Digital Marketing & External Communications Manager

CNA Insurance • Chicago, IL

1d • $72,000 - $141,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential. The Digital Marketing & External Communications Manager is responsible for leading the execution of digital marketing and external communications programs that support enterprise and business-unit objectives. This role translates strategy into disciplined, high-quality delivery across paid, owned and earned channels (i.e. media relations, awards and recognition programs), ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, brand voice, and performance expectations, and will have accountability for strategy execution and performance outcomes This position serves as a senior individual contributor and manager of agency partners, working closely with marketing leadership, integrated content teams, and business stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes in brand awareness, engagement, and demand generation.

Requirements

• Skilled in developing high-quality written content for digital channels, press releases, and external communications that reflect organizational voice and tone.
• Advanced level of understanding of search marketing best practices, digital campaign management, and search engine provided campaign management tools (Google Ads, etc.).
• Advanced understanding of social media best practices (paid, organic and employee advocacy), B2B applications, engagement metrics and campaign performance
• Experience using organic search diagnostic/monitoring tools (Google, Search Console, Webmaster Tools, SEMrush or similar).
• Hands on experience working with Marketo (or similar marketing automation tools), as well as an understanding of key automation features including scheduling, segmentation, cloning and success criteria.
• Experience and working knowledge of analytics and tag-management tools (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Looker and Power BI).
• Strong organizational skills including the ability to prioritize, coordinate and manage multiple projects and project teams.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Collaborative workstyle, while also comfortable taking leadership roles within project teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Journalism, Media/PR, Digital Marketing, or related field/discipline or equivalent experience.
• Typically, a minimum of 7 years of experience in a digital marketing, external communications, journalism, or media/PR function, preferably in agency and/or corporate marketing settings.
• P&C insurance experience required.

Nice To Haves

• Certifications/ credentials (one or more preferred): Google Ads Certified, Bing Ads Accredited, and/or Marketing Automation Certification (e.g. Marketo Certified Associate/Expert)

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of CNA’s digital marketing and external communications strategy, ensuring effective execution across enterprise and business unit initiatives.
• Manage CNA’s social media programs, including paid, organic, and employee advocacy programs, to drive engagement and brand awareness. Ensure consistent brand expression while enabling business-unit specific activation.
• Execute and optimize paid search and display advertising programs across paid, owned, and earned channels to maximize ROI and business impact.
• Manage resources, including agencies and vendors, to ensure consistent execution, scalability and cost effectiveness.
• Advise Marketing leadership on digital reputation, external communications strategy, and emerging issues, including providing recommendations during high-visibility campaigns or reputational events.
• Establish and enforce enterprise-level SEO and GEO (generative engine optimization) standards and governance, partnering with IT, integrated content and business teams on best practices for content, technical optimization, and linking strategies.
• Lead CNA’s paid search marketing efforts, including planning, execution, and optimization across platforms such as Google and Bing.
• Drive and continuously optimize CNA’s display advertising capabilities to support brand-building initiatives.
• Advise and execute on CNA’s media relations strategy to enhance brand reputation and visibility across key markets.
• Manage relationships with external PR agencies and media partners, ensuring consistent messaging and proactive engagement.
• Lead the execution of a comprehensive awards and recognition program to elevate CNA’s industry presence and thought leadership. Work alongside leadership and agency partners to identify relevant award opportunities and manage submission processes in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Develop and manage external written communications, ensuring brand voice consistency and compliance with regulatory standards. Collaborate with internal subject matter experts and leadership to craft compelling narratives that reinforce CNA’s market position.
• Set enterprise KPIs and measurement frameworks for digital marketing and communications, ensuring transparent reporting and accountability across teams and channels.
• May perform additional duties as assigned.

Benefits

• CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals.
• For a detailed look at CNA’s benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees