Head of Brand & Creative Strategy

vnbcareers; Morristown (NJ); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

vnbcareers is seeking a seasoned Brand Director to define and lead the brand strategy rooted in relationship banking, translating vision into actionable strategy, messaging, and identity.

You will drive growth, build awareness in new markets, oversee the Creative Studio, champion AI-driven innovation, and partner with senior leaders to embed the brand in every customer touchpoint. Lead the team, establish governance, and foster a culture of curiosity and high performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field.
• 10+ years of brand strategy and creative leadership experience.
• Experience driving brand growth in financial services or trust-driven sectors is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead brand strategy rooted in relationship banking.
• Translate vision into actionable brand strategy, messaging, and identity.
• Drive growth: build awareness, expand into new audiences and markets.
• Lead Creative Studio to deliver best-in-class, insight-driven work.
• Champion AI and emerging technologies to accelerate content and personalization.
• Create scalable brand management frameworks with governance.
• Inspire and develop a high-performing brand and creative team.
• Partner with senior leaders to embed the brand across customer experiences.

Skills

Brand strategy

Executive leadership

Creative direction

AI & emerging tech

Stakeholder management

Brand storytelling

Analytics & KPI

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing

Job description

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Define & Lead Brand Strategy

• Establish a clear, differentiated brand positioning rooted in "relationship banking"
• Translate vision into actionable brand strategy, messaging architecture, and identity

Drive Brand Growth & Market Impact

• Build awareness and consideration, expanding into new audiences and markets
• Develop campaigns that create breakthrough, culturally relevant brand moments

Lead Creative Excellence

• Oversee and elevate the internal Creative Studio to deliver best-in-class, insight-driven work
• Ensure consistency and quality across all brand expressions and channels

Harness AI & Emerging Technologies

• Champion the use of AI and emerging creative technologies to enhance brand strategy, content creation, personalization, and speed-to-market
• Act as an early adopter--continuously identifying, testing, and scaling new tools and capabilities
• Lead the team in evolving creative workflows through intelligent automation and data-informed decisioning

Build Structure, Process & Governance

• Create scalable frameworks for brand management, campaign development, and creative operations
• Establish clear standards, workflows, and governance to enable speed and quality

Inspire & Develop Team

• Lead and grow a high-performing brand and creative organization
• Foster a culture of ambition, curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning

Influence & Align Senior Stakeholders

• Partner with executive leadership across marketing, product, and business lines to embed the brand into all customer experiences
• Communicate vision, strategy, and impact with clarity and conviction

Required Skills:

• Proven track record of building and transforming brands, with measurable impact on awareness and consideration
• Experience working closely with analytics and research to define KPI's, measure brand effectiveness and connect brand investments to business outcomes
• Experience creating differentiated positioning and scaling it across channels and customer journeys
• Strong creative judgment with the ability to lead and inspire high-quality output
• Demonstrated success leading teams and building capabilities from the ground up
• Ability to balance vision with execution--bringing both strategic rigor and creative ambition
• Exceptional storytelling and executive communication skills
• Future-Forward & Technology-Driven Mindset
• Demonstrated experience leveraging AI and emerging technologies in brand building, creative development, or marketing innovation
• Highly curious and proactive in exploring new tools, platforms, and ways of working
• Track record of driving adoption of new technologies to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and creative impact

Required Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing or related field. 10+ years of experience in brand strategy, creative leadership, or integrated marketing.

Preferred Experience:

• Blend of top-tier agency experience and in-house leadership within a complex organization. Experience repositioning brands and entering new markets or segments in financial services, fintech, or other trust-driven categories.