Job Title: Senior Brand and Communications Manager

Reports to: Marketing Director

Location: London E2 6EH (Hybrid/Remote) happy to talk about flexible working options and most of our employees enjoy hybrid working

Salary band: £42,000 - £52,000 per annum depending on experience, plus discretionary bonus

Benefits: To see our extensive benefits please visit the careers page on our website

About D&AD: D&AD is a global organization at the intersection of creativity, design, and innovation. We inspire, celebrate, and promote excellence in design, advertising and marketing. For over 50 years, D&AD has been a leading force in recognizing and supporting the creative community. We work with creative professionals, companies, and brands to shape the future of creativity through education, awards, and community.

Role Overview: D&AD is seeking an experienced and dynamic Senior Brand and Communications Manager to lead our brand strategy and communications efforts. This senior role will be integral to shaping the voice of D&AD, enhancing our brand presence and reputation and engaging with key stakeholders, including members, partners, and the wider creative community. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to execute impactful brand campaigns, manage external communications, and elevate D&AD’s reputation as a leader in the creative industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Brand Strategy, Management and Positioning: Collaborate with the Marketing Director to define and implement D&AD’s brand strategy, ensuring seamless alignment with our mission, vision, and values. Champion brand consistency across all communication channels and touchpoints, ensuring that our brand’s visual identity and tone of voice reflect the core values of our organisation and uphold the highest standards of excellence for the creative community we serve.

• Communications Planning: Develop, implement, and manage integrated communication strategies and plans to promote D&AD’s initiatives, programs, and awards. Tailor communications to effectively engage target audiences by identifying key messages, selecting the most impactful channels, and timing delivery for maximum effect. Design plans that not only build brand awareness and drive engagement but also ensure consistency in tone, messaging, and alignment with the D&AD’s objectives and targets. Continuously adapt campaigns and messaging to meet audience needs and market trends, optimising reach and impact across multiple platforms.

• Content Strategy, Creation and Messaging: Lead a team of in-house and freelance creatives and content creators to deliver the Content Strategy for D&AD. Ensure tight content planning so teams are working off an aligned content calendar that supports and delivers against organisational goals. Deliver clear and compelling content for various formats and platforms, including digital, social, audio and print. Ensure messaging is consistent and resonates with different audiences.

• Campaign Development and Management: Plan, develop, and oversee end-to-end execution of marketing campaigns for D&AD product suite and initiatives to drive measurable results. Define campaign objectives, identify target audiences, craft compelling messaging, and select the most effective channels for execution. Manage budgets, timelines, and resources to ensure campaigns are delivered on time and within scope. Work collaboratively with Performance experts to measure campaign performance, analysing data, and optimising campaigns to maximise impact and ROI. Ensure campaigns are executed seamlessly across various teams and platforms, continuously adapting strategies to meet evolving market trends and audience needs.

• Team Leadership and Collaboration: Lead and mentor a small team of in-house and external freelance creatives and content creators including a Social Media Manager and external creative and PR agencies - providing guidance and fostering a collaborative and creative working environment. Work cross-functionally with the Foundations, Awards & Festivals and Partnerships teams to support organisational goals.

• PR and Thought Leadership: Position D&AD as an authority in the creative industry by supporting the creation of thought leadership content, speaking engagements, and industry events.

• Event Marketing: Develop event marketing strategies and plans to promote D&AD events - both in-person and online. Drive awareness and attendance and report on event performance; optimising for future events.

• Innovation & Best Practices: Stay on top of creative and content marketing trends, tools, and best practices to ensure D&AD remains at the forefront of creativity and marketing, further establishing our position as an authoritative voice in the creative industry.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and manage relationships with key stakeholders, including internal teams, senior management team, partners, clients, and the press. Serve as the primary point of contact for media inquiries and external communications alongside PR agency.

Key Skills and Experience:

• Proven experience in a senior brand and communications role managing campaigns for multiple products.

• Expertise in developing and executing comprehensive brand and communications strategies and plans

• Strong understanding of the creative industry, trends, and D&AD’s mission and objectives.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to craft clear, persuasive, and engaging content.

• Solid experience managing relations and building relationships with key stakeholders.

• Ability to lead and mentor a team, fostering creativity, collaboration, and excellence.

• Strong project management skills with a track record of successfully delivering campaigns on time and within budget.

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.

• Proficient in digital marketing, social media, and modern communications tools.

• Familiarity with data analytics tools to measure and optimize campaign effectiveness.

D&AD is committed to diversity, equality, equity, inclusion and respect for all.  Providing a work environment in which all employees are treated with fairness, respect and dignity and which is free of discrimination, victimisation, bullying and harassment.   At D&AD we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Please email vanessa.knight@btinternet.com to let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments to be made for any part of the recruitment process.

In order to comply with the Prevention of Illegal Working, Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act, you will need to provide appropriate documentation that proves that you are eligible to work in the UK.  

Due to the number of applications we receive, we regret that you will not be contacted unless you are shortlisted for an interview. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date of your application you should assume that you have not been successful on this occasion. 

Our privacy statement can be viewed on the D&AD careers page.