Growth Marketing & Communications Manager
Forward 48, Milwaukee, WI, United States
About Us
Hoan Group and Forward 48 are two interconnected organizations building communities of exceptional leaders across Wisconsin. We bring our trusted members together through unique curated experiences and private dinners. We take that work seriously while ensuring everyone is having fun along the way.
Hoan Group
is an invitation-only professional membership community in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay/Fox Valley.
Forward 48
is Wisconsin's premier emerging leadership program in its tenth season, 500+ alumni, and expanding to ensure our region hast a robust civic pipeline.
Impact We've Made Light the Hoan: Permanently illuminated Milwaukee's Hoan Bridge, transforming it into one of the city's most recognizable civic landmarks. Hoancoming: Created Milwaukee's signature river celebration with drones, fireworks, and a light show that feels more Vegas than Milwaukee Inner Harbor. Frames: Launched large-scale public art installations across Milwaukee, turning everyday public spaces into destinations. Benefits Cliff: Shaped policy for young Wisconsin families, moving the conversation from awareness to action.
We love Wisconsin and we want to help it grow. We're a small team. There are five of us. That means what you do shows up immediately in how the world sees us, in the sponsors who invest in our work, and in the systems that will carry this organization into its next chapter. We need someone who finds that energizing.
The Opportunity The work is real. The community is real. The impact is visible. 2026 is not a maintenance year. It's a launch year. Hoan Legends debuts in May. Our Green Bay/Fox Valley chapter is opening. Forward 48 is rolling out a new paid membership tier. Three new brand moments, happening simultaneously, right now.
We need someone who gets energized by building systems, sweats the details, and takes pride in making a small team punch above its weight. You'll own how our brands show up to the world across social, web, and press, while keeping the operational backbone that supports our partnerships tight and moving. Leadership drives the relationships. You make sure nothing falls through the cracks. You’ll help manage our CRM, run the back end of our sponsor pipeline, shape our external presence across social and web, and craft the materials that make partners and the public want to be part of what we're building. A note on scope: internal member communications and event logistics are handled by other members of our team. This role is focused outward on sponsors, press, public audiences, and the systems that support them.
What Success Looks Like At 90 days
: A clean, organized CRM, an active content calendar across all brands, and a system the whole team can trust. Sprinkle in happy hours and coffees with Wisconsin leaders and a few pontoon rides on the Milwaukee River.
At 6 months
: External presence that reflects the quality of what happens inside our communities, partnerships that are tracked and followed up on, and processes that make everyone's job easier. By this time you’ll have identified your favorite Culvers ice cream flavor as we make frequent stops at the Johnson Creek drive through because we love connecting with our Madison leaders.
At 12 months
: We can't imagine not having you.
What You'll Own Storytelling & Content Development Translate key moments from all gatherings into compelling external content: social posts, press pitches, web stories, and partnership materials Develop long-form external content including impact reports, sponsor one-pagers, and organizational narratives Highlight faculty, partner, and organizational voices in ways that build credibility and attract the next great member or sponsor Own our photo and visual asset library across brands Coordinate with the program team post-event to receive and file photography Source and manage stock assets, brand graphics, and Canva templates to ensure visual consistency across social, web, and print
CRM & Partnership Operations You're not closing deals, but you're the reason deals get closed. Leadership drives the relationships; you make sure the infrastructure is airtight. Own HubSpot implementation and maintenance: contact properties, pipeline stages, deal tracking, and follow-up sequences Keep sponsor and partnership pipelines organized, up-to-date, and flagged for leadership so nothing goes cold Build and manage outreach templates and follow-up cadences the whole team can use Migrate and maintain contact data tagged by brand, cohort, membership status, and relationship type Create dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into pipeline health and outreach activity Document systems so they're durable and transferable External Communications & Public Presence Own social media content across platforms for Hoan Group, Forward 48, and Hoan Legends, setting the cadence, writing the posts, and knowing what resonates with each audience Write and maintain web content across our WordPress sites: program descriptions, faculty bios, event pages, and brand content Develop public-facing promotional materials for program launches, sponsorship announcements, faculty reveals, and organizational milestones Build and manage media relationships by pitching cohort launches, Legends milestones, and organizational news to Wisconsin press Ensure brand voice consistency across all external channels; each brand has its own personality and you hold them all
AI Integration & Workflow Efficiency Actively use AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or comparable) in your daily workflow for content drafts, research, outreach sequencing, and reporting Identify and implement AI-assisted workflows that multiply your output without sacrificing quality Stay current on tools relevant to marketing and communications and bring new capabilities to the team proactively You don't need to be a developer. You need to be genuinely curious and forward-thinking
Who You Are You've been doing this for a few years and you're good at it, but you're ready for a canvas that's actually yours. You like building things. You get satisfaction from a clean system. You notice when something's off-brand and you fix it without being asked. You love Milwaukee. You love the community and want to help shape it. You'll understand immediately why this work matters and find it energizing to be inside it, not just marketing it. A strong writer. Energetic and casual for a Hoan social post, credible and purposeful for a sponsor deck, and you can find the storyline in the chaos. Detail-oriented and process-driven. You build systems that hold up and follow through on the small stuff. Genuinely AI-fluent. You already use AI tools in your daily work and you stay current as the tools evolve. A self-starter. You figure out what needs doing and do it. You communicate proactively when priorities shift. You don't need a lot of hand-holding. Comfortable on a pontoon boat on the Milwaukee River. Our events don't happen in conference rooms. Our community shows up at bonfires, rooftops, and river cruises. You'll be there too and may need to learn how to dock a pontoon eventually.
