Director of Marketing and Communications

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company•Chicago, IL

2d•$160,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. We advise private and public corporations and debt and equity sponsors on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, real estate, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, and real estate offices in Chicago and Cleveland. The firm is also a founding member of REACH Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions, enabling BGL to service clients in 30 countries around the world. On every engagement, our clients receive senior-level attention from experienced bankers who bring a wealth of industry knowledge, transaction expertise, and deep relationships with key players in a broad range of industries. Our success and growth is due to the expertise, passion, and commitment of our team. We value our employees and invest in their development, recognizing that their talent is the foundation of the exceptional service we deliver to BGL clients. Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), an established and fast-growing investment banking and financial advisory firm, is seeking a Director of Marketing & Communications to help lead its Marketing team and grow the BGL brand. The Director of Marketing & Communications is a senior leader responsible for translating the firm's business objectives into integrated marketing and communications strategies that strengthen the firm's brand, support business development, deepen engagement with key audiences, and drive measurable growth. Leading a team of 5–7 marketing, communications, and events professionals, the Director oversees the day-to-day strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of the firm's marketing function. The role partners closely with executive leadership, business and practice leaders, and professionals across the organization to understand their priorities and develop marketing programs that support both firmwide and practice-specific objectives. The Director will also lead strategic internal communications initiatives that promote alignment, engagement, and transparency across the organization. They will craft clear, compelling messaging to connect employees at all levels—from senior bankers to analysts—supporting firm-wide initiatives, enhancing culture, and ensuring consistent messaging across offices and teams. The ideal candidate will bring particular strength in digital marketing, marketing technology, data and analytics, and artificial intelligence, ensuring the firm continually evolves how it reaches audiences, develops and distributes content, measures performance, and enables its professionals. They will combine strategic thinking with strong operational leadership and a willingness to remain close to execution. This position can be based in either Cleveland, Ohio or Chicago, Illinois.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of progressive marketing leadership experience within a professional services environment (financial services, legal, consulting, accounting, advisory, wealth management, or another expertise-driven B2B environment strongly preferred).
Bachelor’s degree required; Marketing, Communications, English, Business, or a related field preferred.
Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a multi-disciplinary marketing team.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, and executive-level presentation skills. Strong storytelling and editing ability and attention to detail. Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Ability to communicate and interact professionally with individuals at all levels of an organization. Sound judgment, responsibility, and accountability.
Strong analytical and project-management capabilities, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated expertise in digital marketing, including web strategy, email, social media, SEO/SEM, paid media, marketing automation, analytics, and digital content.
Strong working knowledge of AI and generative AI, with practical experience applying emerging technologies to marketing workflows, content, research, analytics, or productivity.

Responsibilities

Translate firmwide business objectives into actionable marketing and communications strategies, campaigns, and priorities.
Protect and strengthen the firm's brand, positioning, messaging, visual identity, and voice across channels and audiences.
Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of marketing, communications, and events professionals, establishing clear priorities, accountability, performance expectations, and development opportunities.
Serve as a strategic marketing partner to firm leadership and individual practices/business lines, developing a strong understanding of their markets, clients, competitors, and growth priorities.
Lead annual and ongoing marketing planning, establishing objectives, priorities, budgets, timelines, and measures of success.
Manage the marketing budget, outside agencies, technology providers, and other external partners and vendors, continually evaluating effectiveness, efficiency, and ROI.
Lead the firm's digital marketing strategy, including web, email, social media, paid media, search, content distribution, marketing automation, and other digital channels.
Oversee the firm's marketing technology ecosystem and use data and analytics to evaluate performance, understand audience behavior, identify opportunities, and improve marketing ROI.
Champion the thoughtful adoption of AI and generative AI within the marketing function, identifying practical applications that improve quality, speed, personalization, insight, and productivity.
Lead content strategy, thought leadership, public and media relations, social media, executive communications, and other reputation-building initiatives.
Prepare and review communications materials for employee, media, and public-facing engagement, particularly related to news, announcements, and issues management.
Assist in the development of communications policies and public relations guidance, including during crisis scenarios, to ensure timely and accurate information sharing.
Support organizational changes by facilitating communication efforts, addressing employee concerns, and aiding in transitions.
Apply advanced knowledge of communication principles and interpersonal dynamics to determine the most effective channels and formats, build buy-in, and foster collaboration across the organization.