Criterion Channel Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary

The Marketing Director manages a Formerra marketing team that is responsible for refining and executing the global marketing strategy for a leading plastics distribution business. This role requires a proactive thought leader to develop integrated marketing programs that drive customer acquisition, strengthen brand positioning, accelerate eCommerce growth, and generate measurable business results both domestically and across international markets.

The Director will serve as the steward of the company's marketing ecosystem, overseeing marketing technologies, marketing automation, marketing analytics/KPIs, SEO/SEM, content strategy, end market research, and lead generation programs. Working closely with regional business leaders, product management, IT, digital, commercial, and executive leadership, this role will ensure marketing investments are aligned with strategic growth objectives and deliver measurable return on investment.

This position combines strategic leadership with operational execution and requires a data-driven marketer who can translate customer insights into scalable growth initiatives across multiple channels and geographies.

Key Responsibilities

Global Marketing Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the company's global marketing strategy in alignment with commercial and corporate growth objectives.
• Partner with regional business leaders to create market-specific programs while maintaining global brand consistency.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer acquisition, retention, and market penetration across all regions.  Includes market research oriented towards emerging end markets / applications, competitive intelligence, and line card gap analysis executed in conjunction with commercial and product management teams.
• Lead annual marketing planning processes, establishing measurable objectives, KPIs, and performance targets.
• Provide leadership, coaching, development and day-to-day direction to marketing team members.
• Identify, select, review, and oversee management of external agency partners.

Digital Ecosystem & Marketing Technology

• Define, implement, and continuously optimize the company's Marketing Technology (MarTech) stack.
• Serve as the business owner for key marketing platforms and as an influencer for marketing adjacent platforms, including:
• Website properties / CMS
• Marketing Automation / Email Marketing
• Search Analytics
• SEO and SEM tools
• Social Media
• Lead management and attribution models
• Segmentation criteria
• Data visualization & insights
• CRM and relevant data integrations
• Partner closely with IT and Digital teams to ensure seamless data integration, data quality governance, compliance, and scalability.
• Drive continuous improvement of digital customer experiences across website properties, eCommerce portals, and lead generation platforms.
• Identify, evaluate, and incorporate new technologies (including AI), tools, and partners that strike the optimal balance of efficiency and effectiveness.

Demand Generation & Customer Acquisition

• Develop and execute inbound and outbound demand generation programs that create qualified sales opportunities.
• Establish scalable lead generation processes and nurture strategies that support commercial growth objectives.
• Oversee campaign development across digital, email, paid media, search, social, and industry channels.
• Define customer acquisition strategies and evaluate channel performance to maximize marketing effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Sales leadership to optimize lead management processes and improve conversion rates throughout the customer journey.

eCommerce & Digital Growth

• In partnership with the Digital team, support the development and execution of strategies that increase eCommerce adoption, revenue, and customer engagement.
• Partner with Digital and Product Management teams to identify opportunities that improve online customer experience.
• Monitor digital customer behavior and identify opportunities to increase online conversions and revenue.
• Develop measurement frameworks to evaluate eCommerce performance and digital channel contribution.

Analytics, Attribution & Insights

• Confirm and expand marketing performance measurement and attribution frameworks that provide visibility into customer acquisition and revenue contribution.
• Define and maintain dashboards that track marketing effectiveness across all channels.
• Generate actionable insights regarding channel performance, campaign effectiveness, and customer acquisition trends.
• Provide recommendations that influence budget allocation, investment decisions, and go-to-market strategies.
• Use analytics to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and increased return on marketing investment.

Content & Brand Strategy

• Lead global content strategy development across digital, commercial, and product-focused channels.
• Ensure content supports SEO objectives, customer engagement, thought leadership, and lead generation goals.
• Partner with Product Management and business leaders to create compelling value propositions and market messaging. 
• Oversee development of case studies, technical content, product marketing materials, sales enablement tools, and digital assets.

Trade Shows & Industry Events

• Manage the company's global trade show and event strategy.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, logistics, and execution of industry conferences, supplier events, customer forums, and exhibitions.
• Establish clear performance metrics for event participation and lead generation outcomes.
• Ensure alignment between event investments and strategic growth initiatives.

Budget Management

• Develop, manage, and optimize the global marketing budget.
• Evaluate marketing investments based on business impact and return on investment.
• Allocate resources across regions, programs, channels, and technologies to maximize growth opportunities.
• Manage agency relationships, vendor contracts, and marketing technology expenditures.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, or related field required.
• 10+ years of progressive marketing experience, including leadership responsibility and team management in B2B organizations.

Preferred

• Experience supporting eCommerce growth strategies.
• Certifications in marketing automation, CRM, and Google Analytics.
• Deep understanding of SEO, SEM, digital advertising, attribution modeling, and customer journey analytics.
• Experience in remotely leading international initiatives requiring strategy localization.