Marketing Brand Director

Role summary

The Director, Brand Strategy owns the strategic foundations of the Grant Thornton Advisors group brand across 20+ markets. The role defines enterprise positioning, proposition and narrative, then translates them into proposition and messaging architectures for campaigns, solutions and services.

It leads brand architecture and M&A brand decisions, sets governance standards, designs the global operating model and owns brand research and testing. It defines how the firm shows up externally and directs brand investment across regions, keeping execution practical, consistent and commercially effective across every channel.

This is a strategy role, not an activation role. It sets direction and briefs the teams that own execution. The right person has led a brand repositioning at enterprise level, brings strong editorial judgement and is a commercial storyteller who turns strategy into clear narratives that work across markets and cultures.

Responsibilities

Positioning, propositions and messaging

• Define and evolve enterprise positioning, proposition and narrative across all markets

• Build proposition and messaging architectures that link audience, client problem, value, proof and claims

• Turn strategy into clear briefs for Creative, Content, Communications, Brand Activation and markets, holding intent through development

Brand architecture 

• Design and maintain the global brand architecture: portfolio logic, naming, descriptors, endorsement and sub-brand rules

• Define how enterprise, market, acquisition, solution, service and product brands relate

• Lead acquisition brand decisions, weighing market equity, commercial and legal priorities and timeline

• Own the architecture roadmap and decision record, and advise leaders on material choices

Governance and compliance

• Set global brand standards across markets, services, solutions and key client touchpoints

• Define what markets must adopt, what they may adapt and when central approval applies

• Approve material adaptations, naming and changes to the enterprise narrative or descriptor

• Monitor compliance, close gaps with market leaders and work with Legal on regulatory or entity language

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Operating model, tools and enablement

• Design the global operating model: roles, decision rights, workflows and hand-offs across Corporate Marketing, functions and markets

• Build tools, playbooks and guidance so markets apply the strategy with confidence

• Lead training and enablement, and provide a clear route for support or escalation

Insight, testing and measurement

• Own the brand research agenda: tracking, audience insight, proposition testing and message testing

• Define measures for understanding, awareness, consideration, distinctiveness and adoption, and turn findings into decisions

Leadership and influence

• Advise the CMO and leadership on positioning, architecture and material brand decisions

• Lead cross-functional strategy programs and manage external strategy, research and naming partners

• Represent the firm in global brand forums and align markets on a common direction

• Build brand strategy capability, challenging unclear propositions, unsupported claims and weak briefs

Skills and experience

• Bachelors degree in Marketing or other relevant field; equivalent experience acceptable

• 12+ years in senior brand strategy at enterprise and global scale

• Proven record defining enterprise positioning and building proposition and messaging architectures

• Deep experience in brand architecture, portfolio strategy, naming and descriptors

• Experience leading M&A brand decisions: retained-brand, endorsement, transition and sunset

• Exceptional writer, able to make complex services clear, credible and distinctive, with a strong portfolio of published brand and messaging work to point to

• Strong command of qualitative and quantitative research, tracking and testing

• Experience designing operating models, governance, decision rights and approval processes

• Excellent strategic judgement and writing, making complex services clear, credible and distinctive

• Commercial grasp of complex B2B or professional services markets

• Experience across multiple markets and a complex matrix, balancing global consistency with local needs

• Strong executive influence and the confidence to defend clear recommendations

The base salary range for this position is between $184,000 and $276,000. Placement within the pay range is at Grant Thornton’s discretion, and it is based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, job -related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, progression within the role, geographic location, and internal equity. At Grant Thornton, compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.