Vice President of Marketing, Events, Sales and Communications

Knoxville Zoo is seeking a Vice President of Marketing, Events, Sales and Communications to serve as a senior executive leader responsible for stabilizing, aligning, and accelerating Zoo Knoxville's marketing, communications, events, and earned revenue strategies.

This role assesses current performance, develops Zoo Knoxville's long-range marketing, sales, events, and communications strategy, and drives sustained improvements in attendance, revenue generation, brand positioning, and organizational effectiveness.

Working in close collaboration with the President & CEO and senior leadership team, this position will provide hands-on leadership across marketing, sales, events, communications, and creative functions. The Vice President will lead a multidisciplinary team and ensure alignment with Zoo Knoxville's mission, strategic plan, and revenue goals, while building systems, processes, and performance standards that position the organization for long-term success.

Responsibilities

• As a team member, exemplify Zoo Knoxville's core values through interactions with guests and fellow team members.

Executive Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a member of the Zoo's senior leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, decision-making, and performance management.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current marketing, communications, events, and sales functions, identifying gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for growth.
• Develop and implement long-range strategic action plans, including Zoo Knoxville's 2026 and 2027 plans, focused on performance improvement and long-term sustainability.
• Establish clear KPIs, performance metrics, and accountability structures across all functional areas.
• Align departmental strategies with Zoo Knoxville's strategic plan, brand positioning, and revenue goals.

Marketing & Brand Strategy

• Lead the development and execution of integrated marketing strategies across paid, earned, and owned channels (PESO model) to drive attendance, membership, and revenue growth.
• Oversee brand management to ensure consistency, quality, and alignment across all platforms and guest touchpoints.
• Evaluate and optimize relationships with external agencies, vendors, and partners.
• Ensure data-driven decision-making through analytics, audience segmentation, and performance tracking.
• Oversee the CRM and audience-data infrastructure, ensuring strong data capture and segmentation that inform marketing, membership, and development strategies.
• Guide website, digital, and content strategies to improve conversion, engagement, and storytelling impact.

Communications & Public Relations

• Serve as the organization's senior communications leader and advisor on messaging, positioning, and media relations.
• Oversee public relations strategies to elevate Zoo Knoxville's visibility, reputation, and thought leadership.
• Set the strategy for media, tourism, corporate, and civic relationships, directing the Communications Manager who serves as day-to-day spokesperson, while personally representing Zoo Knoxville at executive-level functions.
• Ensure consistent, compelling storytelling that advances conservation, education, and community engagement.
• Lead crisis communications planning and execution, as needed.
• Strengthen internal communications alignment across departments.

Events & Guest Experience Integration

• Oversee the strategic direction, planning, and execution of all Zoo Knoxville events to ensure alignment with revenue and brand objectives.
• Evaluate event portfolio performance (attendance, revenue, guest satisfaction) and implement improvements or restructuring as needed.
• Drive innovation in event programming, including seasonal experiences, signature events, and new revenue-generating concepts.
• Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Guest Experience, and Development teams.
• Direct marketing that strengthens earned revenue across retail, food and beverage, admissions, and on-grounds signage, informed by guest survey and satisfaction data.

Sales & Revenue Growth

• Lead the development and execution of comprehensive sales strategies across admissions, memberships, group sales, and special events.
• Identify and implement new revenue opportunities, pricing strategies, and promotional tactics.
• Own pricing, ticketing, and yield-management strategy across admissions, memberships, and events, improving channel mix and online conversion to maximize earned revenue.
• Oversee revenue operations, using dashboards and forecasting to manage and improve performance across all earned-revenue streams.
• Partner with Development to align sponsorship and partnership opportunities with marketing and event strategies.
• Drive a performance-based culture focused on achieving and exceeding revenue targets.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and accountability for all direct reports and functional teams.
• Assess team structure, capabilities, and performance; implement necessary organizational or role adjustments.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and excellence.
• Ensure clear roles, responsibilities, and workflows across marketing, events, communications, and creative functions.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and transition planning as needed.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee departmental budgets, ensuring effective allocation of resources and strong return on investment.
• Implement systems, processes, and tools that improve efficiency, communication, and execution.
• Ensure all marketing, communications, and event initiatives are delivered on time, on budget, and at a high level of quality.
• Attend zoo events and activities as required.
• Additional duties as assigned or required.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 10 to 15 years of progressive leadership experience in marketing, communications, sales, and/or revenue-generating functions.
• Proven track record of driving measurable growth in attendance, revenue, and brand engagement.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational turnarounds, transformations, or performance improvement initiatives.
• Strong strategic thinker with the ability to operate at both executive and implementation levels.
• Experience managing integrated marketing campaigns, public relations, digital platforms, and event strategies.
• Experience with ticketing platforms, CRM systems, and digital marketing technology.
• Experience in a zoo, aquarium, museum, science center, theme park, or similar destination attraction preferred.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and ROI analysis.
• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and team development skills.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple priorities.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• A strong affinity for the mission of Zoo Knoxville.
• Ability and willingness to work outside regular business hours, including evenings and weekends
• Demonstrated integrity, professionalism, and respect for confidentiality.
• Understands and subscribes to the philosophy that meticulous organization, planning, and attention to detail are the fundamental components of successful events and marketing and communications campaigns.
• Professional demeanor and appearance.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently as well as with a team.
• Excellent computer skills including all Microsoft Office programs, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook software.
• Proficient with Google Analytics.
• Ability and willingness to learn and adapt to new systems with minimal guidance.
• Must be able to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check.