Brand Strategist

Job Description

The External Relations department works to build the profile of our organization and raise funds. We do that by creating and deploying content that helps our audiences understand our mission and impact, learn about the contexts in which we work, and hear the voices and stories of the people we serve. We have a commitment to ensuring all people are depicted with dignity and agency. As a result, we are in the process of evolving how we craft our narratives and imagery. It's an exciting time to join our team and help make an impact for our clients, donors, staff members and organization.

Job Overview:

Are you a brand expert, someone who knows the importance of a strong, cohesive brand and how to help develop it globally? The Brand Strategist position is a newly created role that will be essential in helping us to refine, build and protect our brand. As such we’re looking for an experienced brand strategist (or brand manager), keen to dive in and help us take our storied organization forward so that we can have an even greater impact for more people, worldwide.

This role reports into the Senior Director, Brand. S/he will work closely with members of the Communications, Creative Studio, Digital Engagement and Mass Markets fundraising teams. If this opportunity sounds exciting to you, please read further!

Major Responsibilities:

- Serve as a key member of our global brand network. Input into global and U.S. creative strategy sessions and the development of campaigns and evergreen content, helping our external communications build towards a consistent, cohesive and distinct brand. Review and sign off on creative to ensure that materials adhere to our brand positioning, voice & tone and imagery guidelines.

· Play a key role in the readying of our brand refresh and in the planning and execution of the global roll-out, internally and externally.

· Develop an online brand training module to help the broader organization understand our brand proposition, our evolved approach to storytelling and imagery, and to build a brand ambassador mentality across all staff.

· Guide new and recently launched markets to develop their brand strategy, partnering with the local teams, agencies and consultants.

· Lead market research to help our marketing and fundraising teams better understand current and prospective donors; use those insights to co-create marketing strategies that raise brand awareness, drive donor growth, and generate revenue.

· Collaborate with the global Corporate Partnerships team in building relationships with existing partners, selecting new partners, and developing joint marketing activations that help build our brand awareness.

· Partner with our Global Analytics team to develop brand metrics.

Job Requirements:

Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field (marketing, communications, creative writing, humanities, etc.)

· At least 5 years of work experience, preferably for a consumer brand or creative agency

· Experience with brand building and content development in a fast-paced, lean environment

· Genuine interest in our organization’s mission. Please read more about us and the work we do at rescue.org

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

· In-depth understanding of brand: have developed and implemented brand strategies and brand guidelines, ideally globally. Have helped refresh and/or build at least one strong, distinct brand and grown brand awareness with target audiences.

· Expert written and verbal communications: skilled at making our brand materials and messaging accessible to all our audiences internally and externally; able to create clear, compelling presentations and plans, explaining the reasoning behind strategic recommendations.

· Strategic and analytical thinking: able to co-create strategies based on market needs and goals; energized about mining data for insights and to bring fresh thinking.

· Collaboration: ability to build positive work relationships internally and externally; ability to engage with everyone in an inclusive, respectful and empathetic way.

· Resourceful: willingness to roll-up your sleeves and jump in to help get things done in timely, practical ways; seize opportunities and resiliently overcome obstacles.

· Client and supporter-centric: we put our clients at the heart of everything we do, and we deeply appreciate our supporters. So, a willingness to see projects from a vantage point of how they impact our clients and supporters (as well as our staff and organization).

Working Environment:

· Pending our NY HQ re-opening in January 2022, we plan to have an in-person or hybrid work schedule. We are open to virtual work only, but candidates must be based in the U.S. and able to work on our NY office hours (Eastern time).

The IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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Qualifications