Brand Strategy Manager

Brand Strategy Manager

The opportunity

Grant Thornton is expanding across more than 20 markets, with new firms continuing to join the group. This creates significant brand strategy work: developing propositions, shaping brand architecture, naming new offers and determining how acquired firms transition.

As Brand Strategy Manager, you will shape the group’s positioning and narrative and lead the development of propositions and messaging for priority campaigns, services and solutions. You will prepare brand architecture, naming and acquired-brand recommendations and develop the employee value proposition. The role reports to the Director, Brand Strategy.

What you will do

Brand story and positioning

• Develop and evolve the group’s positioning, narrative, messaging architecture and tone of voice principles for use across markets
• Connect audience, client need, value and proof in every framework, so each claim we make is clear, credible and consistent

Propositions and messaging

• Build the proposition and messaging frameworks behind our campaigns, services and solutions, working with activation, creative, content and service line teams
• Design and lead brand workshops with leadership teams, markets and service lines to shape propositions, test the thinking and build agreement on the direction
• Turn approved strategy into clear creative briefs and keep the agreed direction intact through development

Brand architecture and naming

• Shape the group’s brand architecture as we grow, developing options and naming recommendations for acquisitions, products, platforms, services and solutions
• Prepare decision papers for senior leaders, setting out each option with its commercial, legal and market implications
• Partner with Legal throughout, so trademark and regulatory advice shapes each recommendation from the start

M&A brand strategy

• Assess the brand equity of firms joining the group and recommend how each brand transitions, from the end state through to the approach and timing
• Develop the positioning and core messages for acquisition announcements, connecting each new firm clearly to the wider group

Employer brand

• Define and evolve the employee value proposition with People and Culture, from the promise we make to talent through to the proof points and core messages behind it
• Brief the teams responsible for employer brand activity, ensuring the core proposition and messaging are applied consistently

Insight and evidence

• Define the questions our brand tracking and testing programs need to answer, from awareness and consideration through to message performance
• Interpret the findings and recommend changes to positioning and messaging over time

What you will bring

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Around 7 years in brand strategy, gained in-house, in an agency or in a consultancy
• Experience working across markets or in a complex organisation; professional services experience is useful but not required
• A proven record building propositions and messaging architectures
• Strong writing and editorial judgement, able to make complex services clear, credible and distinctive
• Experience in brand architecture, naming and acquired-brand strategy
• Employer brand experience and confidence working with senior People and Culture stakeholders
• Skilled facilitation: able to design and lead workshops with senior stakeholders across markets and cultures
• Research literacy: able to frame testing questions and turn findings into recommendations
• The ability to build an evidence-based case, present a clear recommendation to senior leaders and gain their support

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