Marketing Manager - CPG & Collegiate Athletics Focus

About Us

At RocketCup Coffee Company, we’re on a mission to revitalize communities across the world—and we’re starting with a great cup of coffee.

Founded in Cattaraugus, NY, our flagship cafe & roastery is home to small-batch roasting, engaging tours, and a hidden speakeasy that sparks conversation and curiosity. We’ve grown very quickly adding a second location in Olean, NY. We proudly ship our coffee across the country, fueling mornings and missions from coast to coast—and yes, even Sir Richard Branson enjoys a cup of RocketCup each morning. Our next steps will greatly expand our college branded coffee presence throughout the nation.

RocketCup is more than just a specialty coffee company. We’re a movement uniting purpose and profit, built around revitalization, creativity, and community impact. From the farms we source from to the neighborhoods we serve, we believe every part of the coffee journey can breathe life into the communities it touches.

If you’re passionate, people-focused, and driven by purpose, we’d love to have you on the journey. We’ve grown to 25 incredible teammates, and we’re preparing to 10x our business and our impact over the next 18 months.

The Role

We’re looking for an entrepreneurial marketing professional who gets excited about building something new as much as precise execution. We are looking for a strategic thinker to develop repeatable models to plan, execute and measure success of custom coffee products aligned with Division 1 athletics departments and professional sports teams.

The ideal candidate is a T-shaped marketer — someone who brings a strategic mindset and the ability to roll up their sleeves and execute across a variety of marketing functions. They understand the big picture and aren’t afraid to dive into the details where needed. This role requires versatility and initiative.

You thrive in the field, nerd out on the data, and know how to build buzz from the ground up. This role is a hybrid of strategy, hands-on activation, with a focus on launching new products, building brand presence in college fan bases, and executing high-impact partnerships with collegiate athletics programs. “You’re not afraid to hop on a flight with our CEO for a high-stakes meeting with a university, or to dive into refining our strategy to ensure successful brand adoption at the next schools we launch.”

We’re not looking for someone to just “do marketing.” We’re looking for someone who wants to lead our marketing team (currently one person) and a thirst for ownership. You want the challenge, the autonomy, and the responsibility to drive results—and you thrive when given the space to build something from the ground up. You’ll have the freedom to shape strategy, the trust to execute bold ideas, and the support of a team that believes in your vision. Our current team is close knit and moves fast.

You’re obsessed with driving coffee sales—and you’re constantly testing, learning, and optimizing to make that happen. Most of all, you're positive, energy giving, and believe in our culture.

Who You Are

• Minimum of 7 - 10 years of experience in marketing leadership, field marketing, product marketing, experiential marketing, or product activation – ideally in the DTC, CPG, college, or coffee space
• Experience with a range of organic and paid marketing channels, including email, social media, PR, events and field activation
• Strong understanding of brand marketing and consumer behavior
• Experience working with or in collegiate athletic departments and knowing how to navigate a huge plus
• Self-starter with hustle, resourcefulness, and a love for being out in the field.
• You’re curious about AI and excited to test new tools that can streamline marketing efforts—without sacrificing the authentic, human experience that sets our brand apart.
• Strong project management skills with an ability to balance planning and execution.
• Willingness to travel regularly to college campuses and key markets

Key Responsibilities

• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely to lead RocketCup’s marketing team and ensure alignment with leadership team on brand vision, strategic priorities, and executional excellence.
• Act as a connector between creative, operations, and product teams to turn ideas into impactful, real-world campaigns.
• Collaborate with Product and Ops departments to ensure seamless coordination of product delivery, inventory, and logistics—especially for field events, sampling activations, and major launches.
• Stay tightly integrated with leadership to bring big-picture strategy to life on the ground and online.
• Brand Ownership & Digital Growth
• Take ownership of the RocketCup brand—its voice, visuals, story, and emotional resonance—across every customer touchpoint.
• Refine brand guidelines to ensure consistency across digital, print, retail, and experiential channels.
• Drive growth in our online presence through strategic content creation, email marketing, SEO/SEM, influencer collaborations, and digital storytelling.
• Lead the charge on expanding our eCommerce presence and improving the DTC customer journey—from first click to final sip.
• Manage and grow our social media channels with content that’s bold, authentic, and aligned with our mission to revitalize communities across the world.
• Collaborate with design and media partners to create stunning assets and experiences that make RocketCup impossible to ignore.
• Use data to track brand performance online and adapt quickly to what’s working (and what’s not).
• Ensure that when someone Googles RocketCup, clicks our ad, or lands on our site—they feel something.
• Product Launch Activation
• Develop a repeatable playbook that can be rolled out across similar launches
• Develop, recommend and lead go-to-market strategies for new product rollouts across retail, DTC, and campus channels which may include email marketing, social media, paid media, PR and other channels
• Create launch toolkits, sampling strategies, and activation plans to drive trial and awareness
• Use AI tools to simplify processes while still delivering a personalized, human-centered experience.
• Track performance and adapt strategies in real-time for maximum impact
• Collegiate Athletics Integration
• Build and manage relationships with university athletics departments, compliance teams, marketing leaders, and event staff.
• Coordinate on-campus sponsorships, signage, and co-branded merchandise campaigns.
• Own and execute field marketing plans across key collegiate markets and with alumni events
• Leverage NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunities with student-athletes to support campaigns.
• Data & Reporting
• Measure impact of marketing activations and adjust strategy using both quantitative and qualitative feedback.
• Track sampling ROI, ambassador performance, and campus-level KPIs.

• Competitive salary and bonus potential
• Travel & event stipends
• Free product (obviously)
• Access to exclusive athletic events and experiences
• Opportunity to shape a fast-growing brand from the ground up