Director, Campaigns, Trade Shows & Sponsorships

Work Mode: Hybrid

Location: Hybrid at Kohler, WI

Opportunity

The Director – Campaigns, Trade Shows & Sponsorships is responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of brand campaigns, integrated trade shows and sponsorships for the Kohler brand and its portfolio of brands, globally. This role requires a seasoned, dynamic leader with a strong, proven background in campaign and content management, event planning and partnership/sponsorship development.

This position will lead the development and execution of top-tier campaigns, branded content, integrated trade shows and events for the Kohler brand and be responsible for leading strategic brand sponsorships. The role will be influential in driving content programs that are rooted in strategy and designed to build the brand(s), while delivering measurable results.

The ideal candidate will drive seamless content integration and execution across business teams, creative, PR, and media to enhance brand perception and drive business results. This role involves managing a robust content creation calendar, briefing process, and content development within the brand team and in coordination with key stakeholders.

As a leader, you will oversee a team of brand managers who support and span all businesses, ensuring strong communication and collaboration across teams as well as globally. Strong problem-solving, prioritization, and integration skills are essential, along with the ability to build and maintain relationships with executive management and marketing teams worldwide.

Primary Team Objectives

• Develop and execute innovative brand campaign content to drive brand awareness, engagement and achieve business objectives.

• Lead and partner with strategy, creative, PR and media teams as well as external creative/media agencies to drive campaign content integration to deliver business and brand goals.

• Collaborate across businesses and regions to drive global leverage where appropriate.

• Responsible for top-tier creative content, production calendars and creative resourcing, in partnership with creative leadership.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align campaigns, events, and partnerships with overall brand and business objectives.

• Prioritization and scheduling of major campaigns, trade shows and partnerships based on comprehensive corporate content calendar and other critical events/milestones

• Develop a sponsorship framework for the evaluation, execution, and management of sponsorships across Kohler’s portfolio. Balance the sponsorship portfolio to align with the business and marketing needs of Kohler. Develop a repeatable measurement framework to ensure Kohler sponsorships drive meaningful impact aligned to brand and business priorities.

• Identify and implement operational and process efficiencies that lead to continued improvement in cross tam collaboration.

• Drive a strategic, growth mindset to align brand marketing initiatives with broader corporate goals to connect brand to demand to drive business growth.

• Manage budgets, timelines, and resources effectively to deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs) and business objectives.

• Partner with smaller businesses to drive the creation and execution of the content planning calendar to achieve the annual financial plans, adjusting as necessary to ensure the annual financial objectives are delivered.

• Lead the strategy and content management for Kohler’s representation at key tradeshows (i.e CES and Milan), driving business impact, brand awareness and earned media impact.

Specific Responsibilities

• Leads the integrated content development for complex top-tier campaigns and product launches across channels and businesses, with Brand COEs and businesses marketers and integrates globally as needed.

• Campaign management support for businesses that do not have mature marketing teams or strategic marketing capabilities.

• Leverage industry expertise to anticipate business partner needs, becoming a trusted partner in their success, while proactively addressing opportunities and challenges with strategic solutions.

• Primary business liaison to support integrated creative presentations, external agency involvement, and integration with cross-channel marketing campaigns. Leads a highly collaborative team that can simultaneously drive accountability and quality across internal and external stakeholders.

• Function as a key “voice of the business” in planning content calendars for major projects and “voice of the brand” in leveraging these initiatives for increased brand power and reputation.

• Provide strategic guidance to business partners, collaborating with agency partners to develop and execute impactful communication and creative campaigns, enhancing brand reputation and visibility.

• Leads the ideation, execution, and recommendation of brand sponsorships and event strategies, leveraging creativity to resonate with key media and target audiences.

• Builds trust and gain alignment between the communications and business marketing teams while holding cross functional teams accountable for project deadlines

• Drive the development of marketing and communication content to ensure a consistent brand and campaign message is presented across all channels and customer touchpoints.

• Monitors the success, impact, and contributions of all programs, communicating successes, failures, and next steps to leadership and internal teams in a timely matter.

• Facilitates discussions and devises formal career development plans with associates, that include identifying opportunities and areas for improvement, assigning challenging projects, and promoting associates while building internal bench strength.

• Direct leadership, and/or joint ownership with business of key trade shows with an emphasis on driving brand leverage, content creation and public relations unified through a consistent theme/message.

Skills/Requirements

• Relevant experience in brand planning and brand marketing at a global, multi-national brand.

• Clear and compelling communicator, with the ability to inspire, collaborate and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Ability to juggle changing priorities while maintaining a positive attitude in the face of challenging deliverables.

• Proven ability to strategically plan, create and implement marketing content, plans, and briefs.

• Excellent team management and leadership skills, with a track record of developing high-performing teams.

• Strong organizational skills with a deep understanding of the strategic value that operations, process and tolls can bring to the broader team.

• Financial acumen with the ability to analyze internal team and external agency budgets with an eye for efficiency gains and cost savings across workstreams.

• Embraces opportunities to travel for work-related events or meetings, allowing for engagement and collaboration across diverse settings.

• Embodies the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion; demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency, and the ability to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

• Ability to thrive in a dynamic workplace, showcasing adaptability and resilience.

• 15+ years’ prior experience in brand marketing, marketing communications, brand management, account management with experience working in both global and regional marketing roles.

• Experience in both client and agency side environments.

• Experience leading integrated marketing campaigns with a digital-first mindset.

• Proven track record of success in leading multi-faceted brand campaigns.

• Experience working in complex global organizations and cross-functional teams.

• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovate to achieve great results.

• Possess a keen creative mind, be strong on planning, detail and accuracy.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with all levels of management, including experience preparing and presenting to executive level stakeholders.

• BA/BS Degree in Marketing or Advertising, MBA preferred.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

The salary range for this position is $166,400 - $216,850. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. In addition, this position is eligible for a performance bonus/variable incentive compensation. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision & 401k.

Why Choose Kohler?

We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.

About Us

It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com . Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.