Director of Marketing

Laird Norton Wetherby•San Francisco, CA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

LNW is a modern, full-service wealth advisory firm built for multigenerational families who want the depth of a family office with the intimacy of a boutique. Formed through the coming together of three independent firms (Laird Norton Trust, Wetherby Asset Management, and Filament), LNW is one of the few wealth advisors with genuine family office roots, now serving clients across investment management, trust services, legacy planning, and impact investing. Our culture is defined by warmth, rigor, and a deep commitment to the clients and families we serve. We think in generations, and we are looking for a marketing leader who does the same. LNW has the ingredients of a powerful brand: a compelling origin story, genuinely differentiated capabilities, and client relationships built on decades of trust. What it needs now is the marketing leadership to activate those ingredients consistently and carry them into the market. This is a build role at an inflection point. The brand positioning is being sharpened. The firm is returning to flagship client events. The next generation of wealth is arriving. And the marketing infrastructure (such as measurement, CRM hygiene, lifecycle management, vendor accountability, content planning) is earlier in its development than the ambition requires. The incoming Director will spend meaningful time in year one on foundation work: validating the ideal client profile, establishing operational systems, and building the measurement framework that connects marketing to business outcomes. The events, thought leadership, and brand work are the reward for getting the foundation right, not a substitute for it.

Requirements

10+ years of marketing experience, with meaningful time in financial services, wealth management, or an adjacent regulated industry
Demonstrated experience leading brand and marketing strategy, not just execution.
Experience managing external agencies and internal teams simultaneously.
Familiarity with the UHNW or family office client segment is strongly preferred.
Strong brand instincts: you know the difference between positioning and messaging, and you can develop both.
Ability to translate strategy into execution across multiple channels without losing the thread.
Comfort working in a relationship-driven culture where trust is built slowly, and marketing must earn its seat at the table.
Experience with CRM, marketing automation, and digital analytics tools.
Enough fluency in marketing operations and technology to lead agencies and teams effectively: you know how to guide the right lifecycle strategy, what good lead generation looks like, and where automation creates leverage without sacrificing the relationship-first culture LNW is built on.
Exceptional written communication skills. You can write in a firm's voice, not just your own.
Candidates must meet all employment qualifications at time of hiring, including (i) the successful completion of background and credit checks and any pre-employment examinations, (ii) the execution of all employee agreements, and (iii) the ability to consistently and efficiently perform the job’s essential functions, duties and responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

You think in brand ecosystems, not campaigns.
You are equally comfortable in a CEO’s office and a creative review.
You know enough about the engine to drive it well.
You know how to direct the people who do, ask the right questions, and spot when something is off.
You take the long view on brand building and resist the pressure to optimize short-term visibility at the expense of long-term credibility.
You understand that in wealth management, the brand is the relationship, and you know how to protect it while growing it.
You are energized by the challenge of modernizing a firm that has real depth, real differentiation, and real opportunity ahead of it.

Responsibilities

Own the translation of LNW's brand positioning into consistent, compelling messaging across all channels and audiences: existing clients, prospective clients, Centers of Influence (referral partners such as attorneys, accountants, and estate planners), and internal teams.
Ensure brand consistency across every touchpoint: digital, events, email, website, content, internal communications, and more.
Serve as the internal steward of LNW's voice and identity as the firm grows.
Partner with leadership to sharpen LNW's ideal client profile, defining not just who LNW serves best but who it is not the right fit for, and translating that clarity into more targeted messaging and channel strategy.
Lead the marketing strategy for LNW's flagship event series: gatherings that bring clients, families, and the broader LNW network together around shared interests, milestones, and ideas. Not networking events. Meaningful occasions and conversations.
Develop the positioning, programming, and communications that make LNW events feel like something clients cannot access anywhere else, including high-profile fireside conversations with nationally recognized leaders.
Build the event strategy that deepens relationships beyond individual Wealth Manager relationships and creates peer connections that keep clients engaged with LNW long-term.
Design and oversee programs that help the next generation understand and navigate wealth, help client families manage complexity across generations, and support LNW's own team in growing as advisors and leaders.
Develop breakout and workshop programming that educates clients on LNW's capabilities, including impact investing, legacy planning, and trust creation, in a format that builds community rather than sells services.
Champion the intentional cultivation of deep, lasting bonds across LNW's entire ecosystem: clients, employees, Centers of Influence, and community partners who share the firm's values.
Build internal credibility with Wealth Managers and practice leads so that marketing becomes a resource the whole firm actively uses, not a function that operates in parallel to client relationships.
Oversee LNW's content strategy, including the Economic Flash, Navigator, Impact Digest, annual reports, webinars, and advisor-facing content.
Position LNW's leadership as credible, trusted voices on the questions families and the industry are grappling with.
Share what LNW knows generously.
Ensure all content reflects LNW's brand standards and is reviewed through the appropriate compliance process.
Develop and execute marketing strategies that support client retention, deepening, and acquisition, with a particular focus on the next generation of UHNW clients.
Build and optimize lifecycle marketing programs in partnership with CRM and business development.
Create the channel strategy that reaches prospective clients and Centers of Influence without compromising the firm's premium positioning.
Own the website, SEO/AEO strategy, and digital experience in partnership with agency partners.
Oversee paid media strategy and agency partnerships, ensuring campaigns are aligned with brand positioning and targeted toward the right client and prospect segments.
Manage the marketing technology stack including CRM (Salesforce), marketing automation (Marketo), and email operations.
Build the measurement infrastructure from the ground up: a marketing performance dashboard, customer acquisition cost tracking by channel, a budget framework tied to the annual business planning cycle, and attribution reporting that gives leadership a clear line of sight between marketing investment and pipeline contribution.
Manage and develop a small in-house marketing team.
Oversee relationships with external agency partners across PR, paid media, email/CRM, website, and creative production.