marketing, agencies, athlete and partner contracts, activation, and Sports Marketing operations.
  • Establish performance measures and business reviews connecting marketing and Sports Marketing activity to brand, consumer, product, and commercial outcomes.
  • Make portfolio trade-offs across stories, channels, athlete assets, markets, and capabilities and redirect resources when performance, risk, or opportunity requires action.
  • Set global marketing governance, decision rights, quality standards, and Market adoption expectations.
  • Serve as the final Golf Marketing and Sports Marketing escalation point for material brand, athlete, partner, agency, budget, legal, and execution decisions.
• Organization and Talent Leadership
  • Lead and develop a high-performing global Marketing organization spanning Storytelling, Activation, and Sports Marketing, including senior leaders and specialist teams.
  • Set the Marketing and Sports Marketing operating model, organization design, capability roadmap, and succession agenda.
  • Provide direct functional leadership to the Sports Marketing organization, establishing clear accountability for team coordination, portfolio execution, athlete service, and people leadership.
  • Establish clear roles across athlete scouting and portfolio management, contract management, athlete servicing, and activation to avoid gaps and duplication.
  • Build a culture of accountability, creativity, consumer centricity, athlete centricity, collaboration, confidentiality, and disciplined execution.
  • Coach leaders, differentiate performance, and ensure resources are aligned to the highest strategic priorities.
• Decision Scope and Accountability
  • Global functional scope across the full adidas Golf Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing agenda, athlete and partner portfolio, and priority markets.
  • Accountable for integrated marketing strategy, athlete and partner portfolio strategy, material contract and investment recommendations, global standards, organizational capability, and delivery against agreed brand and business outcomes.
  • Operates with broad discretion within approved Golf and Brand strategy and escalates only decisions with material enterprise, financial, contractual, legal, or reputational implications.

Key Relationships

• Strategic Leadership Partners
  • SVP & General Manager Golf
  • Golf Senior Leadership Team
  • Senior leaders across Product Marketing, Design, Development, Go-to-Market, Commercial, Finance, Human Resources, and Legal
• Marketing and Sports Marketing Network
  • Storytelling, Activation, Sports Marketing, Digital, Social, PR, Retail, and Creative teams
  • Global, regional, and Market Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing leadership
  • Product Marketing, Product, Design, and Development teams
  • Go-to-Market, Sales, and Market Commercial leadership
• External Network
  • Athletes, agents, and management companies
  • Professional tours, amateur and collegiate golf organizations, and event partners
  • Creative, media, retail, digital, and production agencies
  • Strategic partners, rights holders, and specialist service providers

Qualifications

• University degree in Marketing, Communications, Sports Management, Business, or a related field. Master's degree or MBA preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience spanning brand marketing, integrated marketing, Sports Marketing, athlete management, partnerships, or related leadership roles.
• Meaningful leadership experience in both Brand Marketing and Sports Marketing; direct experience working with athletes and agents and leading or materially influencing contract negotiations.
• 8+ years of people leadership experience, including leadership of senior leaders and multidisciplinary global teams.
• Proven accountability for global marketing strategy, material budgets, athlete or partner portfolios, agency ecosystems, and measurable brand and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience connecting athlete partnerships to product, storytelling, activation, and commercial value.
• Experience in golf, sporting goods, a major sports organization, athlete representation, or a global consumer brand strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel regularly, including presence at priority professional and amateur golf events.
• Advanced Microsoft 365 skills, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.

Skills

• Enterprise-level marketing strategy, brand building, demand creation, and integrated consumer experience leadership.
• Deep Sports Marketing expertise, including athlete identification, portfolio strategy, professional and amateur golf, contract negotiation, rights management, and athlete or agent relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate athlete assets into storytelling, activation, product creation, and commercial priorities.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including large-scale marketing budgets, athlete and partner investments, forecasting, and portfolio trade-offs.
• Executive presence and credibility with senior internal stakeholders, athletes, agents, rights holders, and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to lead senior leaders and multidisciplinary global teams in a complex matrix.
• Excellent judgment in high-visibility, time-sensitive, confidential, and reputationally sensitive situations.
• Proven transformation, innovation, and change leadership, including responsible use of consumer data, technology, and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Strong understanding of golf culture, professional and amateur golf ecosystems, the consumer, and the competitive landscape.

Benefits

• Robust and progressive medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage, including HSA with employer funding or FSA options.
• Adoption, surrogacy, and fertility support.
• Short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, with options for employee-paid supplemental coverage.
• 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match.
• Education assistance.
• Generous leave policies, including 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Annual bonus based on company and personal performance.
• Flexible time off accrual, increasing with years of service, plus twelve paid holidays and Service Time Off during milestone years.

Pay

The anticipated base pay range for this position is $172,900 - $238,500. Actual salary will be based on experience, qualifications, skills, and competencies.

Schedule

Hybrid work policy requiring in-office attendance Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring high collaboration or in-person presentations, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. The working location is Carlsbad, California.