Job Description

• This position is located in Dallas, TX. Relocation assistance is available.

The Director of Brand Strategy role will partner with and provide expert counsel to Business Unit leaders and their teams to both develop and execute "move the needle" brand strategies that support and accelerate the company\xe2\x80\x99s business goals. The team is tasked with finding ways to build desire, loyalty, advocacy and a willingness to pay a price-premium for AT&T\xe2\x80\x99s world-class portfolio of brands and their related products \xe2\x80\x93 e.g. AT&T, AT&T Business, FirstNet, etc.

Therefore, the Brand Strategy Team is specifically focused on identifying and developing strategies that enable AT&T\xe2\x80\x99s teams (and subsequently our brands) to anticipate and deliver on customer needs, evolve perceptions and tap-into motivations that are critical to driving incredibly strong and lasting customer relationships that will contribute to business growth. To do this successfully, strategists must deeply understand, take into account and be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following: how all of AT&T\xe2\x80\x99s businesses work/operate, how we drive revenue and share, growth products and how they fit into the overall portfolio, important strategic levers and priorities, the constantly changing competitive environment, emerging competitors, unique customer insights (where customers are \xe2\x80\x98now\xe2\x80\x99 and what\xe2\x80\x99s emerging as important for them), the ability to turn facts and deep analytics into novel findings, the operational implications of recommendations and how to partner with colleagues of all levels and functional areas to get them to execute on the recommendations.

This work is not for the faint at heart. The Brand Strategy team operates in a Center of Excellence model within the Marketing and Growth Organization, delivering brand strategy expertise on big and small problems for AT&T leaders across the company (for all functional areas and the broader AT&T \xe2\x80\x93 including AT&T Corporate, AT&T Mexico, CSR, Privacy, etc.). Brand Strategy Directors work tirelessly to develop answers to the toughest problems, they build new strategic frameworks, create case studies and develop the operational and business implications for recommendations. Directors also share responsibility with peers for building, managing, and developing a team of internal experts who serve as the company\'s brain trust regarding all brand strategy topics and questions. Examples of typical engagements include developing brand value propositions, product brand positionings for new/existing \xe2\x80\x98brands\xe2\x80\x99 and architecting brand portfolio strategies that organize our product/service portfolios and help the customer easily navigate us, so they know what\xe2\x80\x99s right for them.

Brand Strategy Directors are expected to own and be accountable for 3-4 project commitments concurrently, while also contributing to additional team initiatives that align to organizational commitments. Projects frequently involve collaboration in cross-enterprise, cross-functional teams and agency-partner support but the team is often expected to complete work assignments and initiatives without external agency/advisory/consulting help. So, the role is not a project management function; managing agency partners to do the work. The role requires considerable marketing expertise, some brand experience, analytical problem expertise and experience influencing senior leaders. At AT&T, we do not out-source our strategy work to external firms \xe2\x80\x93 so everyone on the Brand Strategy Team (at every level) must be able to do the actual work without additional support. The Brand Strategy Director is also expected to lead through highly-effective influence; with the ability to build stakeholder/partner support for recommendations through clear explanations of insights and supporting evidence that will ultimately drive the company\xe2\x80\x99s leaders to make decisions that drive the best business outcomes.

Required Experience and Expertise
The ideal candidate is an accomplished Marketer that has a breadth of marketing experience (from strategic planning to go-to-market execution, from brand/product management to marketing communications), as well as relevant expertise in the strategic work involved in brand building (demonstrated through a proven track record of managing world-class brands for a company, business unit or product).

