DIRECTOR, BRAND STRATEGY AND ENGAGEMENT

National Corn Growers Association•Chesterfield, MO

4h•Hybrid

About The Position

NCGA is seeking a Director of Brand Strategy and Engagement to support and elevate brand communications to farmers, policymakers, and external stakeholders. The role is responsible for content strategy and development, distribution channel strategy, and engagement tracking. The selected candidate will serve as lead staff for the Communications and Education Action Team and report to the NCGA Vice President, Marketing and Communications. The Director develops and implements a unified brand strategy positioning NCGA as the trusted voice of U.S. corn growers, and leads integrated communications campaigns supporting policy priorities, market development, and membership goals. The role works with market development and membership teams to translate technical topics into engaging stories; partners with state corn organizations on messaging; coordinates creative needs with internal and external partners; supports issue- and reputation-management communications; and maintains consistent brand standards. The position establishes performance indicators and tracking across digital, email, media, and grassroots advocacy channels; maintains dashboards and reports findings and recommendations to leadership and the board. It uses analytics and monitoring tools to evaluate reach, sentiment, audience behavior, campaign effectiveness, and value, applying results to strategy, messaging, and budget decisions. It also monitors public and media sentiment on agriculture and corn-related issues. As lead staff for the Communications and Education Action Team, the Director manages grower communications, agenda development, speaker selection, project evaluation, and budget reporting. The role also manages programs and outside contractors within the Action Team portfolio and develops and monitors budgets for areas of responsibility. The position is based in St. Louis, Missouri, with a hybrid work arrangement available. Travel is required; a valid driver’s license and good driving record are required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, journalism, agricultural communications, or a related field.
Eight or more years of experience in communications or brand strategy.
Experience designing, implementing, and tracking marketing and communications campaigns from start to finish.
Hands-on experience with analytics and reporting tools.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write formal reports, social media posts, and news releases.
Ability and willingness to build relationships with and become a resource for state corn partners, corn board members, and other external stakeholders.
Strong collaboration skills across teams and stakeholders.
Ability and willingness to travel.
Valid driver’s license and good driving record.

Nice To Haves

Command of AP Style.
Knowledge of U.S. agriculture, agribusinesses, the corn industry, and associated issues is strongly preferred.
Experience at an association or in agriculture is preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a unified brand strategy positioning NCGA as the trusted voice of U.S. corn growers.
Lead integrated communications campaigns across channels to support NCGA policy priorities, market development, and membership goals.
Work with market development and membership teams to turn complex technical topics into clear, engaging stories.
Partner with state corn organizations on message development and implementation.
Coordinate creative development needs with internal and external partners, including the website, video, publications, and campaign assets.
Support issue- and reputation-management communications on topics affecting corn growers.
Maintain consistent brand standards and messaging frameworks across the organization.
Define key performance indicators and establish tracking across digital, email, media, and grassroots advocacy channels.
Maintain dashboards and report insights and recommendations regularly to leadership and the board.
Use analytics tools to measure reach, sentiment, and audience behavior.
Measure campaign effectiveness and value, and use results to adjust strategy, messaging, and budgets.
Monitor public and media sentiment on agriculture and corn-related issues to identify emerging risks and opportunities.
Serve as lead staff for the Communications and Education Action Team, managing grower communications, agenda development, speaker selection, project evaluation, and budget reporting.
Manage programs and associated outside contractors within the Action Team portfolio and report to the Action Team as needed.
Develop and monitor budgets for areas of responsibility.
Travel as required.