VP of Marketing & Communications

The Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF) selects exceptional military service members, veterans, and spouses and invests in them for life through scholarships, leadership development, career architecture, and community and events. They are the next generation of public- and private-sector leaders committed to service beyond self. Inspired by Pat Tillman, who proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country, family, and friends, the Pat Tillman Foundation was established following Pat's death in April 2004 while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. Over the last 22 years, PTF has supported over 1,000 Tillman Scholars as they've furthered their education and increased their impact in the world.

Role Overview

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The Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF) seeks a Vice President of Marketing \& Communications to lead how the Foundation shows up in the world and to turn that visibility into measurable outcomes. Reporting to the CEO, this leader owns marketing, public relations, social, and brand protection as a single function; provides final sign-off on external creative; owns marketing attribution and the reporting it produces; and is accountable for marketing's contribution to Tillman Scholar applications and donor acquisition. The role leads a two-person in-house team and partners across Programs, Development, and Event Operations to grow PTF's reach and revenue.

Who You Are

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• Mission judgment before marketing craft. Experience with military, veteran, or comparably high-stakes mission audiences, and the judgment to hold final sign-off on everything that goes out under PTF's name
• Comfort holding the standard. A track record of holding a quality or brand standard under internal pressure, including with senior leadership
• Earned media, not managed media. A record of pitching and placing national and Chicago press personally, with your own name on the relationships
• Accountability for growth, not output. Willingness to carry a number for marketing's contribution to Scholar applications and donor acquisition, and to be measured on funnel contribution rather than activity
• Player-coach range. Two direct reports and no standing agency, so you lead and develop the team and still write, pitch, and ship yourself
• Presence where it counts. Public-facing, event-facing, and partner-facing, on the ground for Pat's Run, donor moments, and in-market press, and credible in the room with national partners
• Eight or more years in marketing, communications, or public relations, including at least three years leading and developing a team
• Hands-on fluency with marketing attribution and analytics, including GA4, Google Tag Manager, and UTM governance, with willingness to be accountable for the numbers reported

PTF Core Values

• Reputable
• Mission Driven
• Collaborative
• Self Starter
• Professional

Responsibilities and Impact

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Marketing Strategy and Growth

• Own marketing strategy, positioning, and the annual plan, translating department priorities into quarterly commitments
• Carry accountability for marketing's contribution to Tillman Scholar applications and to donor acquisition, in partnership with Programs and Development
• Own campaign marketing and promotion for Pat's Run, coordinated with Event Operations for continuity
• Own the website relationship and the email and marketing automation platform, partnering with Development on donor and monthly giving sends

Earned Media and Public Relations

• Own PR and earned media strategy: media relationships, pitching, reactive communications, and crisis response
• Pitch and place national and local press directly, targeting placements that build reputation and convert to donors

Social and Content

• Own social strategy and the content calendar across all PTF channels
• Tell Tillman Scholar and program stories, sourced in partnership with the Programs team
• Own how signature efforts show up publicly, such as the “Huddle,” with program owners leading on substance

Brand Stewardship and Sign-off

• Serve as keeper of the brand system, guidelines, templates, and asset library, and protect brand integrity across the organization
• Hold final sign-off on external creative, with CEO approval reserved for statements issued in her name, crisis response, anything carrying a partner's marks, legal instruments, and partnership announcements
• Maintain the templates and staff enablement that keep the standard holding organization-wide, and bring changes to the standard itself to the CEO

Attribution and Reporting

• Own marketing attribution end to end: GA4, Google Tag Manager, and the UTM taxonomy, including the accuracy and integrity of what they report
• Own cross-channel reporting, Scholar and donor attribution, and the marketing KPI dashboard
• Report marketing and communications performance to the CEO and board, and turn results into decisions
• Coordinate with Data Operations on shared data and reporting standards so marketing and development numbers reconcile

Team, Budget, and Partner Leadership

• Lead, develop, and set the quality bar for the Sr. Marketing Manager and the Social Media Manager, managing priorities and workload across a small team with a large surface area
• Own the marketing and communications budget and vendor relationships, scope, and accountability, and ensure return on brand investment

What We Offer

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This position will report to the CEO and is hybrid-based in Chicago, IL. If you are a motivated and creative individual who shares our passion for serving military service members, veterans, and spouses, please submit your application.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package: Medical, Vision, Dental \+ annual wellness stipend
• Competitive compensation with annual bonus potential
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account Options
• Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance
• Eligibility for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• 401(k) retirement savings plan available (employee-funded)

Time Off

• Competitive PTO at 4 weeks annually
• 5 sick days annually
• 12 paid holidays annually
• 75 days of parental leave

Also...

• This Role's Hiring Range: $125k-$145k
• Individual and Leadership Development
• Monthly premiums paid for the employee (\+50% of dependents) for medical, dental, and short/long term disability.
• This is an opportunity to work with a dynamic team dedicated to empowering exceptional military service members, veterans, and spouses.
• Professional development, wellness and commuter benefits, and growth opportunities.
• Flexible work environment. This role is hybrid and based at our office at 180 N. LaSalle St. We are in the office Tuesday, Wednesday, \& Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Based in Chicago, the Pat Tillman Foundation is ranked one of the Top 50 Nonprofits to Work for in the United States by the Nonprofit Times, and on the Crain's Chicago Best Places to Work list.

Travel is estimated at 25% of total work time in a calendar year, including Pat's Run, donor moments, partner meetings, and in-market press. The position is open immediately.