Executive Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy

LED FastStart•Baton Rouge, LA

About The Position

The Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy is a senior executive leader responsible for the strategic direction, integration, and operational management of Louisiana Economic Development’s (LED) agency-wide marketing enterprise. Reporting to executive leadership, the Director provides vision, governance, and alignment across all brands owned, supported, or promoted by LED — including but not limited to LED, Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO), Fast Start, Louisiana NOW, and future initiatives. This role serves as the enterprise marketing integrator for the agency, ensuring that all brands and campaigns operate within a cohesive strategic framework; that marketing investments are aligned with agency priorities; and that internal teams and external partners are executing against a unified vision. The Director leads the marketing department’s creative and strategic staff while focusing primarily on strategy development, brand alignment, budget and vendor management, and cross-agency coordination, rather than day-to-day campaign execution.

Requirements

Develop, own, and lead LED’s comprehensive agency-wide marketing strategy, including core strategy and supporting sub-strategies for individual brands, programs, and audiences.
Establish and maintain a clear marketing governance framework that aligns all LED brands, initiatives, and campaigns under a unified strategic and brand architecture.
Ensure consistency of messaging, positioning, tone, and visual identity across all LED-affiliated brands while allowing for appropriate differentiation by audience and mission.
Serve as the senior marketing advisor to executive leadership, providing strategic insight, risk assessment, and recommendations on marketing priorities and investments.
Oversee the strategic management of LED’s full brand portfolio, ensuring alignment among legacy brands and emerging initiatives.
Lead brand architecture decisions, including brand relationships, naming conventions, and the introduction or retirement of sub-brands.
Ensure all marketing efforts reinforce LED’s overarching mission and long-term economic development objectives.
Direct and manage the agency-wide marketing budget, ensuring fiscal discipline, transparency, and alignment with strategic priorities.
Oversee all marketing-related vendor relationships, including agencies, consultants, creative partners, media buyers, and research firms.
Lead procurement strategy for marketing services, including RFP development, contract negotiation, performance management, and renewal decisions.
Establish processes to evaluate return on investment, effectiveness, and performance of marketing expenditures and external partners.
Provide leadership, direction, and professional development for the marketing department’s creative and strategic staff.
Set clear expectations and priorities for creative output while empowering teams to execute at a high level.
Ensure creative projects are aligned with strategy, brand standards, timelines, and available resources.
Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing marketing organization that can serve multiple internal stakeholders effectively.
Partner with LED leadership and program teams to align marketing strategy with agency goals, initiatives, and timelines.
Serve as the central point of coordination for marketing efforts across offices and programs, reducing duplication and ensuring consistency.
Provide strategic oversight and guidance for major campaigns, launches, and initiatives without serving as day-to-day project manager.
Establish high-level performance metrics and dashboards to assess brand health, campaign effectiveness, and overall marketing impact.
Use data, research, and insights to inform strategy refinement and future investment decisions.
Stay informed of marketing, branding, and communications best practices relevant to public-sector and economic development organizations.