Marketing Manager

The Role

The Marketing Manager is a commercially minded, hands-on marketer who will turn Connacht Rugby's brand and marketing strategy into high-performing campaigns that fill Dexcom Stadium and grow our supporter base.

This is a pivotal role in the club's marketing team, where you’ll be involved in the day-to-day planning, delivery and optimisation of tactical campaigns. You’ll work cross functionally to bring creative campaigns to life, particularly with the Commercial and Ticketing teams to support their respective sales initiatives.

You’ll bring an exceptional creative mindset and a passion for turning insights into standout campaigns that capture attention and inspire action. As one of the club's key creative thinkers, you will act as an ideas hub for the organisation, continually generating innovative concepts, fan engagement initiatives and campaign strategies that strengthen the Connacht Rugby brand, grow audiences and drive commercial results.

Reporting to the Senior Brand & Marketing Manager, you will be a key contributor to a multi-disciplinary team that includes the PR & Media Manager, Graphic Designer and Content Executive.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Championing

• Serve as a creative catalyst across the club, proactively generating innovative campaign ideas, fan engagement concepts and marketing initiatives that support ticketing, commercial, community and brand objectives.
• Lead campaign ideation sessions and contribute fresh thinking that helps Connacht Rugby stand out in a competitive sports and entertainment landscape.
• Identify emerging marketing trends, cultural moments and digital innovations, translating them into relevant and impactful campaigns for supporters and partners.
• Challenge conventional approaches and bring a bold, creative perspective to campaign planning, helping the club continually evolve its marketing output.

Campaign Management & Delivery

• Plan, deliver and optimise day-to-day marketing campaigns in line with the annual marketing strategy and campaign calendar.
• Manage campaign timelines and briefs, ensuring delivery on time, on brand and on budget.
• Track, analyse and report on campaign performance, using insights to improve results and return on investment.

Email Marketing & CRM

• Own email marketing, including strategy, planning, build, segmentation, scheduling and reporting.
• Support the growth of the club's CRM database, executing campaigns that capture data to allow us to have a more meaningful dialogue with our fans.
• Use audience segmentation and automation to deliver relevant, timely communications that increase conversion, retention and engagement.
• Work with the Ticketing team to ensure data is accurate and that CRM and ticketing systems work together.

Match Day Experience

• Lead planning and delivery of the match day experience at all home games and hosted international fixtures, including fan activations and promotions.
• Develop tactical match day campaigns and initiatives that engage supporters of all ages and encourage repeat attendance.
• Contribute marketing input to the ideation and design of club-led events and experiential initiatives.
• Work with the Operations, Commercial & Marketing and Club & Community teams to deliver a consistent, high-quality supporter experience.

Sales Collateral & Creative Delivery

• Brief and manage the design and delivery of sales, marketing and partnership material for the rugby and stadium commercial teams, including print, digital and in-stadium materials for ticketing, hospitality, partnerships and events.
• Deliver creative promotions and advertising campaigns from brief through to implementation, working with the Graphic Designer and Content Executive.
• Brief and work closely with the Graphic Designer and Content Executive, ensuring all output follows brand guidelines.
• Support the activation of partner rights across campaigns, match day and digital channels, including approvals.

Digital, Content & Channel Management

• Own the club’s social media, content and channel strategies, driving audience growth, engagement and digital performance.
• Lead content planning and delivery across social media, website, app and email channels.
• Manage the club’s content calendar in collaboration with the Content Executive, Graphic Designer and PR & Media Manager.
• Monitor channel performance and use audience insights to optimise content and engagement.

Campaign Delivery & Digital Marketing

• Deliver marketing campaigns that support ticketing, memberships, hospitality and sponsorship objectives.
• Oversee day-to-day management of the club’s digital platforms, ensuring content is accurate, engaging and up to date.
• Coordinate the creation and delivery of marketing content and campaign assets.
• Manage relevant agencies, suppliers and content partners.
• Identify opportunities to increase audience growth, engagement and conversion across digital channels.

Collaboration

• Work closely with the PR & Media Manager to ensure alignment between marketing activity and club communications.
• Collaborate with the wider marketing team, commercial, rugby and stadium teams to deliver integrated campaigns and supporter experiences.

General

• Undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Commercial & Marketing.

Experience & Qualifications

Desirable

• Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 4 years' experience in a marketing role, with a track record of delivering campaigns that drive measurable results.
• Highly creative and naturally curious, with a proven ability to originate compelling campaign concepts and turn ideas into commercially successful marketing activity.
• Demonstrable experience of developing innovative marketing campaigns that have driven engagement, audience growth, ticket sales, revenue or brand awareness.
• Confident presenting and championing new ideas, with the ability to influence stakeholders and bring others on a creative journey.
• Passion for sport, entertainment and fan culture, coupled with a strong understanding of what captures attention and motivates audiences to engage.
• An excellent understanding of rugby, its supporters and the club's audiences.
• Proven experience in email marketing and CRM, including segmentation, automation and performance analysis.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, deadlines and stakeholders at once.
• Experience working with designers, content creators and agencies, from brief to delivery.

• Strong understanding of digital marketing channels and analytics.

Reporting Relationships

The Marketing Manager will report to the Senior Brand & Marketing Manager and will have close working relationships with the CEO and Head of Commercial & Marketing.

Working Pattern

Connacht Rugby operates a hybrid working model with an expectation that the successful candidate will attend the office approximately three days per week.

The candidate will be expected to work appropriate hours in order to fully carry out their responsibilities. The nature of the work is such that these hours may be irregular or outside the norm i.e., during evenings and at weekends (including Sundays).

Application Process

As part of you’re application we want your creative idea! Learn More Here. This can be submitted via a Google Drive or One Drive link embedded within your application. This allows you flexibility to submit your idea in a format of your choosing.

Please apply at www.connachtrugby.ie/careers, with a cover letter and up to date CV. Closing date for applications is Monday 9th November 2026.

Connacht Rugby is an equal opportunity employer.