Senior Director, Brand Marketing

Job Description

The Senior Director, Brand Marketing is a strategic leader, team builder, and thought leader responsible for driving the development and execution of The Washington Post’s short- and mid-term brand marketing initiatives. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, this role will support the achievement of the company’s business and subscription goals by amplifying The Washington Post brand at the highest level and driving awareness locally, nationally and globally.

Senior Director, Brand Marketing will work across the executives and organization to enhance brand impact and deploy best practices that ensure we stay at the cutting edge of media and consumer acquisition strategies. This role oversees a team of multi-disciplined individuals and will create and execute a wide variety of brand marketing plans, ranging from large, national brand campaigns to ongoing marketing of The Washington Post’s people and products.

Motivation:

• You possess a clear and direct understanding of the high standards and intrinsic value of premium journalism and can demonstrate a strong respect for the rigorous demands and ethical considerations inherent in producing top-quality journalism.

• You are a results-oriented leader who excels at managing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and making strategic decisions informed by data and insights from behavioral economics.

• You are an innovative thinker who demonstrates exceptional problem-solving skills and creativity. You excel in generating insightful and effective solutions while remaining open to ideas from all team members and key stakeholders.

• You are adaptable and proactive in addressing challenges and seizing opportunities.

• You are customer focused, looking to understand the needs of subscribers and prospects and apply these insights to campaigns.

 Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive data-driven, customer-centric brand strategy that aligns with our organization's vision and business objectives. Oversee the execution of branding initiatives across all platforms and channels.

• Utilize analytics, KPIs, and insights from behavioral economics to guide strategic decisions and measure the impact of brand strategies. Monitor and analyze brand performance, making adjustments as needed to achieve optimal results.

• Communicate brand strategy and performance to senior leadership and other key stakeholders. Present insights and recommendations in a clear and compelling manner.

• Work closely with advertising sales, subscriptions, news, and legal teams to ensure cohesive brand messaging and effective execution of brand strategies. Foster strong partnerships with creative studios and media agencies.

• Drive innovative thinking in brand development and campaign execution (creatives, messaging and collateral). Challenge conventional approaches and explore new strategies to enhance brand presence and engagement.

• Develop and lead a high performing team of designers, copywriters, brand strategists and communications planners by providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to help team members achieve their potential.

• Manage annual and quarterly expense budget.

• Conduct thorough market research to understand consumer behavior, competitive dynamics, and industry trends. Use this data to refine brand positioning and identify growth opportunities. Create plans to capitalize on cultural moments to impact brand perception.

• Provide guidance and direction across multi-channel growth strategy based on needs and efficiency: SEO/ASO, SEM, DSPs, social paid/earned, community/influencer development, word of mouth, email marketing, CRM, traditional TV/offline, mobile, native etc.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field; an MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

• Minimum of 15 years in brand strategy, consumer marketing, or related fields, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role, or an equivalent combination of experience and education. Experience in the media industry is highly preferred.

• Expertise in critical metrics and industry best practices across the entire customer lifecycle, with a special emphasis on full-funnel audiences and objectives.

• Strong analytical skills with experience in managing KPIs and interpreting market research, consumer behavior, and competitive data. Proven track record of using data and analytics to drive brand performance, optimize consumer marketing strategies and develop powerful multi-media campaigns, with a focus on digital media and reaching multigenerational audiences.