LOCATION

		Gurgaon
		
		
		EXPERIENCE

		12–18 Years
		
		
		DIRECT REPORTS

		6–8 Team Leads
		
		
		REPORTS TO

		CBO / Founders
		
	

 

ABOUT JQR SPORTS

JQR Sports is one of India's fastest-growing footwear brands, with deep general trade distribution across the country and a loyal consumer base built on quality and value. We are now entering our next chapter — launching our D2C platform, investing in brand building, and positioning JQR as a youth-first, lifestyle-meets-sport brand with genuine equity and national recall.

 

This role exists because we are serious about that ambition. We are not hiring a caretaker. We are hiring a builder.

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The marketing function at JQR is being built, not inherited. You will define the team structure, hire into it, set the direction, and be accountable for brand equity, campaign quality, marketing ROI, and consumer recall — across every channel.

 

This is a high-autonomy, high-accountability role. You will have direct access to the founders, a real budget, and the mandate to make JQR a brand that consumers seek out, not just find at retail.

 

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

Brand Strategy & Equity Building

Own the long-term brand positioning for JQR — define what the brand stands for, who it is for, and how it shows up in culture
Build brand equity from the ground up: aided and unaided recall, emotional association, aspirational pull
Lead annual brand planning — campaign calendar, media strategy, thematic arcs across the year
Ensure consistency across all consumer touchpoints: digital, retail, BTL, events, packaging, and PR

Team Building & Leadership

Build and lead a full marketing organisation — Digital, Creative, Social Media, BTL, and Events teams
Hire, mentor, and manage 6-8 team leads and their reportees across disciplines
Set KRAs for each team, run weekly reviews, and hold the function to a high creative and performance bar
Decide what to build in-house vs. what to manage through agencies — and manage both well

Digital Marketing

Own the digital marketing P&L — performance campaigns, SEO, email, WhatsApp, and paid social
Drive D2C growth on JQRsports.com through integrated digital campaigns
Set CAC, ROAS, and brand search volume targets — and build the team that hits them

Creative & Content

Set the creative direction for the brand — brief agencies and internal teams with clarity and ambition
Own the visual identity: campaign aesthetics, photography standards, video style guides, brand guidelines
Ensure every piece of content — organic, paid, OOH, in-store — feels like JQR

BTL, Events & On-Ground Activation

Lead JQR's on-ground presence — sports events, college activations, retail experientials, city pop-ups
Build an events calendar that creates brand moments, not just footprint — things people talk about
Own trade marketing and retail touchpoint design in partnership with the sales team
Drive BTL campaigns that bridge the gap between brand desirability and point-of-sale conversion

Innovation & New Executions

Actively seek formats, platforms, and cultural moments that other sports brands haven't owned yet
Lead innovation sprints — new content formats, sponsorship models, creator partnerships, co-brand plays
Bring ideas to the table proactively: campaign concepts, IP properties, athlete tie-ups, community plays
Stay ahead of what youth India responds to — and translate that into brand action before the trend peaks

PR & Strategic Partnerships

Build media relationships and manage PR — earned coverage, press moments, brand stories
Identify and negotiate athlete, influencer, and brand partnerships that add genuine credibility
Represent JQR at industry events, trade shows, and key media moments

 

REPORTING STRUCTURE

You report directly to the CBO and work closely with the Founders. Your team leads across Digital, Creative, Social, BTL, and Events report into you. You will also collaborate closely with the Head of D2C & Brand and the Sales leadership team.

 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The six things that matter most

		Brand Builder, Not Just a Marketer

		You've built brand equity — not just run campaigns. You can name brands you made more valuable, and explain why and how. You think in equity, not just output.
		
		
		Proven Team Leader

		You've built and scaled marketing teams across disciplines. People who worked for you got better. You've hired wrong before and learned from it.
		
	
	
		
		Consumer-Culture Fluency

		You genuinely understand what moves young India — sport, music, street culture, social media, aspiration. You don't need a research report to know what resonates.
		
		
		Full-Funnel Thinker

		You understand how brand investment creates performance outcomes. You don't separate digital from BTL or creative from media. You see the whole system.
		
	
	
		
		Events & On-Ground Instinct

		You've created brand moments on the ground that people remembered. You know that the best BTL doesn't feel like marketing — it feels like belonging.
		
		
		Relentless Curiosity

		You're the first to find the format no one else is using, the platform nobody has taken seriously yet, the creator who hasn't peaked. You're always six months ahead.
		
	

 

Experience & Qualifications

12–18 years of brand and marketing experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role owning a full marketing function
Background in consumer brands — footwear, apparel, sports equipment, lifestyle FMCG, or adjacent sectors strongly preferred
Demonstrated track record of building brand equity: ideally a brand you can point to that grew in recall, desirability, or market position under your leadership
Experience managing marketing budgets of ₹10 Cr+ annually, with accountability for ROI
Has built and managed cross-functional teams of 10+ people across digital, creative, and on-ground disciplines
Strong agency management capability — knows how to brief, pressure-test, and get the best out of creative and media partners
MBA from a reputed institution preferred, but not required — outcomes and leadership track record matter more

 

STRONG SIGNALS (GREEN FLAGS)

Experience at Nike India, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, or a comparable international sports/footwear brand in a senior marketing role
Has worked at a strong Indian consumer brand in brand marketing — Fastrack, Titan, Woodland, Campus, boAt, or similar
Has designed and executed a large-scale brand campaign AND a street-level BTL activation in the same role — both, not one
Has run an events property or sports sponsorship strategy that created genuine fan engagement, not just logo placement
Can name a format, platform, or creator they adopted before it was mainstream — and has results to back it
Their team alumni went on to build careers of their own. They are proud of who they developed.

 

SCREENING CRITERIA (RED FLAGS)

Primarily a performance/digital marketer who has never owned brand strategy or ATL campaigns
Only agency-side experience — no P&L accountability, no team ownership, no client-side brand stewardship
Has managed large budgets but cannot articulate how they moved brand equity metrics — only cost-per-click metrics
Has never hired or managed more than 3-4 people. Building a function from scratch is a different skill set.
No working knowledge of BTL, retail activation, or on-ground consumer engagement in India
Thinks brand equity = social media followers or PR clippings

 

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive CTC commensurate with experience and impact — senior leadership package
Direct access to founders and CBO — fast decisions, full strategic context, no bureaucracy
A brand with real distribution scale and real budget — you are not starting from zero, you are starting from strength
Full mandate to build the marketing function your way — structure, team, agencies, and approach
The rare opportunity to take a well-distributed Indian brand and turn it into something people genuinely love
Performance-linked upside and equity conversation open for the right candidate

 

		JQR Sports is building a brand India runs in, plays in, and lives in.

		JQR SPORTS  ·  GURGAON  ·  JQRSPORTS.COM