Qualifications Required 3 to 4 years in marketing, communications, or a related role Strong written communication across multiple formats and tones HubSpot experience in contact management, pipelines, and basic reporting Demonstrated AI tool fluency and the ability to keep learning Canva or equivalent design proficiency Experience managing social media and web content WordPress proficiency for content updates, page management, and basic formatting High attention to detail and the ability to juggle competing priorities independently Strong Plus Experience supporting B2B partnerships or sponsorships Hate the Chicago Bears Background in membership organizations or nonprofit boards Experience in a small team environment where you've worn multiple hats Email marketing platform experience with Glue Up, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo PR or media pitching experience in Wisconsin
Role Details Title: Marketing & Communications Manager Location: Greater Milwaukee Area / Hybrid, with in-person presence expected for key events Type: Full-time, salaried Reports to: Ian Abston, President Start Date: Spring/Summer 2026, flexible based on current employment Compensation: $65,000 to $75,000 commensurate with experience
How to Apply Send the following to Drew Formentini, Director of Operations & Strategy at drew@hoangroup.com: Your resume Up to 3 references 250 words max on why this role and this moment feel right for you Your favorite fish fry in Milwaukee Hoan Group / Forward 48 is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. hoangroup.com · forward48.com
Hoan Group
is an invitation-only professional membership community in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay/Fox Valley.
Forward 48
is Wisconsin's premier emerging leadership program in its tenth season, 500+ alumni, and expanding to ensure our region hast a robust civic pipeline.
Impact We've Made Light the Hoan: Permanently illuminated Milwaukee's Hoan Bridge, transforming it into one of the city's most recognizable civic landmarks. Hoancoming: Created Milwaukee's signature river celebration with drones, fireworks, and a light show that feels more Vegas than Milwaukee Inner Harbor. Frames: Launched large-scale public art installations across Milwaukee, turning everyday public spaces into destinations. Benefits Cliff: Shaped policy for young Wisconsin families, moving the conversation from awareness to action.
We love Wisconsin and we want to help it grow. We're a small team. There are five of us. That means what you do shows up immediately in how the world sees us, in the sponsors who invest in our work, and in the systems that will carry this organization into its next chapter. We need someone who finds that energizing.
The Opportunity The work is real. The community is real. The impact is visible. 2026 is not a maintenance year. It's a launch year. Hoan Legends debuts in May. Our Green Bay/Fox Valley chapter is opening. Forward 48 is rolling out a new paid membership tier. Three new brand moments, happening simultaneously, right now.
We need someone who gets energized by building systems, sweats the details, and takes pride in making a small team punch above its weight. You'll own how our brands show up to the world across social, web, and press, while keeping the operational backbone that supports our partnerships tight and moving. Leadership drives the relationships. You make sure nothing falls through the cracks. You’ll help manage our CRM, run the back end of our sponsor pipeline, shape our external presence across social and web, and craft the materials that make partners and the public want to be part of what we're building. A note on scope: internal member communications and event logistics are handled by other members of our team. This role is focused outward on sponsors, press, public audiences, and the systems that support them.
What Success Looks Like At 90 days
: A clean, organized CRM, an active content calendar across all brands, and a system the whole team can trust. Sprinkle in happy hours and coffees with Wisconsin leaders and a few pontoon rides on the Milwaukee River.
