Brand Director

Job Description

OVERVIEW

UPDATED: Application Deadline: Please submit your application by 5:00 pm EST, January 8th, 2024.

NPR's Brand and Marketing team is responsible for building brands and growing audience for NPR's podcasts, programs, and platforms. We seek to multiply the reach and impact of everything NPR puts out in the world - from up-to-the-minute digital, social and broadcast content to on-demand podcasts, video, and more.

NPR is seeking a director to lead the Brand team within the NPR Marketing team. This individual will work with designers, brand/creative leads, copywriters, marketing strategists, and campaign analysts to create global brands and marketing campaigns seen by millions every day. They will center their team's work on NPR's North Star ambition: To draw in younger, diverse audiences to NPR's journalism and storytelling. The director will work collaboratively and cross-functionally, building positive relationships across the organization and with external partners.

This individual will define how NPR's brand comes to life for our listeners, platforms, and partners. This will involve managing a fast-moving, high-performing team of creatives to ensure all creative work achieves NPR's biggest audience and business goals. They must be comfortable overseeing brand strategy and creative approach from concept to production; presenting to colleagues and external partners; and communicating the bigger 'why' behind creative work.

The ideal candidate is a proactive leader who can navigate ambiguity; act with both personal conviction and receptiveness to others' ideas; meet simultaneous deadlines; and advance creative work of the highest quality in a fast-paced environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead the Brand Team
• Supervise and mentor 3-4 direct reports. Oversee them in delivering best-in-class ideas, earning stakeholder buy-in, and bringing NPR to new levels of brand impact and creative ingenuity.
• Advocate for the team's ideas and convictions, giving them a strong voice across the organization.
• Enable the team to do their best work by resolving challenges and eliminating roadblocks as they arise.

Launch Distinctive Brands

This individual will oversee their team as they:
• Build brand identities and systems for new NPR products and properties.
• Reimagine the brands of existing NPR editorial properties to resonate with younger, diverse audiences.
• Determine how the NPR brand translates across a variety of platforms, from social media to owned channels to podcatchers such as Apple, Spotify, etc.

As a key leader at NPR, the Brand Director will also:
• Spearhead efforts to evolve the fundamentals of the NPR brand - typeface, color palette, visual strategy, and well beyond.
• Drive brand thought leadership across the organization, championing the latest best practices and building an NPR-wide imperative to strengthen its brand.
• Ensure consistency in branding everywhere NPR is represented.
Oversee Creative for Marketing Campaigns

This individual will oversee their team as they:
• Craft creative concepts and produce multi-channel campaigns. Assets can include: video, social features/templates, digital banners, print ads, out-of-home ads, landing pages, and other out-of-the-box ideas.
• Present creative directions to teams across the organization, in the form of brand decks/guidelines and pitch presentations, mapping creative visions and strategies back to actionable design.
• Incorporate and prioritize feedback from a wide swath of stakeholders.
• Plan creative tests and monitor creative performance to understand effectiveness, making recommendations for continuous improvement.

Strengthen Partnerships (internal and external)
• Collaborate closely across other NPR Design disciplines: Product Design and Editorial Design.
• Work with the Senior Creative Project Manager to maintain and develop relationships with agencies, freelancers, and production companies.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
• 10+ years of experience working in a design or creative capacity; 5+ years of experience managing staff.
• Strong design and creative background, including a portfolio of relevant work.
• A track record of elevating brands and making them relevant to new audiences.
• Experience launching large-scale, multi-platform marketing campaigns.
• Self-starter capable of overseeing multiple projects at once.
• Ability to cultivate and support an inclusive and equitable workplace culture.
• Commitment to our North Star-to diversify NPR's audience to reflect, serve and inspire America-and a track record of success in diversity efforts at other organizations.
• Experience managing and coaching creatives. As a people manager, has:
• Deep respect for diversity in cultural backgrounds and experiences
• Commitment to creating space for all ideas to be heard and acted upon.
• Proven track record in mentoring individuals - helping them develop their skills, overcome obstacles, and seize opportunities for growth.
• Passion for defending the ideas and convictions of the Brand team.
• Strong collaborative spirit. Ability to balance conviction with flexibility and empathy for the needs and ideas of others across NPR.
• Clarity in communication and accountability, making sure expectations are understood, deadlines are met, and high standards are held.
• Commitment to eliminating roadblocks so their team can do great work.
• Deep understanding of how great creative work gets done.
• Ability to navigate a complex work environment with myriad stakeholders and a wide array of feedback.
• Adept at making ideas happen and solving problems critically and creatively.
• Strong communication skills. Ability to concept, write, and deliver powerful, persuasive presentations under quick turnarounds.
• Ability to distill complex ideas into simple language and tangible next steps.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• High achiever with a commitment to excellence and innovation.
• Enthusiasm for the latest trends in brands and campaigns. Eagerness to push NPR to new levels of power and distinctiveness in a crowded space.
• A love of NPR, respect for our mission, appreciation for audio storytelling, and a desire to make us even better.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

Bachelor's degree, Design degree, or equivalent in work experience

WORK LOCATION
• Remote Permitted: This is a remote permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, DC office but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves.

JOB TYPE
• This is a full time, exempt position.

COMPENSATION

Salary Range: The US based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $151,000 - 167,000 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR's benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, sho

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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d568b3-18-224-52-33-42 in your application.