Associate Marketing Manager

smartdept. is searching for an Associate Marketing Manager for a construction (AEC) industry client located in Chicago, IL. The ideal candidate will come with 3–7 years of relevant experience, with AEC industry experience strongly preferred. This is a full‑time, onsite opportunity.

This role supports sales and marketing efforts across multiple lines of business within a construction organization. The Associate Marketing Manager will focus heavily on AEC proposal development, pursuit support, and execution of marketing initiatives tied to RFP/RFQ processes, client experience, and firm‑wide marketing efforts.

• Partner with pursuit teams to create and execute content for qualifications, proposals, presentations, and other marketing‑related collateral.

• Coordinate all elements of pursuit materials, including messaging, formatting, proofreading, graphics creation, brand adherence, compilation, and timely production.

• Manage and maintain well‑organized, up‑to‑date qualifications statements, project descriptions, and resumes.

• Assist in creating, executing, and marketing firm‑wide culture initiatives, including events, social media campaigns, newsletters, and collateral.

• Assist with the planning and execution of client, project, and industry events, including branded materials creation, vendor management, and promotional support.

• Organize and update templates for proposals, email campaigns, and sales decks.

• Plan, create, and publish thought leadership to a network of contacts.

• Coordinate, write, and manage project and team award submissions.

• Assist with ad hoc sales requests.

• Assist with research projects, including market research and sales intelligence.

• Research and maintain a networking events calendar.

• Ideate on ways to enhance the overall client experience.

• Update landing pages and manage website changes, as requested.

Education/

Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, or a related field.

• 3–7 years of relevant experience; AEC industry experience strongly preferred.

• Technical writing background with experience drafting full proposal narratives from scratch.

• Hands‑on experience reading RFP/RFQ documents, interpreting requirements, and understanding formatting constraints.

• Ability to outline proposals based on formal RFP or RFQ requirements.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and inputs.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice‑to‑Have

Skills:

• Canva and Adobe Creative Suite experience.

• Ability to work independently, show initiative, and grow within a fast‑paced environment.

• Enjoys problem‑solving and synthesizing insights into action.