Job Description

We are seeking a strategic, creative, and commercially minded Manager, Retail Marketing - Real Sports Apparel (RSA) to lead the marketing strategy and growth plan for MLSE's retail business.

Real Sports Apparel sits at the intersection of sport, culture, fashion, and fandom, giving fans new and compelling ways to represent their teams through official merchandise, exclusive products, collaborations, and unique retail experiences.

Retail is a core part of our business, and in 2026 we're looking for someone who can bring fresh creative thinking to how we launch products, market our retail experiences, and integrate our teams and brands into the lives of our fans.

This role will lead the strategy to strengthen Real Sports Apparel as the official fan store of our teams and a must-visit sports retail destination, grow engagement beyond game days, and find new ways to drive retail revenue across the MLSE ecosystem.

The successful candidate will bring together brand building, retail marketing, digital commerce, product storytelling, and performance marketing to create a distinctive RSA experience across physical and digital channels.

Year 1 Objectives

• Reignite Real Sports Apparel as the official fan store of our teams and a premier sports retail destination, known for exclusive product drops, collaborations, launches, and fan experiences.
• Partner with our e-commerce team to develop and execute an integrated e-commerce growth strategy, connecting product launches and marketing moments across game days and non-game days to grow RSA's digital reach and revenue.
• Build an integrated annual retail marketing calendar around team moments, product launches, cultural moments, seasonal priorities, and key retail periods.
• Strengthen the Real Sports Apparel brand, creating a more consistent and recognizable identity across physical retail, e-commerce, social, digital, and in-venue channels.
• Develop marketing strategies that drive measurable increases in traffic, conversion, average order value, engagement, and revenue.
• Establish clear reporting and performance benchmarks to measure marketing effectiveness and identify opportunities for continued growth.
• Partner closely with our Team Brand Managers to build campaigns around priority product launches and partnerships, from new jerseys and league programs to collaborations and private-label collections.

Core Responsibilities

Retail Marketing Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute the integrated marketing strategy for Real Sports Apparel, connecting brand, product, retail, and commercial priorities.
• Own the RSA marketing calendar, aligning campaigns with product drops, team schedules, marquee games, playoffs, holidays, cultural moments, and other key retail opportunities.
• Partner closely with RSA Buying and Retail teams to translate product, inventory, and commercial priorities into compelling consumer-facing marketing programs.
• Identify new opportunities to grow revenue across RSA retail locations, in-venue retail, and e-commerce, with a particular focus on creating demand beyond game days.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the sports apparel, streetwear, fashion, and retail landscape to identify emerging trends, consumer behaviours, and opportunities for RSA.

Brand, Product & Campaign Marketing

• Lead marketing plans for major product launches, jersey releases, exclusive drops, collaborations, private-label products, and seasonal collections.
• Position RSA as a destination by developing marketing programs around exclusive merchandise, events, athlete and talent appearances, collaborations, and other unique retail experiences.
• Develop integrated campaigns that bring product stories to life across retail, e-commerce, social, CRM, digital, paid media, and in-venue channels.
• Draft creative briefs and work closely with internal and external Creative, Content, Digital, Social, Media, and agency partners to deliver campaigns from concept through execution.
• Maintain and evolve RSA brand guidelines, ensuring a consistent and distinctive brand identity and customer experience across all touchpoints.
• Identify opportunities to connect RSA storytelling with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Argonauts, and broader MLSE brand and cultural moments.

Digital & E-Commerce

• Partner closely with the Manager, E-Commerce to develop an integrated marketing approach for Real Sports Apparel e-commerce, focused on growing traffic, conversion, repeat purchase, and revenue.
• Connect digital and e-commerce marketing with RSA's broader product launch and campaign calendar, creating seamless experiences across physical and digital retail.
• Partner with Digital, CRM, and e-commerce teams to improve the customer journey and strengthen the connection between product discovery, storytelling, and purchase.
• Develop CRM and direct-to-fan strategies that support product launches, promotions, drops, and key retail moments.
• Lead paid media and social strategies in partnership with internal teams and agency partners, optimizing investment against measurable business outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to expand RSA's digital presence and reach new and existing audiences beyond the traditional game-day customer.

Retail Experiences & Fan Engagement

• Develop marketing programs that make RSA retail environments destinations in their own right, extending their relevance beyond event nights.
• Explore new approaches to the physical retail experience, including retail transformations, pop-ups, product launch experiences, and other experiential concepts that bring RSA closer to fans.
• Create and activate promotions, contests, product drops, collaborations, events, and other experiences that drive store traffic and deepen fan engagement.
• Partner with PR, Social, Team Brands, talent, and external partners to amplify major retail moments through influencer, athlete, creator, and earned-media opportunities.
• Ensure RSA's owned channels tell compelling and timely product stories, working closely with Social and Content teams to elevate the brand's presence.

Performance & Optimization

• Establish KPIs and measurement frameworks across campaigns and channels, including revenue, traffic, conversion, engagement, customer acquisition, and return on marketing investment.
• Analyze campaign and sales performance to identify opportunities, diagnose underperformance, and continually optimize marketing activity.
• Manage the RSA marketing budget and media investments, ensuring resources are allocated against the highest-impact opportunities.
• Develop regular reporting for Retail and Marketing leadership, translating performance into clear insights, opportunities, and recommended actions.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Serve as the key marketing partner to RSA Buying, Retail, and e-commerce teams, ensuring close alignment between commercial priorities and marketing activity.
• Partner with Team Brand Managers and cross-functional MLSE teams to maximize major team, league, product, and cultural moments for RSA.
• Lead cross-functional project teams and external agency partners to deliver initiatives on time, on budget, and against agreed objectives.
• Build strong relationships across MLSE to ensure Real Sports Apparel is integrated into relevant organizational and team marketing initiatives.

Job Posting Compensation Range/Rate:

95,000 - 105,000

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