Additional keys to success include:

• Strategic understanding of the relationship between brands, the wide range of marketing communications and other customer touch points
• Ability to assimilate business unit strategy and objectives & develop brand programs that support business goals
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven ability to influence at multiple levels of the organization
• Ability to speak-up and share a defined and well-articulated point-of-view, even if it\xe2\x80\x99s unpopular
• Ability to operate effectively within a matrix environment, where influencing and relationship-building skills are essential
• Solid experience rallying partners and external agencies to do work that not only delivers but pushes the thinking
• Ability to shape and harness qualitative and quantitative research to drive good decision-making
• Demonstrated strength managing and collaborating in virtual teams
• Fluency in corporate objectives, business objectives, and product and technology strategies
• Ability to build strong collaborative relationships with a diverse range of partners
• Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts and research outputs
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects in an enterprising atmosphere that requires resourcefulness, flexibility, tenacity and patience
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict-management skills
• Acumen at working in a consultative or advisory capacity at all levels of top-tier organizations
• Ability to problem-solve for multiple audiences \xe2\x80\x93 Consumers, Business, Government, Community, Employees, etc.
• Ability to teach and mentor more junior colleagues, helping them learn new skills and methodologies \xe2\x80\x93 even when they sit in different groups and teams
• Requires significant experience within sophisticated management and operational systems common in larger companies
• Proficiency turning volumes of complex information, data, and insights into concise and compelling PowerPoint decks and/or prose that helps leaders understand the situation, the problem(s) to solve, the options for resolution, and the operational implications of a decision.

Strategic Leadership and Business Acumen
The Director will need to have or quickly develop a keen understanding of AT&T\'s business strategies, models and strategic offerings AND be able to contribute valuable customer insights, competitive intelligence and branding solutions to the discourse. She/he will do this by: Defining information needs, conducting fact-finding and data analysis that supports/enables strategic problem-solving and sound decision-making Making use of existing customer and competitor data/research or developing new insights to quickly gain a deep understanding of customer wants and needs, the competitive environment, and white-spaces Articulating how we can deliver capabilities (not just \xe2\x80\x98what\xe2\x80\x99 but \xe2\x80\x98how\xe2\x80\x99) and the levers that impact the metrics that matter (e.g. NPS, Satisfaction, Loyalty, etc.)

Exceptional Collaboration and Influencing Skills
The Director will work closely with various business unit leaders & their teams, strategists and marketers, and numerous peers in Marketing, Operations, Sales, etc. to define, deliver and execute the brand strategy. She/he will do this in many cases via virtual teams in a highly-matrixed environment. She/he will succeed by:

• Establishing \xe2\x80\x98Teflon\xe2\x80\x99 credibility via deep subject-matter-at-hand expertise, a mastery of the topics-at-hand and Brand Strategy proficiency
• Assembling well-organized, structured, data-supported and clearly articulated points-of-view in the face of skepticism, disbelief and/or opposition
• Being an exceptionally strong listener and understanding how to ask open-ended questions that quickly get to the heart-of-the-matter
• Investing their time and energy in building strong working relationships with numerous people at all levels of the organization
• Being and exceptional communicator; whether writing or presenting
• Demonstrating a high level of tenacity, diligence, patience and the ability to adapt to different styles & ways of working

Other Required Personal Characteristics

• A high degree of drive, energy and intellectual ability
• Intellectual curiosity, ability to quickly grasp complex concepts and business models, understand current and future products/technologies (and their roadmaps), and changing market dynamics
• A natural collaborator. An individual with the intellectual agility and organizational savvy to solve complex issues and find win-win solutions in a demanding environment
• A clear passion for the categories within which we operate and a willingness to fully-immerse themselves in the details

Our Director of Brand Strategy earns between $141,300 - $211,900. Not to mention all the other amazing rewards that working at AT&T offers. From health insurance to tuition reimbursement and paid time off to discounts on products and services just to name a few. There is a lot to be excited about around here. Joining our team comes with amazing perks and benefits:

• Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
• 401(k) plan
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Paid Time Off and Holidays (based on date of hire, at least 23 days of vacation each year and 9 company-designated holidays)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Caregiver Leave
• Additional sick leave beyond what state and local law require may be available but is unprotected
• Adoption Reimbursement
• Disability Benefits (short term and long term)
• Life and Accidental Death Insurance
• Supplemental benefit programs: critical illness/accident hospital indemnity/group legal
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Extensive employee wellness programs
• Employee discounts up to 50% off on eligible AT&T mobility plans and accessories, AT&T internet (and fiber where available) and AT&T phone

Ready to join us? Apply today!