About Us
Bear Group is one of Ireland's leading event companies, managing a portfolio of fast-growing businesses in the events, commercial services and fitness space. This includes Bear Races, which hosts 17 popular sporting events across the country, as well as ventures in sports retail, fitness communities, and more. As we continue to grow, we are looking for a Director of Sales & Marketing to lead the commercial strategy for the group.
Role Summary
The Director of Sales & Marketing is a senior leadership position responsible for setting and executing the commercial growth strategy across The Bear Group, with a strong operational and revenue focus on Bear Races. This role owns end-to-end sales and marketing performance, including acquisition, retention, pricing strategy, brand, content, digital, CRM, and event-driven marketing. A core pillar of the role is Sponsorship & Partnerships: identifying, pitching, closing, retaining, and growing brand partners, and collaborating with agencies to deliver high-quality activations aligned to event objectives and partner KPIs.
This is a highly cross-functional role, partnering closely with Operations, Event Delivery, Finance, and external stakeholders to ensure commercial strategy translates into measurable growth and exceptional participant and partner experiences.
Reporting Line
Reports to: Managing Director
Direct reports: Digital Marketing Specialist & Creative Specialist
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Leadership and Strategy
* Own and deliver the annual sales and marketing strategy across The Bear Group, with a primary focus on Bear Races' growth targets and brand position.
* Set revenue objectives across ticketing, sponsorship, partnerships, merchandise, and ancillary event income streams.
* Lead go-to-market planning for a national calendar of running events, ensuring aligned launch timing, pricing tiers, promotional cadence, and channel strategy.
* Provide senior leadership and direction to internal team members and external agencies to execute at a high standard.
Sponsorship, Partnerships and Account Management
* Serve as the commercial lead for sponsorship and partnerships: prospecting, proposal development, pitching, negotiation, contracting, and renewal.
* Grow an ecosystem of brand partners across multiple events and series, building long-term relationships and multi-year agreements.
* Own account management for existing partners: ensuring delivery against agreed assets, reporting on outcomes, and identifying upsell/cross-sell opportunities.
* Develop sponsorship packages (title, category, series, event-level) with clear value propositions, deliverables, and pricing frameworks.
* Manage partner activations in collaboration with agencies and internal operations teams, ensuring on-brand, compliant, and high-impact execution.
* Create partner performance reporting (reach, engagement, leads, sampling, brand visibility) and contribute to post-event reviews and renewal discussions.
Sales Performance and Ticketing Growth
* Own ticketing strategy, including tiered pricing architecture (e.g., super early bird, early bird, standard), promotional windows, and conversion optimisation.
* Drive sales performance through campaign planning, segmentation, and targeted offers while protecting brand equity and margins.
* Identify and cultivate corporate participation opportunities, particularly for business-focused events, and develop tailored group/corporate packages where relevant.
* Monitor sales pacing and forecast performance; implement interventions to address underperformance and unlock demand.
Brand, Marketing and Communications Leadership
* Lead the brand and marketing strategy for Bear Races and applicable Bear Group initiatives, ensuring consistent positioning and messaging across channels.
* Oversee content strategy and production for social, email, web, paid media, and event communications, with a strong focus on community engagement and storytelling.
* Manage always-on communications to participants, including training tips, event updates, and series engagement to improve retention and lifetime value.
* Own promotional planning for key initiatives including series launches, medal reveals, influencer collaborations, giveaways, and partner campaigns.
Event Activation and Cross-Functional Execution
* Work closely with Event Operations to ensure commercial commitments and sponsor deliverables are executed smoothly onsite.
* Support the development of new event concepts and product enhancements (e.g., series propositions, merchandise, premium experiences).
* Lead or support volunteer/community engagement initiatives where relevant to brand and partner outcomes.
* Ensure all participant-facing communications are accurate, timely, and aligned with operational realities.
Leadership, Stakeholder Management and Governance
* Act as a senior leader within the organisation, contributing to broader business planning and performance reviews.
* Manage external agencies and suppliers, including briefing, deliverables, timelines, quality control, and performance evaluation.
* Ensure partnership agreements and marketing activities align with brand standards, legal/compliance requirements, and event safety considerations.
* Build internal processes and playbooks for sponsorship delivery, campaign planning, and partner reporting to scale performance.
Key Deliverables and Success Metrics
* Year-on-year ticket revenue growth and event sales performance versus targets
* Sponsorship revenue growth, renewal rates, and partner satisfaction
* Growth in participation, repeat participation, and series uptake
* Marketing efficiency improvements
* Quality and impact of partner activations (measured outcomes and post-event reporting)
* Strong brand consistency, audience engagement, and community sentiment
Required Experience and Qualifications
* Senior commercial/marketing leadership experience, ideally within events, sport, fitness, entertainment, or consumer experiences.
* Proven sponsorship and partnerships track record: sourcing, negotiating, closing, and renewing deals with measurable outcomes.
* Strong understanding of performance marketing and CRM, with an ability to manage both brand and direct-response objectives.
* Experience managing agencies and cross-functional stakeholders in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
* Commercially astute with strong planning, forecasting, and budget management capability.
Skills and Competencies
* Strategic leadership with hands-on execution capability
* Strong negotiation, presentation, and proposal-writing skills
* Excellent relationship management and stakeholder influence
* Data-driven decision-making and comfort with analytics and reporting
* Strong creative judgement for messaging, content, and campaign direction
* Operational awareness and ability to deliver partner commitments onsite
Personal Attributes
* Highly organised, proactive, and accountable
* Confident communicator with a partner-first mindset
* Comfortable working across multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
* Passion for building community-led events and delivering exceptional participant experiences
What We Offer:
* A varied and exciting role across multiple growing businesses.
* Work with one of Ireland's most exciting event companies.
* Competitive salary based on experience.
* 21 days holiday + overtime where applicable.
* Flexible working hours.
* On-site parking.
Licence/Certification:
* Full Drivers Licence (required)
Work Authorisation:
* Ireland (required)
Work Location: In person (required)
If you're passionate about the events industry and want to be part of an exciting and growing business, we'd love to hear from you Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter by the 20/01/2026.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: €50,000.00-€70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
* On-site parking
Experience:
* Senior Commercial Leadership: 4 years (preferred)
* end-to-end Sponsorship & Partnership Sales: 4 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
* Full Drivers Licence (required)
Work authorisation:
* Ireland (required)
Work Location: In person