At 6 months
: External presence that reflects the quality of what happens inside our communities, partnerships that are tracked and followed up on, and processes that make everyone's job easier. By this time you’ll have identified your favorite Culvers ice cream flavor as we make frequent stops at the Johnson Creek drive through because we love connecting with our Madison leaders.
At 12 months
: We can't imagine not having you.
What You'll Own Storytelling & Content Development Translate key moments from all gatherings into compelling external content: social posts, press pitches, web stories, and partnership materials Develop long-form external content including impact reports, sponsor one-pagers, and organizational narratives Highlight faculty, partner, and organizational voices in ways that build credibility and attract the next great member or sponsor Own our photo and visual asset library across brands Coordinate with the program team post-event to receive and file photography Source and manage stock assets, brand graphics, and Canva templates to ensure visual consistency across social, web, and print
CRM & Partnership Operations You're not closing deals, but you're the reason deals get closed. Leadership drives the relationships; you make sure the infrastructure is airtight. Own HubSpot implementation and maintenance: contact properties, pipeline stages, deal tracking, and follow-up sequences Keep sponsor and partnership pipelines organized, up-to-date, and flagged for leadership so nothing goes cold Build and manage outreach templates and follow-up cadences the whole team can use Migrate and maintain contact data tagged by brand, cohort, membership status, and relationship type Create dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into pipeline health and outreach activity Document systems so they're durable and transferable External Communications & Public Presence Own social media content across platforms for Hoan Group, Forward 48, and Hoan Legends, setting the cadence, writing the posts, and knowing what resonates with each audience Write and maintain web content across our WordPress sites: program descriptions, faculty bios, event pages, and brand content Develop public-facing promotional materials for program launches, sponsorship announcements, faculty reveals, and organizational milestones Build and manage media relationships by pitching cohort launches, Legends milestones, and organizational news to Wisconsin press Ensure brand voice consistency across all external channels; each brand has its own personality and you hold them all
AI Integration & Workflow Efficiency Actively use AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or comparable) in your daily workflow for content drafts, research, outreach sequencing, and reporting Identify and implement AI-assisted workflows that multiply your output without sacrificing quality Stay current on tools relevant to marketing and communications and bring new capabilities to the team proactively You don't need to be a developer. You need to be genuinely curious and forward-thinking
Who You Are You've been doing this for a few years and you're good at it, but you're ready for a canvas that's actually yours. You like building things. You get satisfaction from a clean system. You notice when something's off-brand and you fix it without being asked. You love Milwaukee. You love the community and want to help shape it. You'll understand immediately why this work matters and find it energizing to be inside it, not just marketing it. A strong writer. Energetic and casual for a Hoan social post, credible and purposeful for a sponsor deck, and you can find the storyline in the chaos. Detail-oriented and process-driven. You build systems that hold up and follow through on the small stuff. Genuinely AI-fluent. You already use AI tools in your daily work and you stay current as the tools evolve. A self-starter. You figure out what needs doing and do it. You communicate proactively when priorities shift. You don't need a lot of hand-holding. Comfortable on a pontoon boat on the Milwaukee River. Our events don't happen in conference rooms. Our community shows up at bonfires, rooftops, and river cruises. You'll be there too and may need to learn how to dock a pontoon eventually.
Qualifications Required 3 to 4 years in marketing, communications, or a related role Strong written communication across multiple formats and tones HubSpot experience in contact management, pipelines, and basic reporting Demonstrated AI tool fluency and the ability to keep learning Canva or equivalent design proficiency Experience managing social media and web content WordPress proficiency for content updates, page management, and basic formatting High attention to detail and the ability to juggle competing priorities independently Strong Plus Experience supporting B2B partnerships or sponsorships Hate the Chicago Bears Background in membership organizations or nonprofit boards Experience in a small team environment where you've worn multiple hats Email marketing platform experience with Glue Up, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo PR or media pitching experience in Wisconsin
Role Details Title: Marketing & Communications Manager Location: Greater Milwaukee Area / Hybrid, with in-person presence expected for key events Type: Full-time, salaried Reports to: Ian Abston, President Start Date: Spring/Summer 2026, flexible based on current employment Compensation: $65,000 to $75,000 commensurate with experience
How to Apply Send the following to Drew Formentini, Director of Operations & Strategy at drew@hoangroup.com: Your resume Up to 3 references 250 words max on why this role and this moment feel right for you Your favorite fish fry in Milwaukee Hoan Group / Forward 48 is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. hoangroup.com · forward48.com