Expansion & Retail Growth Marketing Manager-Lead

Description

Summary

Serves as Marketing’s lead strategist for Sunward’s geographic expansion, branch openings and retail-growth initiatives. Recognized as a subject matter expert in market-entry and retail marketing strategy, translating organizational expansion plans and market research into actionable, cross-functional marketing strategies for new and priority markets.

Partners closely with Retail, Facilities, Product, Analytics, Communications, executive leadership and agency partners to plan, launch and continuously optimize marketing for branch openings and market-growth initiatives, and develops a repeatable playbook to guide future expansion.

Operates with a high degree of autonomy, exercising broad judgment and influencing decisions across departments and senior stakeholders to advance Sunward’s expansion strategy and drive market awareness, membership growth and retail performance.

Essential Functions

• Own and lead the marketing strategy for Sunward’s geographic expansion, branch openings and priority retail markets.
• Serve as Marketing’s primary strategic partner for expansion and retail-growth initiatives, working closely with Retail, Events, Facilities, Product, Analytics, executive leadership and internal Marketing teams.
• Participate in expansion and branch-planning discussions to understand organizational objectives, operational requirements, market conditions, timelines and existing research.
• Translate organizational expansion plans, market intelligence and business objectives into actionable market-entry and retail-growth marketing strategies.
• Partner with the marketing analyst to define research questions, analytical requirements, audience considerations and measurement needs for prospective, new and established markets.
• Guide the development and interpretation of demographic, geographic, traffic, behavioral, competitive and member analyses to support marketing decisions.
• Use market research and analysis to recommend target audiences, localized positioning, priority messages, channel strategies and opportunities for market differentiation.
• Develop the marketing component of market-entry plans, including audience strategy, brand and product positioning, messaging, channel recommendations, campaign timing, budget requirements and measures of success.
• Lead the marketing workstream for branch openings, developing coordinated pre-opening, opening and post-opening marketing plans.
• Coordinate marketing timelines with Facilities, Retail and other operational partners to ensure campaigns align with construction, staffing, soft-opening, grand-opening and market-readiness milestones.
• Determine how Sunward’s enterprise brand and value proposition should be introduced and expressed within priority markets while maintaining overall brand consistency.
• Partner with the Lending and Deposit Product Marketing Managers to determine which approved products, offers, benefits and messages should be emphasized within each market.
• Draft foundational content, positioning statements, market narratives, key messages and creative briefs for branch openings and market-growth initiatives.
• Provide Marketing Operations and agency partners with the strategic direction and source content required to develop market-specific campaigns and assets.
• Write or revise channel-specific marketing content directly when project needs, timing or team capacity require additional support.
• Coordinate with Brand, Digital, Marketing Operations, Communications, Community Engagement, Business Development, Retail and agency partners to develop integrated market launch and growth plans.
• Recommend market-specific channel mixes that may include paid digital media, search, social media, outdoor advertising, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorships, events, partnerships and community engagement.
• Partner with Retail and the retail communications leader to provide campaign context, FAQs and source information that support aligned frontline communications and branch readiness.
• Maintain market-entry and branch-opening marketing roadmaps that identify priorities, dependencies, deliverables, responsible partners and key milestones.
• Partner with the marketing analyst to establish and monitor measures of market awareness, member acquisition, deposit and lending activity, campaign response, branch traffic, engagement and marketing efficiency.
• Prepare and present recurring updates to Marketing, Retail and organizational leadership on expansion activity, market performance, emerging insights, risks and recommended actions.
• Monitor marketing performance during the post-opening growth period and recommend changes to audiences, messaging, channel mix, timing or investment.
• Identify marketing opportunities wit