Marketing Manager (Grand Rapids)
About Unist Unist is a world leader in the design and manufacture of fluid application systems for industrial manufacturers. Our products help customers save money, improve efficiency, and reduce waste through controlled, reliable fluid application. Founded in 1957, Unist will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2027. As a private, family-owned company, we are committed to remaining independent and building for the long term while continuing our tradition of innovation, exceptional customer service, and lasting value. One of our core technologies is Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL). We don't expect you to know what that means today, but if you're curious, explore our website and see if it excites you. With more than 10,000 customers across metal cutting, metal forming, aerospace, and HVAC, we help OEMs and manufacturers solve production challenges through innovative solutions, application expertise, and long-term customer partnerships. Most importantly, we don't compete on price; we compete by creating real value. About the Position Unist is growing, and we're creating a Marketing Manager role to help lead the next stage of growth. Reporting to the Sales and Marketing Director, you'll lead an established in-house team with strong capabilities in content creation, copywriting, video production, and web design. Beyond driving marketing performance, you'll develop the team, strengthen marketing capabilities, and help position Unist for long-term growth. We are a B2B manufacturer with a presence across digital, print, trade shows, and industry media. You get to start with a talented team, a strong customer base, and significant market opportunity. From there, you’ll align marketing with business goals, create programs that generate demand and support sales, and ensure the right message reaches the right audience. Marketing at Unist is expected to drive revenue. This role is built for someone who wants that level of ownership, accountability, and impact. About You You are a leader, builder, and experimenter. You are creative, and as comfortable with a funnel report as with a storyboard. You can sit with an engineer, understand why a technical product matters, and make that clear to a buyer. You take pride in your team's work, and you care just as much about whether it produces results. You lead by coaching: you give direct feedback, delegate ownership, and answer for the team's results. You stay curious about how things work and continually push to do better. Key Responsibilities Build, lead, and develop a collaborative and high-performing marketing team. Work closely with the sales team and other internal groups to turn customer, product, market, and application insight into effective marketing initiatives and sales tools. Develop programs, content, and campaigns that strengthen customer education, application expertise, and sales effectiveness. Lead marketing projects from concept through launch and measurement, with clear ownership, priorities, timelines, and follow-through. Oversee the development, accuracy, maintenance, and release of product manuals, sales literature, webpages, videos, training resources, product launch materials, and other customer-facing content, ensuring it is clear, current, useful, and consistent with Unist brand standards. Manage Unist tradeshows, including scheduling, content creation, sales coordination, and set-up/tear down (as needed). Improve marketing processes, project intake, prioritization, documentation, asset management, and cross-functional handoffs. Use meaningful measures to evaluate marketing activity and business impact while developing and managing the marketing budget, outside vendors, platforms, and other resources. What You’ll Need to Be Successful Leadership & Communication Clear, direct, and constructive communicator. Proven coach and delegator who builds trust, ownership, and accountability. Able to align different perspectives around shared priorities. Execution & Judgment Strong project management, prioritization, and decision-making skills. Highly organized and accountable, with the ability to keep multiple projects moving. Balances quality, practicality, and pace while taking ownership from start to finish. Marketing & Business Acumen Connects customer, product, market, and sales insight to practical marketing initiatives. Ensures technical subjects are understandable and relevant to customers, distributors, and salespeople. Uses data and business outcomes to evaluate priorities and results. Mindset & Values Aligned with Unist’s core values and culture. Innovative, curious, and committed to continuous improvement. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience. Demonstrated experience leading a marketing team and developing people. Proven ability to lead marketing projects or campaigns from concept through launch and measurement. Strong B2B marketing experience; manufacturing or technical-product experience highly preferred. Experience with sales literature, product manuals, content strategy, websites, digital marketing, marketing analytics, and sales enablement. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Comfortable identifying and implementing CRM, marketing automation, AI-enabled tools, and other emerging technologies. Craft CMS experience is a plus. This position includes a competitive wage with great benefits including a 401(k) plan with company match, medical and dental insurance, short/long term disability, life insurance, paid time off, summer flex schedule, Wally Day, Give-Back Day, parental leave, education and training programs, company picnics and social activities, and a matching gift program. NOTE: LinkedIn makes it too easy to apply. The hiring manager will only review and respond to any application that actually includes a cover letter or introduction message. Unist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
