Head of Brand Strategy

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Head of Brand to join our team at Merand Corbett & Associates. As a key member of our marketing leadership team, you will be responsible for developing and executing a global brand strategy that drives business growth and customer engagement.

• Brand Strategy and Development
  • Develop and execute a global brand strategy that caters to the specific needs and preferences of target markets as part of our expansion efforts.
  • Ensure the brand strategy aligns with the customer journey, providing a consistent and positive experience across all customer touchpoints.
  • Incorporate the brand strategy into product positioning, enhancing the appeal of products in target markets.
  • Develop and adapt the brand strategy for digital channels, optimising online presence for target markets.
• Product Marketing
  • Lead the creation of go-to-market strategies that are tailored to new markets and diverse customer segments.
  • Develop product marketing strategies that resonate with customers at different stages of their journey, enhancing their experience.
  • Ensure clear communication of product value propositions for customers in various markets.
  • Lead the development of digital product marketing campaigns to reach and engage customers online.
  • Keep abreast of industry best practices and benchmarks related to product marketing to ensure our client is efficient, with the aim to lead the market in product marketing.
• Marketing Campaigns
  • Oversee marketing campaigns targeted at specific expansion regions to maximize brand visibility.
  • Lead collaboration efforts with cross-functional teams to create campaigns that address customer pain points and drive a seamless journey.
  • Lead the execution of promotions for product-specific campaigns in line with market expansion efforts.
  • Oversee the deployment of digital campaigns to engage target audiences through online channels, including social media and search engines.
• Digital Strategy
  • Lead digital strategies that resonate with the cultures and preferences of new markets.
  • Oversee the creation of content that guides and supports customers at each step of their journey.
  • Responsible for the design and development of product-related content that educates and informs customers about our clients products.
  • Responsible for the development of online content aligned with digital channel strategies to engage and inform customers.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead the marketing team in understanding the nuances of new and existing markets and market-specific strategies.
  • Foster a customer-centric culture within the marketing team, ensuring alignment with the customer journey.
  • Encourage a product-focused approach within the team to effectively market their products.
  • Promote digital expertise within the team to excel in online channel marketing.
  • Create a positive work climate and culture to energise employees, give meaning to work, minimise work disruption and maximise employee productivity.
  • Demonstrate exemplary leadership behaviour, through personal involvement, commitment and dedication in support of organisational values.
  • Appoint suitably qualified talent in line with Employment Equity principles and values.
  • Drive a culture that guides and directs best practice, fostering an environment of continuous learning, improvement, and cohesiveness.
  • Enable a learning and growth culture by encouraging innovation, change agility, collaboration and knowledge sharing within the team.
  • Execute effective workforce planning practices to ensure that staffing requirements are accurately forecasted.
  • Identify employee growth and development needs and schedule interventions to enable ongoing development, training, and personal growth.
  • Drive and enable a high-performance culture within the team to ensure business objectives are achieved.
• Data Insights and Reporting
  • Present insights and recommendations enabled by strategic thinking, technical knowledge, and strong communication skills.
  • Lead market research and building of industry standard systems and tools for efficient delivery and availability of insights when required.
  • Ensure tracking and reporting on the performance of marketing initiatives in existing and newly expanded markets to enable key business decisions.
  • Monitor and analyse customer journey metrics to identify areas for improvement.
  • Measure the impact of product marketing efforts on revenue and customer engagement.
  • Analyse digital channel performance and ROI to refine online marketing strategies.
• Budget Management
  • Ensure appropriate, financial management, funding, budgetary provisions, and control procedures are in place for area of responsibility.
  • Allocate budget resources to support marketing activities in expansion markets.
  • Allocate budget for initiatives aimed at enhancing the customer journey.
  • Allocate budget for product marketing campaigns to promote our clients products.
  • Allocate budget for digital marketing initiatives aligned with digital channel strategies.
  • Implement risk management, governance, and compliance policies in own area, to identify and manage governance and risk exposure liability.
  • Investigate reported findings of non-compliance and initiate corrective actions.
  • Provide direction for continuous improvement efforts by managing the identification of opportunities, cost reduction, improvements, and systems enhancement.
• Stakeholder Collaboration
  • Build and maintain effective business relationships with key stakeholders to manage service delivery in line with business expectations and requirements.
  • Engage with key internal and external stakeholders to identify changing business and customer needs and make recommendations to brand and product marketing.
  • Lead collaborations with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with expansion objectives.
  • Lead partnership with customer support and product teams to improve the customer journey.
  • Work closely with product development teams to align marketing efforts with product strategies.
  • Lead collaborations with digital experts and IT teams to optimise online channel strategies.
  • Develop and drive execution of work aligned to service level agreements and standards ensuring stakeholders receive clear and accurate information and are kept always informed.

Qualifications:

• Post Graduate Honours Degree or Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, Business, or related field.
• Progressive experience in marketing roles within financial/fintech industry (8 years).
• Strong leadership and team management experience, including leading and developing high-performing marketing teams (5 years).
• Proven experience in market expansion strategies, including entering new regions and international markets (5 years).
• In-depth understanding of the fintech industry, financial services, and digital banking, including experience in marketing fintech products.
• Expertise in developing go-to-market strategies, product positioning, and product marketing campaigns.
• Proficiency in budget planning and allocation, ensuring efficient resource utilisation.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with various teams, including product development, sales, and customer support.
• Proficiency in data analytics and reporting, with a track record of measuring marketing performance and optimising strategies.
• Capability to create and execute a comprehensive brand strategy, guidelines, and market-specific branding.
• An understanding of customer journey mapping, customer experience enhancement, and a focus on customer satisfaction.
• Proficient in digital marketing strategies, including social media, and online content marketing.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present marketing strategies and results to executives and stakeholders.