Director of Marketing, Brand

Ascend Learning is a national leader in data driven, online educational solutions for learners, educators and employers in high-growth, licensure-driven professions spanning healthcare, fitness and wellness, skilled trades, insurance and financial services. We are passionate about accelerating learning while impacting job readiness, employment success and employee retention with the belief that our work changes lives.

Our culture is intentionally results-driven and selfless with a relentless focus on our customers. We believe in trust, transparency, freedom and responsibility with a commitment to meritocracy, inclusion and diversity of thought. Continual investment in our over 1400 employees is also a core principal realized through ongoing professional development and providing opportunities to grow, develop and lead. Ascend Learning is headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and remote workers in cities across the U.S. and in the U.K.

For over 35 years, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a division of Ascend Learning, has been the industry leader in fitness education, certifying thousands of Personal Trainers each year and providing science-based continuing education options for fitness professionals. NASM offers a wide range of educational programs designed to meet the unique learning styles of our students to make them successful and maximize their potential. We're dedicated to helping fitness enthusiasts become fitness professionals and fitness professionals to realize their dreams.

Job Summary:

The Director of Brand Marketing is a strategic thinker and creative brand leader, responsible for leading the implementation of the brand strategy, product marketing plans, and go to market delivery of campaigns and products to drive awareness, relevance, and revenue. The individual is a results oriented, insights driven champion of the brand's positioning, messaging and visual identity, driving synergy across campaigns to deliver effective brand value in the market. The role will be a key partner to performance marketing and e-commerce team, and will work collaboratively to drive acquisition, leads, and revenue while preserving and elevating the brand equity. The role will also lead cross functional teams, build strategic stakeholder relationships internally and externally and lead a team of direct reports. Responsible for delivering on organization wide and department KPIs by analyzing and reporting on brand perceptions, campaign metrics, and other relevant data. Provides leadership, mentoring and guidance to others.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the following teams in the department: Brand Marketing, Product Marketing, and Creative Services
• Lead the customer journey and customer experience with the brand and our products
• Develop robust go-to-market programs for new products while supporting existing product lines with effective marketing strategies in collaboration with broader teams
• Set and oversee key marketing goals and objectives for the brands
• Plan, implement, and manage brand marketing strategy and positioning across all customer touchpoints
• Define and track KPIs on a regular basis and present effectively to key stakeholders
• Leverage data and insights to make fact-based decisions
• Drive performance orientation throughout the team while elevating the brand
• Work with creative team to create and optimize marketing campaigns and content
• In partnership with the e-commerce team, prioritize, organize, and execute content marketing campaigns and projects to support customer journey and drive performance
• Partner closely with the e-commerce and performance marketing team to support revenue and marketing goals for the division
• Manage the brand marketing budget
• Responsible for other Duties/Projects as assigned by business management as needed and must be available for occasional support outside of business hours.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Strong and inspirational people leader with a passion for mentoring and developing team members
• Broad and deep general marketing skills, with an eye to brand marketing and passion for winning the customer
• Recognized analytic and critical thinking skills that can identify business opportunities and solutions to grow the business
• Exceptional ability to understand and action marketing data and customer insights
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Team-player with "can do" attitude, highly resourceful and proactive
• Strong ability to multi-task in a very fast-paced environment
• Highly organized and disciplined
• Willing to be nimble and adapt and manage through ambiguity
• Strong problem-solving ability and orientation
• Creative thinker and problem solver
• Ability to toggle between strategic thinking and tactical problem solving
• Strong attention to detail
• Highly motivated and able to work with minimal supervision

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing or relevant field. Masters is preferred
• 10+ years relevant marketing experience preferably in a D2C brand
• Experience working with and preferably leading creative teams
• 7+ year's experience managing teams / direct reports

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

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