Senior Director of Brand (Marketing and Creative)

Description

The Senior Director of Brand and Creative lead the execution of KONG’s long-term brand, marketing and creative strategies across packaging, integrated marketing, and digital channels to strengthen brand consistency, customer engagement, and market presence.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership to creative and marketing teams, translating company and commercial objectives into effective brand expression and marketing initiatives. Working closely with Sales, Product, Operations, and external partners, the Senior Director ensures brand standards are upheld, and initiatives are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Operational Responsibilities

· Lead Creative and Marketing teams in executing short- and long-term brand and marketing priorities aligned with direction set by the VP of Sales & Marketing and executive leadership.

· Manage established brand strategy and vision, refine KONG brand language, unique value proposition, and long-term goals, that support company objectives. 

· Manage creative team in the development of high-quality packaging concepts for domestic and international markets.

· Oversee the execution of brand identity through visual (logos, colors, style guides) and verbal (voice, messaging) elements, ensuring brand guidelines are adhered to across all retail and digital channels.

· Lead integrated marketing campaigns, overseeing creative development and execution across digital/traditional channels. 

· Conduct ongoing market analysis research on trends, consumers, and competitors to inform decisions. 

· Partner with Sales, Product, Operations, and external agencies to ensure brand alignment and effective support of product launches. 

· Supervise relationships with external creative agencies to augment digital assets/strategic needs.

· Collaborate with C-suite and cross-functional partners to align marketing and packaging initiatives to align with business and regulatory requirements.

· Work closely with Director of Product Development to ensure packaging clearly communicates appropriate product features and benefits within brand and style guidelines.

· Establish organizational standards and governance for product catalog management and brand consistency across platforms.

· Guide adoption of emerging advertising technologies and platform opportunities including social commerce and emerging marketplaces.

· Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks to measure marketing campaign success across all channels and provide regular performance updates to executive leadership. 

Leadership Responsibilities

· Lead and develop a creative and marketing team of 15 professionals across package development, social/digital marketing, marketplace management, and retail roles

· Recruit and retain high-quality talent, establishing and monitoring clear performance expectations and monitoring progress against defined goals.

· Partner with direct reports to create individual professional development plans and support ongoing career growth.

· Coordinate and manage work with external agencies to ensure quality and cost controls.

· Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the creative and marketing organizations.

· Develop and maintain measurement systems to track packaging, creative and marketing effectiveness.

· Working through team, champion both retailer and customer experience strategy.

Requirements

· Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Creative Arts, or related field required. MBA or MFA a plus.

· 8 years’ experience of progressive experience in brand management and marketing, with several years in a leadership capacity. 

· 5 years of people management experience, including leading managers and cross-functional teams. 

· Demonstrated ability to visualize long-term brand positioning with measurements of success.

· Expert level experience in brand management and product launches.

· Extensive background in consumer-packaged goods and retail, building and managing packaging and promotional events. 

· Experience working with dot com retailers and paid media partners

· Strong project management and cross-functional collaboration skills with ability to influence at executive level.

· Clear, confident communicator capable of aligning diverse stakeholders around shared brand goals.

· International marketplace experience preferred.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities or qualifications associated with the job.

Compensation

• From $170,000 annually

Work Location

• KONG Headquarters - Golden, Colorado

Benefits

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance with low-cost premiums
• Access to voluntary benefits
• Employer paid short-term/long term disability and life insurance
• 401k with employer matching
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Personal Leave Accrual
• Pet Insurance, Tuition reimbursement, dog toys, and more!