Marketing Communications Director

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sherwin-Williams Company seeks a Director of Marketing Communications to lead the General Industrial marketing communications strategy and organization. This role partners with Segment Marketing, Product Management, Sales, SAMs, and executive leadership to drive integrated campaigns, brand governance, and demand generation across multiple channels.

Responsibilities include establishing standards, managing content governance, and ensuring messages align with market positioning while

Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent (minimum requirement).
• 7 years of B2B segment marketing or communications leadership experience (minimum).
• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s Degree in business or marketing (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the overall General Industrial marketing communications strategy aligned with business objectives and growth priorities.
• Establish communication priorities, annual plans, resource allocation strategies, and investment roadmaps.
• Ensure alignment between segment growth strategies, product initiatives, customer engagement activities, and marketing communications programs.
• Translate business objectives into integrated communication plans that support commercial growth and market leadership.
• Lead and develop the Marketing Communications organization.
• Foster collaboration across segment communications, digital marketing, sales enablement, and customer engagement activities.
• Build organizational capabilities in content strategy, digital communications, demand generation, analytics, and customer experience.
• Coach and develop team members while creating succession and talent development plans.
• Establish communication standards, messaging frameworks, visual identity guidelines, and content governance processes.
• Ensure consistency and quality across all customer-facing and internal communications.
• Maintain alignment of segment messaging, value propositions, and market positioning strategies.
• Approve major marketing communication initiatives, campaigns, and strategic messaging.
• Partner with Segment Marketing, Product Management, Sales leadership, and SAMs to support growth initiatives.
• Ensure communication programs enable customer acquisition, account growth, specification influence, and commercial execution.
• Align marketing communications investments with pipeline development and revenue objectives.
• Support executive and strategic customer engagement initiatives.
• Provide strategic oversight of digital marketing, website management, CRM utilization, marketing automation, lead generation, and internal communication platforms.
• Ensure effective alignment between content development and digital campaign execution.
• Guide optimization of customer journeys, engagement strategies, lead management processes, and marketing technology investments.
• Drive continuous improvement of digital capabilities and marketing effectiveness.
• Establish the overall trade show, conference, and customer event strategy for the General Industrial business.
• Prioritize event investments based on strategic growth objectives and expected business impact.
• Ensure alignment between trade shows, customer engagement activities, account development efforts, and demand generation initiatives.
• Monitor event effectiveness and return on investment across all segments.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for marketing communications activities.
• Measure the effectiveness of content, campaigns, trade shows, digital engagement, and sales enablement programs.
• Communicate performance results and business impact to executive leadership.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and results-based decision making.
• Strategic Leadership: develop and execute long-term communications strategies.
• Marketing & Communications Expertise: leadership across channels and segments.
• Commercial Orientation: connect activities to growth and pipeline.
• Leadership & Talent Development: build high-performing teams.
• Cross-Functional Influence: collaborate with IT, Sales, Product, and executives.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

Marketing & Communications Expertise

Commercial Orientation

Leadership & Talent Development

Cross-Functional Influence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Job description

This role provides strategic leadership for marketing communications, demand generation, digital marketing, brand governance, content strategy, sales enablement, internal communications, and customer engagement initiatives. The Director leads the Marketing Communications Manager and Digital MarCom Specialist while ensuring alignment across Segment Marketing, Product Management, Sales, and executive leadership.

The Director serves as the steward of the General Industrial communication strategy, ensuring messaging, content, campaigns, trade shows, digital experiences, and communication investments contribute to measurable business outcomes including market awareness, qualified pipeline development, customer engagement, and revenue growth.

Marketing Communications Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and lead the overall General Industrial marketing communications strategy aligned with business objectives and growth priorities.
• Establish communication priorities, annual plans, resource allocation strategies, and investment roadmaps.
• Ensure alignment between segment growth strategies, product initiatives, customer engagement activities, and marketing communications programs.
• Translate business objectives into integrated communication plans that support commercial growth and market leadership.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead and develop the Marketing Communications organization
• Foster collaboration across segment communications, digital marketing, sales enablement, and customer engagement activities.
• Build organizational capabilities in content strategy, digital communications, demand generation, analytics, and customer experience.

• Coach and develop team members while creating succession and talent development plans.

Brand Governance & Messaging Excellence

• Establish communication standards, messaging frameworks, visual identity guidelines, and content governance processes.
• Ensure consistency and quality across all customer-facing and internal communications.
• Maintain alignment of segment messaging, value propositions, and market positioning strategies.

• Approve major marketing communication initiatives, campaigns, and strategic messaging.

Commercial Alignment & Sales Enablement

• Partner with Segment Marketing, Product Management, Sales leadership, and Strategic Account Managers (SAMs) to support growth initiatives.
• Ensure communication programs enable customer acquisition, account growth, specification influence, and commercial execution.
• Align marketing communications investments with pipeline development and revenue objectives.

• Support executive and strategic customer engagement initiatives.

Demand Generation & Digital Strategy Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of digital marketing, website management, CRM utilization, marketing automation, lead generation, and internal communication platforms.
• Ensure effective alignment between content development and digital campaign execution.
• Guide optimization of customer journeys, engagement strategies, lead management processes, and marketing technology investments.

• Drive continuous improvement of digital capabilities and marketing effectiveness.

Trade Show & Customer Engagement Portfolio Leadership

• Establish the overall trade show, conference, and customer event strategy for the General Industrial business.
• Prioritize event investments based on strategic growth objectives and expected business impact.
• Ensure alignment between trade shows, customer engagement activities, account development efforts, and demand generation initiatives.
• Monitor event effectiveness and return on investment across all segments.

Performance Management & Business Impact

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for marketing communications activities.
• Measure the effectiveness of content, campaigns, trade shows, digital engagement, and sales enablement programs.
• Communicate performance results and business impact to executive leadership.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and results-based decision making.

Competencies & Skills Required:

Strategic Leadership:

• Ability to develop and execute long-term communications strategies.
• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Ability to align communications investments with growth objectives.

Marketing & Communications Expertise:

• Deep expertise in Business to Business (B2B) marketing communications, branding, content strategy, and customer engagement.
• Experience leading integrated communication programs across multiple channels and customer segments.

Commercial Orientation:

• Strong understanding of demand generation, pipeline development, account growth, and sales enablement.
• Ability to connect marketing activities to measurable business outcomes.

Leadership & Talent Development:

• Proven ability to lead teams, coach employees, and build high-performing organizations.
• Strong change management and organizational leadership skills.

Cross-Functional Influence:

• Ability to collaborate effectively with Segment Marketing, Product Management, Sales, SAMs, IT, and executive leadership.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must have a college degree or equivalent
• Must have seven (7) years of Business to Business (B2B) segment marketing or communications leadership experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Have a Bachelor's and/or Master's Degree in a business or marketing field
• Have five (5) years of management in industrial coatings segment marketing or communications

Travel up to 50% is required for this opportunity.