Senior Manager, Brand Marketing

Forward Financing•Boston, MA

2h•Remote

About The Position

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work®, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way. We are seeking a brand marketing leader to manage the evolution and ongoing stewardship of the Forward Financing brand, positioning, and visual identity across all audiences. Reporting up through the VP of Marketing, key responsibilities include spearheading content marketing, social media, and corporate communications/PR to drive brand awareness/perception and support customer acquisition. This role will build a strong partnership with Sales to create compelling channel enablement materials and strategic partner programs. Forward Financing has an established brand, and this is an opportunity to take it to the next level!

Requirements

8+ years of progressive experience in Brand Marketing, Marketing Communications, or a related field; B2B experience on a financial services/fintech brand preferred
Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related discipline
Experience overseeing marketing automation tool, media monitoring tool, and social media platforms
Proven track record of successfully evolving and governing a comprehensive brand strategy and visual identity
Experience managing and directing both internal creative functions and external PR/Creative agencies
Deep expertise in Content Marketing strategy, execution, and optimization
Demonstrated ability to develop and lead strategic Corporate Communications and PR programs
Strong proficiency in leading social media strategy across various owned channels to drive engagement and thought leadership
Ability and desire to establish and build strong, cross-functional relationships to collaborate on programs to drive value to the company
Exceptional organizational and project management skills for leading end-to-end campaign and content production

Responsibilities

Lead the next phase of Forward’s brand strategy, positioning, tone, and visual identity for our customers, partners, and employees
Support the evolution and ongoing and management of brand guidelines to ensure consistent brand execution across all touchpoints
Drive cross-functional alignment on key brand proof points, messaging, and competitive points of differentiation
Act as the brand steward to protect the Forward brand and ensure all creative output across functional groups is consistent, meets the needs outlined in the brief, and drives intended results
Own creative agency relationships, onboarding of new agency partners as needed, and internal creative execution to ensure impactful results that drives brand awareness and new customer acquisition
Identify and manage brand partnerships that help elevate Forward’s mission and positively impact our SMB customers
Own brand health measurement and reporting
Lead social media strategy across owned channels (existing & new) and shape monthly editorial calendar based on our key strategic pillars to drive engagement, thought leadership, and positive brand reputation
Build Forward’s content marketing engine focused on SMB education, product value/benefits, and industry insights to support customer engagement and drive brand loyalty through added value content
Identify innovative content formats that resonate with our customers and manage all end-to end production and execution including brief development and keyword optimization strategies
Identify key social media KPIs and own measurement and reporting across all social media and content platforms
Manage corporate reputation and messaging by developing a PR strategy that supports brand reputation, government affairs, and builds industry credibility
Support our government affairs team by partnering to develop customer advocate programs, paid and earned media opportunities in high-quality relevant platforms, and working with other industry advocacy groups to build positive category support
Source and manage PR agency relationships, measurement, and ongoing program development
Partner with sales teams to develop Forward’s narrative to support new partner/BD efforts including competitive points of differentiation, benefits to partnering with us, and strategic differentiation
Elevate sales content with data support to create partner impact statements that highlight our unique benefits, enhance credibility, and build the Forward brand for our partners
Develop self-serve tools for partners and identify the optimal delivery methods for maximum impact including digital portal, newsletters and other channels
Create high-impact incentive and relationship-building programs in partnership with sales to help win the hearts and minds of our partners as we maximize value to our customers
Support the sales team with all onboarding, training, and other sales materials that help drive Forward’s credibility and attracts new partners to help us grow and scale
Assess partner event opportunities and develop plans to most effectively capitalize on these events to drive partner engagement and new partner partner activation