Sr. Director, Brand

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall purpose  

The Sr. Director, Brand leads the evolution and execution of the Zelle® brand’s vision. This role is responsible for shaping how consumers and financial institutions perceive and engage with Zelle®, across all brand, content, and communication touchpoints. The role leads brand strategy and integrated campaign development, oversees consumer-facing content and creative direction, and drives alignment with bank partners on messaging and positioning in conjunction with partners across the Marketing, Product, and Client Development teams. It also leads Zelle® thought leadership efforts and owns strategy and execution for consumer-facing social media and influencer partnerships. 

Essential Functions 

• Leads the development and execution of brand strategy, ensuring consistency, creativity, and relevance across all channels. 

• Oversees national brand campaigns and creative content initiatives, from planning to production to deployment. 

• Serves as the brand champion with bank partners (owners, directs, and resellers), ensuring alignment on messaging, brand standards, and joint campaign execution. 

• Drives thought leadership platform, identifying key themes and insights and partnering with research, analytics, and external agencies to bring them to market. 

• Leads growing social media and influencer strategy, working closely with internal and external teams to grow engagement, amplifies messaging, and supports brand presence in real time. 

• Collaborates across marketing, communications, analytics, legal, and product to ensure brand efforts are informed, compliant, and impactful. 

• Manages a high-performing team of brand marketers and content specialists. 

• Owns the agency relationship and ensures delivery excellence in line with objectives. 

• Supports the company’s commitment to risk management and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Education and experience typically obtained through completion of a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, business or related field.  Advanced degree is preferred. 

• 15+ years of experience as a high impact forward-thinking brand marketer, preferably in financial services, fintech, or other regulated industries. 

• Proven success in developing and executing large-scale consumer campaigns and integrated brand initiatives. 

• Prior leadership experience including hiring top talent, motivating team performance, and providing developmental opportunities to grow team. 

• Deep understanding of brand management in a network or partner-driven business model. 

• Experience collaborating with banks or other channel partners to deliver aligned messaging and campaigns. 

• Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills. 

• Demonstrated success in content strategy, thought leadership, and social media/influencer engagement. 

• Background and drug screen. 

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position.  Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor. 

Physical Requirements 

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers. 

The base pay scale for this position in:

New York, NY