Senior Brand Manager

HGA•Washington, DC

24d

About The Position

HGA’s Brand & Communications team supports a 1,000-person architecture and engineering firm with a mission to advance human-centered design. As Senior Brand Manager, you will play a central role in shaping and stewarding HGA’s brand across all channels —including a significant leadership role in our upcoming 2026 brand evolution. This role blends brand strategy, project leadership, people management, and hands-on creative problem-solving, supporting firmwide initiatives with thoughtful planning, consistent execution, and a strong editorial and visual point of view. You will partner closely with the Director of Brand & Communications, sector marketing leaders, regional marketing teams, content strategists, creative team members, and communications team to ensure the brand is expressed consistently, cohesively, and with impact. The Senior Brand Manager is a highly collaborative utility player - someone who understands brand systems, can manage a multidisciplinary creative team, and can move seamlessly between strategy and execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, design, visual communications, or a related field
12+ years of experience in brand management, marketing, or integrated communications, including experience managing people or creative teams
Strong understanding of both visual and verbal brand strategy—and the ability to translate strategy into clear, actionable guidance
Experience managing brand systems, guidelines, and multi-channel brand execution
Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects, manage cross-functional teams, and collaborate effectively with senior stakeholders
Ability to provide constructive creative feedback and work effectively with graphic designers, video producers, photographers, and other specialists
Working knowledge of visual design, photography, and/or video production sufficient to brief, evaluate, and collaborate with creative professionals
Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office
Strong communication, relationship-building, and presentation skills
Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution; comfortable shifting between big-picture direction and tactical detail
Curiosity, creativity, collaborative energy, and a passion for building and strengthening brands

Nice To Haves

familiarity with digital asset management or content management systems is a plus

Responsibilities

Support the evolution and implementation of HGA’s brand strategy, visual identity, messaging, and positioning across all internal and external touchpoints.
Maintain and continually improve brand guidelines, systems, templates, and asset libraries to ensure clarity, consistency, and ease of use.
Partner with marketing, content, and communications teams to ensure brand cohesion across campaigns, proposals, digital channels, thought leadership, and events.
Serve as an internal brand advocate - educating teams, advising on brand use, and ensuring materials align with strategic priorities.
Manage firmwide brand initiatives and campaigns from planning through execution, including timelines, workflows, cross-team collaboration, and quality control.
Oversee intake, prioritization, and resourcing for strategic brand and creative projects in partnership with the Director of Brand & Communications.
Develop project plans, manage budgets, track performance, and ensure work is delivered on schedule and at the highest standard.
Identify opportunities to strengthen processes, improve operational efficiency, and streamline creative workflows.
Lead and manage a multidisciplinary creative operations team, including the visual asset manager, photography specialist, creative project manager, graphic designer, and multimedia designer.
Provide coaching, feedback, and professional development to support individual growth and strong team performance.
Oversee resource planning, workload distribution, and project assignments to ensure clarity, balance, and alignment with business needs.
Conduct performance evaluations and guide career development planning for team members.
Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture grounded in creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Manage vendor relationships and external creative freelancers to supplement capacity and ensure consistent, high-quality output.
Provide clear, actionable creative direction for brand materials, campaigns, reports, presentations, videos, and other key initiatives—ensuring alignment with brand standards and business goals.
Collaborate closely with designers, photographers, and multimedia specialists, offering constructive feedback that keeps work on-tone and on-strategy.
Contribute hands-on support for signature, high-visibility projects such as campaign assets, presentations, thought leadership reports, and video storyboarding.
Advise on visual storytelling best practices and ensure all work reflects HGA’s design culture, values, and strategic point of view.
Work closely with marketing leaders across sectors and regions to align brand activities with business goals and audience insights.
Partner with Internal Communications on firmwide messaging, cultural storytelling, and internal campaigns.
Collaborate with Digital teams on website, social media, and digital content execution to ensure brand consistency and strong audience engagement.
Monitor brand performance and gather insights from analytics, stakeholder feedback, and competitive analysis.
Identify opportunities for brand innovation, improved audience engagement, and stronger expression of the firm’s strategy and point of view.
Continually evolve brand systems and processes to support a modern, scalable, and effective brand