Title:                             Graphic Design & Brand Marketing Specialist

Reports to:                   Marketing Director, CEO / Owner

Location:                      6658 East Paris Ave SE, Caledonia MI 49316

Hours & Schedule:      Full-time on-location, Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM EST

 

COMPANY INFORMATION – WHO WE ARE

Howies Hockey Tape is a fast-growing business with a focus on selling high quality hockey tape, accessories, apparel, and many other sporting goods. Over the years we have become a staple in the hockey community, and we are currently working to expand in this market and beyond. In 2015 we launched our sister company, Howies Athletic Tape, allowing us to branch into new markets and work with all sports. We have built this side of the company to an elite level that allows us to supply sports medicine products to MLB, NFL, MLS, and NBA teams. We support hundreds of collegiate athletic programs as well as thousands of high schools across North America. We pride ourselves on providing the world’s highest quality sporting goods to hockey pro shops, retail stores, teams and organizations of all levels, international distributors, and the general public through online sales from our website. Our team-oriented culture, industry-leading customer service, and ability to fulfill orders quickly and error free across all sales channels sets us apart from the competition.

POSITION INFORMATION:

We are seeking a dynamic, energetic, and passionate new hire to lead a new lifestyle brand under the Howies umbrella, focusing on hockey-inspired apparel. This role is pivotal in establishing, cultivating, and nurturing a unique identity for the brand while ensuring alignment with our main company values. The ideal candidate will blend a strong graphic design expertise with top tier marketing savvy, all while embodying a strong passion for hockey. Please note that this position focuses on growth of a separate lifestyle apparel brand, and that Howies does not plan on changing anything about our current business strategy or overall brand image. Join us in shaping an exciting new chapter in the Howies story, where your creativity, leadership, and business prowess will play a crucial role in revitalizing a vibrant lifestyle brand that will resonate with hockey enthusiasts of all ages, all over the world.

CORE COMPETENCIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Graphic Design & Marketing (25 – 30 Hours Weekly)

• Create innovative designs for new apparel, custom orders of existing products, and other various promotional materials that align with the brand
• Upkeep and actively manage the company website to ensure a visually appealing and user-friendly experience from start to finish.
• Develop and execute engaging social media posts and online marketing graphics to enhance brand presence and overall audience engagement.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure design integrity and quality.
• Create and execute scheduled email and text marketing campaigns that resonate with the hockey community and the brands target audience.
• On occasion, attend industry trade shows and events to promote the brand, build relationships, and gather market insights.
• Assist in strategic planning, contributing engaging blog posts that showcase brand values, highlight product launches, and connect with the hockey community.

Customer Service (3 – 5 Hours Weekly)

• Manage customer inquiries and complaints, ensuring a positive experience and timely resolutions. Anticipate approximately 3 hours for handling phone calls and emails.
• Develop customer service protocols to enhance satisfaction and loyalty.
• Uphold Howies high standards for customer service, ensuring that you meet or exceed built expectations for quality and support.

Collaboration & Project Management (3 – 5 Hours Weekly)

• Work closely with leadership to align the brand initiatives with overall company goals without taking any time away from existing responsibilities of the existing Howies team
• Continuously evaluate and improve operational processes.
• Oversee inventory management, including forecasting demand and coordinating product ordering to ensure optimal stock levels and timely availability of hockey-inspired apparel

Sales (3 – 5 Hours Weekly)

• Analyze sales data to identify trends and opportunities for growth.
• Develop and implement sales strategies to increase market presence and revenue.
• Foster relationships with retailers and partners to expand distribution channels
• Assess and determine profitability and revenue expectations from the acquisition, using data-driven insights to guide decision-making

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCES – IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

1. Fluency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Premier Video Editing software - Seeking someone with multiple years of experience in the sporting industry
2. Passion and knowledge for the game of hockey and everything about the industry - This role is dependent on having played the game and understanding the community
3. Strong understanding of branding and the ability to apply marketing strategies - Ability to use sports marketing to effectively reach existing and new customers
4. Excellent communication skills and entrepreneurial spirit to drive growth / innovation - Success in this role is entirely dependent on how driven the employee is to grow
5. Outgoing and servant’s heart personality to build and maintain customer relationships - Customer service is the heart and soul of Howies Hockey, and we expect the person we bring on to live up to this standard and exemplify this through handling sales accounts

GENERAL – As a small business there are many other tasks that will be required

• Represent Howies Hockey Tape at tournaments and tradeshows as needed
• Order fulfillment – know how to process and pack all orders that come into Howies
• Work with the management and marketing teams to develop new marketing pieces
• Work with the management and sales teams to develop new sales ideas
• Communication and positive relationships with the entire team – top to bottom
• Engage both the operations and sales sides of the business daily
• Occasionally assist in day to day tasks of our graphic design and marketing team
• Anything else required from Howies to be a best-in-class business

OUR COMPANY MANTRA

Here at Howies, we take the phrase “work hard, play hard” very seriously. When we are not busy assisting our customers, we are busy playing hockey and having a good time. When the days are just too perfect to be working, we will take a quick trip to the driving range, play pickup basketball,
throw the football around, or get some batting practice in to stay seasoned for our summer softball league. In the wintertime, we will crack open a couple of cold ones and watch the Red Wings or even pop downtown and catch a Griffins game at the Van. All in all, we are always up for a good time, both in the office and out. We strive to make the office an awesome environment that our team is excited to come to on a daily basis and put in a hard day’s work.

APPLY HERE