Managing Director, Head of Marketing & Participation

Overview

Who We Are We are Tennis! The USTA (United States Tennis Association) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the leader in promoting and developing the sport’s growth on every level in the United States, from local communities to the crown jewel of the professional game, the US Open.

We are a passionate team of staff and volunteers focused on growing the sport of tennis and making it accessible to all. We are committed to removing barriers and creating opportunities for ALL to participate. Don’t know tennis? Don t worry, you can still find yourself in the game!

To serve as the strategic marketing & brand leader responsible for building and leading a modern, SME-driven marketing organization across all Growth and Participation efforts. This role integrates brand, media, CRM, go-to-market, and partnerships to drive participation, engagement, and retention at scale while aligning marketing strategy to USTA’s 35x35 vision - 35 million tennis players by 2035. The Managing Director oversees a cross-functional team of senior marketing experts and acts as the bridge between business units, Sections, and national marketing initiatives, ensuring one cohesive brand and growth engine for tennis.

• Develop and lead USTA’s strategic brand positioning across B2C and B2B audiences, spanning advertising, digital, content, and promotions.
• Partner with the Chief Growth Officer to align marketing priorities across USTA Coaching, Facilities, Ventures, National Campus, and Recreational Players & Leagues, creating a unified marketing strategy that drives participation growth.
• Serve as brand guardian for both the USTA brand and the brand of tennis, ensuring consistent, authentic, and culturally relevant storytelling across all audiences and channels.
• Develop and manage an integrated go-to-market (GTM) process that connects annual planning, content, media, and activation across pillars and initiatives.
• Own marketing, media agency, and partnership relationships to ensure integration, efficiency, and alignment with national priorities.
• Oversee the integrated marketing calendar and annual planning process to synchronize storytelling, timing, and resource allocation across all marketing functions.
• Oversee the creation of a branded national youth team product.

Provide strategic and operational leadership across all Growth and Participation marketing initiatives, managing a multidisciplinary team spanning Brand, Media, CRM, Partnerships & Events, and Business Unit Leads.

• Oversee all marketing operations, GTM execution, and budget optimization to maximize impact, efficiency, and ROI.
• Develop and institutionalize a post-mortem process for campaigns and activations to capture learnings, measure effectiveness, and inform continuous improvement.
• Champion and partner with digital and technology teams to advance use of CRM, marketing automation, and performance measurement tools, strengthening marketing effectiveness and accountability.
• Establish clear governance and collaboration models between SMEs and Business Unit Leads to ensure agility, accountability, and alignment on priorities.

• Serve as the national marketing liaison to the 17 USTA Sections, ensuring alignment between local activation and national campaigns.
• Build and scale shared playbooks, templates, and planning frameworks that empower Sections to execute with quality and consistency.
• Partner with Section leadership to establish joint planning cadences, shared KPIs, and best practices that connect grassroots marketing to the national growth narrative.
• Ensure all Section marketing activities align with USTA’s brand, voice, and growth objectives.

• Lead the data and insights framework for all Growth and Participation marketing, ensuring campaigns are planned, optimized, and measured against KPIs tied to participation and engagement.
• Partner with Business Intelligence and Analytics to translate insights into strategy — driving smarter targeting, creative…