Description

Introduction
The Wisconsin Historical Foundation exists to advance the mission of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

• Mission: The Society connects people to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories.
• Vision: Enriching and transforming lives through unparalleled access to history.
• Values: We believe that increasing the public's knowledge of history has profound societal, cultural and economic benefit.

As a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, the Foundation receives grants and private contributions benefiting the Society and administers the membership program.

Position Description

The Sites Marketing Manager is part of a fast-paced, in-house Wisconsin Historical Foundation marcom team that includes creative, digital, social media, public relations and strategic communications professionals who work to grow awareness of the Wisconsin Historical Society brand, resources, events and portfolio of historic sites.

The Sites Marketing Manager serves as the strategic marketing partner and primary liaison for the Wisconsin Historical Society's portfolio of historic sites across the state. This role requires strategic marketing expertise and marketing account management experience to work seamlessly between site leadership and the centralized marketing communications team to plan and execute multi-channel marcom strategies that produce measurable results and directly impact site attendance and revenue goals. The ideal candidate establishes organized, effective and informed collaboration processes to bridge and prioritize site-level needs with centralized marketing resources and expertise.

This position requires equal parts marketing planning and analysis, relationship management, and hands-on execution—functioning as both marketing strategist and internal agency account lead for the historic sites.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a strategic, organized, highly driven professional who pairs proven marketing expertise with strong account management skills, leading to effective cross-functional planning and delivery of impactful marketing campaigns.  

Core Duties
Strategic Marketing Planning (45%)

• Develop strategic annual and campaign-level marketing plans for the Wisconsin Historical Society’s portfolio of historic sites in close collaboration with site leadership and marcom channel experts (e.g. creative, digital, social media, PR), aligning site-specific goals with strategic priorities, organizational brand standards and marcom resources.
• Lead annual marketing planning processes with site leadership, marcom team and external advertising agency, facilitating strategy sessions and translating operational objectives into effective integrated marketing campaigns.
• Compile and present strategic recommendations and campaign performance insights to site and Society leadership.
• Periodically initiate market analysis, competitive research, and guest surveys to inform site-specific marketing strategies and identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor industry trends and best practices in attractions marketing to continually evolve and optimize strategic recommendations.

Account Management & Cross-Functional Coordination (40%)

• Function as the dedicated account manager for the historic sites, serving as their primary point of contact for all marcom needs and the liaison between sites and marcom channel experts (e.g. creative, digital, social media, PR).
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with site leadership, operations teams and key stakeholders across multiple locations.
• Conduct regular site visits to understand operational realities, visitor experiences and emerging marketing opportunities.
• Regularly brief marcom team members on high priority site-specific initiatives, ensuring thorough understanding of site context, opportunities and goals.
• Facilitate communication between site teams and central marketing department, ensuring mutual understanding and alignment of needs, strategy and prioritization.
• Manage expectations, timelines, and deliverables across multiple concurrent projects and sites in close collaboration with the centralized marketing team. 

Campaign Oversight & Performance Management (15%)

• Oversee execution of integrated marketing campaigns from concept through completion, ensuring quality, consistency and brand adherence across channels.
• Monitor campaign performance across all channels, providing regular reporting and insights to site and Society leadership and marcom colleagues.
• Manage marketing budgets, track spend and ensure cost-effective deployment of resources.

Requirements

Requirements
Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or related discipline.
• 5+ years of marketing experience, with demonstrated account management or client services experience. Agency experience a plus.
• Proven track record managing multiple clients, projects or business units simultaneously.
• Experience developing, executing and reporting on integrated marketing strategies with measurable, goal-oriented results.
• Background in attractions, hospitality, tourism, cultural institutions, or related industries valued.

Strategic Thinking & Marketing Expertise

• Ability to translate business objectives into actionable marketing strategies.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using data to inform decisions and optimize performance.
• Comprehensive understanding of integrated marketing strategies across a variety of paid, owned and earned channels (e.g. advertising, email marketing, web presence, social media, PR, etc.)
• Knowledge of current marketing technologies and digital trends.

Relationship Management

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build credibility and consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to present complex information clearly to both marketing and non-marketing audiences.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and resources.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience facilitating meetings and leading collaborative planning sessions.

Project & Platform Management   

• Excellent organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented with strong follow-through and accountability.
• Experience with budget management and financial tracking.
• Experience in using email marketing platforms such as Active Campaign.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and project management platforms such as Asana.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee should have the ability to tour the historic sites, which may include organizing transportation to and from the sites, walking on uneven terrain, climbing stairs, and navigating outdoor environments in various weather conditions. The employee should also have the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and have close visual acuity to prepare and analyze written communication.