Director, Global Guest Experience & Brand Design

InterContinental Hotels Group; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical/dental/vision insurance

401K

Bonus pay eligibility

Other employee benefits

Job summary

InterContinental Hotels Group in Atlanta, GA is seeking a senior leader to own the global direction for brand design and guest experience within the Global Mainstream Brands and Guest Shared Services Organization.

You will develop annual and multi-year plans, drive strategic initiatives to enhance brand performance, optimize franchisee cost and ROI, and ensure the brand prototype and design standards meet cost guardrails and consumer insights. Hybrid in-office collaboration is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Brand Management or Marketing, or equivalent education/experience.
• 10+ years of brand management, marketing, and/or hotel industry experience tied to brand experience or brand marketing.
• 3-5 years managing teams and/or leading significant complex projects.
• Experience with innovation or product development grounded in consumer needs.
• Experience working and/or supporting a brand that established a differentiated experience.
• Strategic thinking with ability to analyze markets, performance data, and business issues; commercially astute.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and relationship-building across business units.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the annual and multi-year plan for global brand design and guest experience, aligned to the global brand framework and top-down corporate plan; incorporate input from regions and key functions and adjust throughout the year as needed.
• Lead the creation and execution of strategic initiatives that define, implement, or embed brand design and/or guest experience initiatives to drive brand performance and optimize franchisee cost and/or ROI.
• Ensure ongoing delivery and continuous improvement of the brand prototype, standardized design elements, and brand experience hallmarks in line with cost guardrails and consumer insights.
• Analyze internal and external guest satisfaction data regularly to identify opportunities and guide improvements.
• Engage regularly with hotel owners and operators and relevant IHG teams to gather feedback and insights on brand initiatives.
• Manage multiple complex, cross-functional projects end-to-end, including project briefing, stakeholder engagement, executive storytelling, prototyping/pilot execution and analysis, launch planning and implementation, and embedding and optimization of initiatives.

Skills

Brand management

Marketing

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical modelling

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Brand Management or Marketing

Job description

Own the global direction for brand design and guest experience within IHG’s Global Mainstream Brands and Guest Shared Services Organization.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the annual and multi-year plan for global brand design and guest experience, aligned to the global brand framework and top-down corporate plan; incorporate input from regions and key functions and adjust throughout the year as needed
• Lead the creation and execution of strategic initiatives that define, implement, or embed brand design and/or guest experience initiatives to drive brand performance and optimize franchisee cost and/or ROI
• Ensure ongoing delivery and continuous improvement of the brand prototype, standardized design elements, and brand experience hallmarks in line with cost guardrails and consumer insights
• Analyze internal and external guest satisfaction data regularly to identify opportunities and guide improvements
• Engage regularly with hotel owners and operators (including franchisee association groups) and relevant IHG teams to gather feedback and insights on brand initiatives
• Manage multiple complex, cross-functional projects end-to-end, including project briefing, stakeholder engagement, executive storytelling, prototyping/pilot execution and analysis, launch planning and implementation, and embedding and optimization of initiatives

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Brand Management or Marketing, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience
• 10+ years of progressive work-related experience in brand management, marketing, and/or hotel industry experience tied to brand experience or brand marketing
• 3-5 years managing teams and/or leading significant complex projects based on business needs and assessments
• Experience with innovation or product development grounded in consumer needs, including demonstrated ability to apply creative methodologies and thinking
• Experience working and/or supporting a brand that established a differentiated experience within its industry
• Strategic thinking with the ability to analyze markets, performance data, and business issues; able to draw insight/conclusions using modelling and analysis; commercially astute
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including relationship‑building across business units; ability to balance consumer, business, and ownership perspectives

Benefits

• Paid time off
• Medical/dental/vision insurance
• 401K
• Other benefits to employees
• Bonus pay eligibility

Location & Work Mode

• Atlanta, GA (hybrid)
• Hybrid work structure is an expectation of three (3) days a week in office

Salary

• USD 138,000 - 145,000 per year
• Role is also eligible for bonus pay