Founding Brand Growth Manager

About Us

Hampden Watch Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned watchmaker with a legacy spanning over a century in the heart of Chicago. As North America’s oldest continually operating watch business, we carry forward a heritage of craftsmanship, innovation, and personal connection. 

Founded in 1922 as the Clinton Watch Company by Hyman Wein—one of five pioneering brothers in the North American watch industry—Hampden Watch has been a testament to fine watchmaking and technical ingenuity. Our journey has taken us from operating factories in Switzerland and the Virgin Islands to New York and Providence, but our roots and our soul have always been firmly planted in Chicago.

Over the years, we’ve expanded our expertise and innovation, earning patents that include our unique removable caseback—an industry first. This innovation enables each Hampden watch to become more than a timepiece: it’s a canvas for personalization, where customers can add handwritten notes, logos, or any detail that commemorates milestones and cherished memories. All Watches Tell Time. Hampden Watches Tell Stories.

As we relaunch Hampden Watch as a personalized watch brand in Spring 2025, you will be our first full-time marketing hire, stepping in as a marketing co-founder with a unique opportunity to shape, launch, and scale this heritage company for a new era in direct-to-consumer.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Founding Brand Growth Manager who sees themselves as a strategic architect, executor, and owner in one. Hampden Watch functions like a 102-year-old startup, meaning you’ll have a blank slate to set the direction and establish the marketing foundation for our future. In this role, you will lead the charge in building Hampden Watch’s identity, driving customer acquisition, and cultivating loyalty through a combination of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. The position is fully remote, with travel to Chicago and key trade events 4-6 times per year. 

As our first marketing hire, you’ll set the tone for how the brand is perceived while executing high-impact campaigns to drive revenue and growth. As a key driver of Hampden’s growth strategy, you’ll have the opportunity to impact not just our flagship brand but also our sister jewelry brands, Monya Jewelry and Hampden Sports, each bringing its own unique story and audience.

Key Responsibilities

• Brand Strategy & Storytelling: Craft and implement Hampden Watch’s brand positioning, voice, and storytelling. Highlight our heritage and unique focus on personalization to resonate with modern customers while honoring our legacy.
• Creative Campaign Development: Lead the creation of integrated marketing campaigns that balance brand-building and revenue-driving goals across digital and offline channels.
• Customer Acquisition & Growth: Establish and optimize acquisition strategies to build an engaged customer base through eCommerce channels. Launch and manage paid media campaigns (Meta, Google Ads), email marketing (Klaviyo), affiliate, and organic efforts to drive traffic and conversions on a considered purchase.
• Budget Design & Optimization: Craft and manage a launch budget with a focus on maximizing impact through strategic experiments and resourceful execution. Prioritize cost-efficient initiatives that drive early awareness and revenue while optimizing for a sustainable ROAS across channels.
• Performance Metrics & Analytics: Establish and refine KPIs, reporting structures, and analytics dashboards using Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager, Klaviyo, Shopify, and Hotjar. Track and analyze each campaign to learn what’s working and scale high-performing strategies quickly.

What You’ll Bring

• Entrepreneurial Drive & Ownership: You have a founder’s mindset, thriving in a “0 to 1” environment where you can create and execute strategies from scratch. You take ownership of your work, see opportunities where others see challenges, and are relentless in driving early traction for a "new" brand.
• Strategic Thinker with Tactical Execution: You’re equally skilled at high-level planning and hands-on execution. You can craft a bold, cohesive launch strategy while being deeply involved in the day-to-day tactics that bring it to life. No task is too big or too small when it comes to driving results.
• Revenue-Driven Focus: You understand the critical importance of delivering early wins and are laser-focused on driving measurable growth through customer acquisition, paid media, and optimized campaigns. You embrace experimentation, data-driven decisions, and calculated risks to drive these wins and scale success.
• Creative Storytelling & Brand Building: You’re passionate about building brands that resonate emotionally with customers. You bring creativity and innovation to storytelling, ensuring that Hampden Watch’s unique heritage and personalization focus shine through in all campaigns and touchpoints.
• Industry Expertise & Competitive Edge: You are committed to becoming a marketing domain expert in the watch industry, combining deep knowledge of market dynamics, competitors, and customer trends with a forward-thinking approach to innovation. You stay informed on digital marketing trends, emerging tools, and best practices to position Hampden Watch as a compelling player in a highly competitive industry.

Preferred Qualifications

• 4-6+ years in marketing roles focused on launching and scaling direct-to-consumer brands, with a track record of driving early revenue in “0 to 1” environments.
• Experience in luxury goods, watches, or high-end products is highly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in executing integrated campaigns across paid (Meta, Google Ads), email (Klaviyo), and organic channels, blending creative storytelling with performance-driven strategies.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to define, track, and optimize key metrics like ROAS, CAC, and LTV using tools like Shopify, Google Analytics, and Hotjar.
• Ability to develop bold, strategic marketing plans while collaborating with creatives to produce content that engages customers, enhances the brand, and drives measurable growth.
• Thrives in a startup-like environment, excelling at building from scratch with a proactive, innovative approach to solving challenges and staying competitive in a fast-moving industry.

Compensation & Growth

• Competitive base salary ($75,000-90,000) complemented by substantial performance-based bonuses tied to revenue milestones.
• Unlimited PTO for true flexibility and work-life balance, empowering you to take the time you need to recharge.
• $5,000 annual professional development stipend to support growth through virtual and in-person courses, conferences, and skill-building opportunities.
• Fast-track growth potential in a key founding role, with opportunities for salary increases, leadership advancement, and the chance to shape Hampden Watch’s trajectory as our direct-to-consumer brand grows.