Senior Manager, Brand Strategy & Engagement

Responsibilities

• Brand Strategy, Governance & Stewardship • Serve as the primary steward of the Riverside brand, ensuring consistent application of brand standards across organizational touchpoints. • Oversee enterprise brand guidelines, including visual identity, voice, tone, messaging and brand architecture. • Lead brand governance efforts to ensure consistency across communications, marketing, digital, events and community engagement activities. • Partner with communications, marketing and operational leaders to strengthen the Riverside brand experience. • Conduct ongoing brand assessments and recommend improvements that enhance brand consistency and effectiveness. • Support naming strategies, signage initiatives, affiliations and enterprise brand decisions.
• Brand Engagement & Advocacy • Serve as executive sponsor and strategic leader of Riverside's StoryMakers Creator Community. • Lead Riverside's Brand Ambassador initiatives and employee advocacy programs. • Partner with the Communications, Content Strategy, Earned Media & Public Relations to ensure alignment across Story Creators, Education Creators, Brand Ambassadors and Executive Voices initiatives. • Create opportunities for authentic storytelling that deepen connections with employees, consumers and community stakeholders. • Oversee creator engagement, recognition and participation strategies supporting sustained program success.
• Brand Insights, Reputation & Perception Strategy • Lead Riverside's brand perception, consumer reputation and audience insight strategies. • Serve as strategic lead for the Team Member Insights & Reputation Council, translating Riverside Voice findings and employee feedback into actionable brand, engagement and reputation strategies. • Identify perception gaps and emerging trends impacting employee trust, culture, engagement and brand advocacy. • Develop messaging frameworks and brand strategies that reinforce Riverside's culture, values and employer brand promise. • Lead Riverside's Brand Strategy & Insights Team and establish a structured process for gathering, analyzing and applying employee, consumer and audience insights. • Develop ongoing processes for monitoring reputation indicators, consumer feedback, online reviews, brand sentiment and audience perceptions. • Partner with Human Resources, Internal Communications and executive leadership to align employee experience initiatives with brand objectives. • Utilize insights to guide storytelling initiatives, engagement programs, employer brand strategies and brand improvement opportunities. • Deliver recommendations that strengthen trust, credibility, alignment and long-term brand equity. • Develop a strategic plan and operating model for the Brand Strategy & Insights Team, ensuring insights drive measurable brand improvements, messaging refinements and storytelling opportunities.
• Brand Creative Strategy & Traditional Media Development • Lead brand strategy and creative development for traditional marketing assets, ensuring alignment with Riverside's brand standards, messaging framework and organizational priorities. • Partner with Riverside designers to develop creative concepts, messaging strategies and visual assets for traditional media channels. • Oversee development of print advertisements, radio creative, outdoor advertising, billboards, transit advertising and brand-awareness initiatives. • Provide strategic direction and final brand review for traditional media creative prior to production and deployment. • Partner with the Senior Manager, Digital Media & Performance Marketing to align creative strategies with audience targeting, campaign objectives and media plans. • Ensure all creative assets effectively communicate Riverside's value proposition, reinforce brand positioning and strengthen consumer perception. • Collaborate with Marketing, Communications and Public Relations teams to ensure consistency across paid, earned, shared and owned channels. • Monitor effectiveness of brand creative and recommend enhancements based on audience insights, market trends and perception data.
• Team Leadership & Program Management (10%) • Lead, coach and develop the Brand Manager and Marketing Coordinator. • Establish departmental priorities, goals and performance expectations. • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and accountability. • Guide resource allocation, workload management and program prioritization. • Ensure successful execution of brand programs, engagement initiatives and strategic projects. • Build organizational understanding of Riverside's brand strategy and engagement objectives.
• Brand Measurement & Insights • Establish measurement frameworks that evaluate brand health, engagement, advocacy, reputation and participation. • Monitor performance trends and engagement metrics related to brand initiatives and storytelling programs. • Develop executive-level reports and recommendations demonstrating brand impact and effectiveness. • Use insights and analytics to continuously refine and improve brand strategies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business Administration or a related field (Required)
• 5-6 years Progressively responsible experience in brand management, communications, marketing, consumer engagement or related disciplines. (Required)
• Demonstrated direct-to-consumer brand experience, including developing and activating consumer-facing brand strategies, integrated campaigns and audience engagement initiatives that build awareness, preference, trust and loyalty.
• Experience developing and implementing brand strategies and engagement initiatives.
• Experience leading teams and developing marketing or communications professionals
• Demonstrated ability to translate research, insights and feedback into actionable business and brand strategies.
• Experience managing cross-functional programs and enterprise initiatives