Senior Manager, Brand Communications

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 FC is seeking a Senior Manager of Brand Communications to join our team. The Senior Manager of Brand Communications will report directly to the Senior Director of Communications and will drive strategic communications plans to support the department’s mission of elevating the visibility and fandom of the CFFC brand. The successful candidate will be highly skilled at delivering creative and strategic communications with a passion for storytelling, media relations and collaboration. This individual will be primarily responsible for leading the department’s earned media efforts to further enhance the reputation of the organization and its key stakeholders.

Job Responsibilities:

• Generate a consistent cadence of earned media coverage across traditional and non-traditional outlets
• Develop and manage relationships with media members across various industries
• Write and edit communications materials including, but not limited to, press releases, match recaps, press pitches, talking points, speeches, and presentation decks
• Partner closely with numerous stakeholders including internal cross-functional teams, corporate partners, community partners, the Chicago Fire Foundation, MLS, media and external agency partners as a strategic communications liaison
• Amplify priority marketing initiatives through development and execution of strategic communications plans
• Collaborate with the Sporting Comms team to support media relations tied to the first team players and coaches; and with on-site matchday and training needs when applicable
• Collaborate with the internal marketing and social media teams on influencer, content creator and talent engagement
• Prepare Club spokespersons for interviews and public-facing opportunities
• Respond to media inquiries in a timely manner, providing background information and facilitating interviews as necessary
• Facilitate and manage internal and League requests for Apple TV and radio broadcast content
• Assist the Sporting Communications team with the daily media access period at first team training sessions
• Support in-person and virtual team media availabilities, scheduling players and coaches and preparing talking points for anticipated topics
• Support the department’s media operations efforts for all first team home matches
• Provide media operations support for Chicago Fire FC II home matches, as needed
• Additional duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in the communications field
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills with a keen attention to detail
• Ability to shape public perception of the organization with strong writing and editing skills
• Ability to maintain a high-level of professionalism while working closely with professional players, coaches, and executives
• Proven ability to earn media coverage for a major brand
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines while managing multiple projects
• Ability to provide strategic communications counsel to Club spokespersons
• Strong work ethic with a track record of delivering results in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of individuals, including players, coaches, executives, and media members
• Must possess a collaborative, team-oriented mentality
• Must be able to work nights and weekends as needed, with potential limited travel to away matches throughout the season

Preferred Qualifications:

• Spanish language fluency
• Experience working for a professional sports team
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism or a related field

Compensation:

• This role offers a salary range of $70,000-80,000
• 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 peopleandculture@chicagofirefc.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.    

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