VP, Brand Strategy (Healthcare Provider)

MERGE•Chicago, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is for a VP, Brand Strategy at MERGE, a marketing and technology agency purpose-built for the intersection of health and wellness. MERGE employs a "Whole Human Marketing" approach, leveraging AI to create natural, contextual, and relevant brand interactions. The VP, Brand Strategy will serve as a creative and intellectual leader for Provider and Health clients, guiding senior leadership towards bold solutions and driving business growth. Internally, this role is pivotal in sparking new perspectives and driving strategic solutions for client issues, independently leading the development of large-scale and complex brand strategy deliverables. MERGE is currently at an exciting inflection point, with a strategic focus on Health and Wellness and a strong commitment to expanding its Brand Strategy practice, offering the opportunity to significantly shape its future. The agency's proprietary "Whole Human Insight Advantage" strategic mindset informs all recommendations, deeply understanding individuals as both consumers and patients by triangulating insights across Lifestyle and Health divisions to create relevant, seamless brand journeys.

Requirements

12+ years of relevant professional brand strategy experience, primarily within a marketing agency setting, supporting external accounts.
4+ years of recent care delivery and healthcare systems experience, with a proven track record of achieving ambitious outcomes for companies ranging from agile start-ups to Fortune 100 organizations.
Expert ability to apply strategic principles across complex care delivery and healthcare systems while navigating industry-specific nuances and regulatory landscapes.
Proven expertise in architecting holistic strategies across a complex stakeholder ecosystem—including consumers, physicians, donors, the business community, and internal teams.
Deep ability to design seamless, multi-channel brand journeys that leverage digital experiences and segment-driven insights to ensure a cohesive and impactful brand presence.
Work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic brand leader for Provider and Health clients.
Partner with the most senior leadership to guide them toward bold solutions and drive business growth.
Be a key internal leader, sparking new ways of looking at the world and helping drive strategies and solutions that solve the real client issue.
Independently lead the development of large-scale and complex brand strategy deliverables, ensuring excellence across all stages of the process.
Lead the development of large-scale, complex brand strategies and "Big M" marketing visions for both current clients and new business pitches.
Drive the creation of foundational outputs—including audience insights, positioning, launch strategies, and brand plans—while maintaining the agility to tailor strategic frameworks to the unique demands of the job at hand.
Demonstrate a deep understanding of healthcare delivery business pain points and the ability to address C-suite priorities in this space.
Lead effective collaboration with clients, creative leads, and extended partners in both informal and formal settings—such as brand workshops and creative ideation—to develop and sell inventive, strategic solutions.
Champion the use of inventive research methodologies to discover fresh customer insights that others miss, ensuring work is grounded in deep human truth.
Leverage predictive and generative AI tools to validate brand hypotheses and scale hyper-personalized creative strategies.
Connect modern marketing strategies (e.g., AI, tech, apps) to healthcare transformation trends and articulate their role in driving industry change.
Write the "master briefs" and partner closely with creative leaders to ensure strategic vision translates into award-winning, culturally relevant creative work.
Uncover insights tied to client business objectives that unlock growth; actively leading strategy for new business pitches and identifying opportunities to expand services with existing clients.
Act as a strategic advisor to C-Suite clients, guiding them toward bold solutions and encouraging investment in progressive brand building.
Build strong relationships with specific stakeholders such as CMOs and leaders at major care delivery and healthcare systems to ensure alignment with their unique needs and priorities.
Actively champion and embed AI-driven strategic tools and proprietary platforms into the Brand Strategy workflow, ensuring the team is a first-adopter and active contributor to the firm’s AI roadmap.
Build trusting partnerships across MERGE by educating stakeholders and demonstrating the value of the Brand Strategy offering.
Foster an environment of curiosity regarding culture and human behavior, while actively overseeing the professional development and strategic deployment of strategy staff.
Demonstrate executive presence through high-quality deliverables, strong follow-through, and the ability to inspire confidence in strategic leadership roles.
Author and publish forward-thinking thought leadership pieces (white papers, articles) that challenge the status quo and elevate the agency’s reputation.
Proactively engage with clients by asking insightful questions to uncover their priorities and needs, ensuring strategies are tailored to their goals.
Simplify market complexity to provide a clear analysis of trends, translating them into opportunities that position clients (and the agency) ahead of the curve.