About XPRIZE

XPRIZE competitions change the world for the better by accelerating innovation life cycles, catalyzing markets, and energizing stakeholders.  

The XPRIZE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and incentivizing breakthroughs to the most critical challenges facing humanity. Since its beginning in 1994, the Foundation has been building and continues to build a vision of hope and abundance for humanity’s future by harnessing the power of innovators, technology, and resources.  

Through incentive prize competitions, XPRIZE enables people to create bold and transformative solutions that are scalable and drive real impact. XPRIZE competitions positively impact both the marketplace and humanity by addressing the market failures that have prevented significant breakthroughs across multiple sectors.  

An XPRIZE… 

sets an audacious but achievable goal that aims to overcome challenges deemed impossible. It tackles some of humanity's most pressing issues by redefining what is achievable and pushing the boundaries of human potential.  

defines and addresses a clear problem through extensive research, a design sprint, and a competition that catalyzes the development of the next breakthroughs to put humanity on the path toward a preferred future state for all. The desired outcome from an XPRIZE is clear and measurable, and the rules of the competition are transparent and easily understood.  

democratizes innovation by encouraging expert and nonexpert participation and multidisciplinary collaboration.  

catalyzes markets and revitalizes stagnant industries by increasing awareness of market failures and accelerating innovations to address them.  

is highly leveraged, with competing teams attracting and mobilizing investment capital, partner support, and new members in pursuit of the prize. Philanthropic dollars are thus magnified in support of a solution.  

Our first XPRIZE, the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE for private spaceflight, spurred an industry and created exponential breakthroughs. Since then we have provided over $140 million in incentives through these competitions. Each prize has created an industry-changing technology that brings us closer to a better, safer, more sustainable world.  

The use of incentive competitions, or prizes, to accelerate innovation goes back over 300 years, to when the British Admiralty launched the Longitude Prize in 1714 to find a better way to navigate our seas. In the years since, several well-known innovations have resulted from incentive competitions, including canning as a form of food preservation (a competition launched by Napoleon in 1795), modern plastics (the Billiard Ball Prize, 1863) and commercial aviation (the Orteig Prize, 1919).  

This is more than a job to us. When you work at XPRIZE, you’re making a positive impact on some of the biggest challenges facing our world. Whether you’re working in prize design or development, marketing and communications, stakeholder relations, business operations or any other department, you’re playing a critical role in turning the impossible into the possible.

Role Summary

The Director of Marketing will focus on managing the marketing resources (offline and online) for the Prizes. They will drive the strategic thinking creating 3rd party partnerships, content and PR for enhanced exposure and awareness of the Prizes and the Foundation. This role is central to the organization as they are the lead, day to day point person for marketing Prize activities. This position must understand offline and online marketing and how to manipulate digital tools and assets for increased industry and consumer engagement, as well as brand awareness to generate interest and audiences behind the competitions.

The Director of Marketing will oversee the strategic plan development, implementation and execution of XPRIZE Foundation (XPF) Prize launches. The Director will leverage and elevate the success of past and present XPF Prizes and demonstrate their track record for creatively executing Prize launches that increase the Foundation’s industry and consumer awareness and ultimate fundraising success. Ability to self-start, think outside the box, strategically create and design PR events behind an aggressive prize calendar is a critical integration, and will be key to your success in this role. 

This position is held accountable for the creation of, or the discovery of, an event in which to launch an XPRIZE to leverage media, ensuring the Prize and Foundation maximize awareness with the target audiences. While past events range from press conferences to trade show conferences, XPF is looking to broaden the audience beyond industry and break through to consumer. The perfect candidate will have a rich background in PR and strategic event planning, and experience working with non-profits. The pace is aggressive given the number of Prize’s that the Foundation has on the current and upcoming slate.

Responsibilities

STRATEGIC

• Leverage the Foundation Marketing Plan and the Digital Strategy to focus on overall performance of marketing activities on the Prizes. Create and use metrics to guide and gauge impact and focus of marketing programs and investments. Have a POV on what drives the business and elements of success within the marketing mix – PR, digital, website, newsletter, curated content and distribution, spokespeople, 3rd party promotions, etc.
• Owner and driver of Prize marketing and strategic plans. Plan and initiate stakeholder contributions to Prize marketing plans in order to deliver a detailed, quarterly actionable plan. Plan must address: the Foundation’s audiences and action levers (Know, Feel, Do); grid of monthly deliverables; identify conferences and develop creative materials; budget and prize timeline; drive press plan that focuses on Tier 1 media aside from Industry; Content plan, and Editorial calendar for social media (SM).
• Day to day operational expert on prize marketing executions. Use the detailed Plan for the road map for project management. Incorporate performance metrics into thinking and guidance on marketing activity.
• Lead Marketing portion of meetings with outside Sponsors, addressing all strategic initiatives and key activities. Ensure sponsors are comfortable with plans.
• Assist the SVP of MarCom in preparing the annual budgeting and re-forecasting process to ensure alignment with strategic objectives for the Foundation and individual prizes.
• Draft Contracts, Scope of Work, and Request for Approvals documents to partner with vendors when appropriate in order to create deliverables and meet deadlines.
• Support the organization’s public facing events in collaboration with our Creative Services department and servicing prize events if needed. 

MANAGEMENT

• Oversee all aspects of Prize launch administration and logistics, including budgets, timelines, print materials, staff memos, guest outreach, and staff/volunteer direction.
• Work closely with the Director of Events on each launch to:
  • Develop, manage and execute master event logistical plan and timeline; assign/delegate tasks to staff and volunteer teams; evaluate, analyze and report results for each event.
  • Coordinate services for launches, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, facilities, catering, signage, displays, special needs requirements, printing and event security.
  • Manage relationships with external vendors including PR, audio visual, photography, design, copy and print teams.
  • Manage the production of launch program materials including invitations, journals, audiovisual presentations and scripts to reflect organizational messaging.
  • Oversee the development of the invite list, including the invitation design, mailing and emailing, follow-up and registration of all participants.
  • Hire and supervise launch event staff and engage event specialists/consultants as appropriate to complement event staff.
  • Manage relationships with launch event vendors including hotel conference services, managers and all event attendees.
  • Direct and manage launch event teams and staff during pre-event, on-site and clean up post event.
  • Responsible for leading/managing various launch event planning teams in the planning and implementation process for all aspects of all events; including scheduling of regular cross-departmental planning meetings and meeting follow-up.
  • Evaluate and instantiate best practices across all events.
  • Maximize vendor relationships. Integrated expense control.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience
• Creative intuition and know how in PR and event strategy
• Experience in working with non-profits
• Requires an understanding of, and a commitment to advancing the mission and core values of the company and, the ability to incorporate them into the job setting
• Fiscally responsible with experience and excellence for managing event production and budgets (including detailed event estimation, accounting and reporting)
• Ability to work cooperatively with wide range of personalities, including staff and volunteers
• Able to work well under pressure of meeting multiple deadlines
• Exceptional work ethic and strong integrity 
• Attention to detail – Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
• Cooperative – Job requires being a leader and collegial. Must be experienced and effective with high profile personalities
• Effective communicator both verbally and written. Respects the notion of over communicating to guarantee thorough execution of all event details Keeps internal teams apprised of status via meetings and memos

Come change the world with us.

XPRIZE Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to having a truly inclusive workforce. We do not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.