Job Description

Location: Remote (within U.S. Central or Eastern time zone)

Are you ready to use your marketing and communications expertise to support purpose-driven teams that are correcting the vision of millions of low-income customers so they can work, learn, stay safe, and care for their families?

The pioneering social enterprise, VisionSpring, seeks a dynamic and experienced global director of marketing and communications to structure and build our marketing and brand communications functions during a period of rapid expansion and global uncertainty. The global director develops marketing strategies and executes campaigns for all products and programs across geographically dispersed customers. With clients and end consumers in 18 countries, VisionSpring’s current key markets are Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia, with plans to expand into other geographies. The global director champions brand integrity with clear and consistent brand messaging across communication channels, and builds strong partnerships with donor and partner marketing teams across a spectrum of venture philanthropists, large institutional funders, government agencies, corporations, NGOs, hospital systems, vision care facilities, etc.

This position reports to the COO and collaborates closely with the CEO, both based in New York City, but may be located anywhere within the Central or Eastern time zone of the United States. The global director of marketing and communications leads a small, energetic global team of three to four people and manages external vendors and consultants.

ABOUT YOU

• You know customer experience matters most. You bring clear vision and an authentic voice to build a unique, consistent brand and deliver top-notch customer experience across markets.
• You have a detailed understanding of a broad range of marketing and communications channels and tactics, and are rigorous about maintaining brand consistency. You use social media channels to drive customer awareness, engagement, and conversion.
• You are strategic in leveraging myriad opportunities for exposure from a vast network of external relationships. You constantly seek to deepen partnerships and build visibility for your organization.
• You revel in customer insights and use data to identify and focus on the strategic marketing levers in broad, global B2B and B2C markets. You expect each marketing activity to increase conversion, drive repeat customers, and yield an ROI. You extract maximum value from the marketing budget.
• You are a roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on leader. In building a business, you are not above doing any task, large or small. You are a player-coach, working alongside your team and helping others in the organization to excel.

ABOUT US

• VisionSpring is creating access to affordable eyewear, everywhere. Clear vision creates opportunities for increased learning, work, safety, civic participation, and quality of life.
• As a social enterprise, social change motivates us first. Our focus on sales and revenue targets serves and advances our mission objective—to increase functioning, productivity, and income earning potential for our low-income consumers by correcting refractive error and presbyopia with eyeglasses.
• We are working to transform the systemic dysfunction of an optical market that has failed to deliver eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology—to 2.7 billion consumers in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low-income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect a high-quality and affordable product, and they will spend limited discretionary income for the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• By selling eyeglasses, we awaken new demand and seed a viable market. By selling new eyeglasses we are able to serve four times as many people per dollar input than the alternative of donating recycled ones. To efficiently scale, we must deliver each new unit with lower cost.
• We run our business on both sales metrics and social impact measures. We use a range of organizational forms and practices to get the job done.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Product and Service Programs Marketing Management

• Create and execute the marketing strategy to support product and service programs teams with the goal of providing 10 million people with eyeglasses by 2021.
• Analyze customer and sales data and develop insights to define marketing strategies that address and remove purchase barriers (economic, social, cultural) for our B2B partners that are hospitals, government agencies, NGOs, and corporations working to expand access to vision care, while helping drive eyeglasses sales to these customers.
• Champion the aspirations and experiences of low-income consumers, who require eyeglasses to earn and learn, and who live on less than $4 per day, to raise awareness about and demand for eyeglasses. Develop BTL campaigns that can be implemented within VisionSpring’s direct-to-consumer verticals.
• Lead the B2C strategies for mass market retail channels to increase conversion, add new demand, and build recurring demand.
• Guide the development of a unique vision camp to bolster footfall, sales conversion rates, and customer retention.
• Partner with B2B sales teams to deliver on prospecting campaigns and marketing/events collateral.

Brand and Communications Management

• Ensure a consistent brand message across all platforms, partner relationships, external events, advertising campaigns, and print and digital communication channels. Deploy brand assets for merchandizing, print and digital content, etc.
• Oversee all PR and media relations, building earned media. Empower staff with the necessary materials, resources, and training to successfully communicate our message.
• Lead marketing and communications strategies across a variety of platforms: print and digital; social media; owned media such as websites, collateral, and employee communications; sponsorships and speaking opportunities; and events.
• Manage the relationships with creative agencies and other third-party vendors for the development and production of all advertising and related content.
• Identify opportunities to leverage the marketing and communications functions of our partners (particularly corporations and government agencies) to raise awareness and demand for eyeglasses among base-of-the-pyramid consumers. Inspire collaboration with partners through evidence-based messaging and communication of our unique value proposition.
• Raise the profiles of VisionSpring’s leadership team and brand ambassadors with target audiences.
• Support the fundraising team as they work with donors by providing inspiring, relevant impact stories and other multi-medial collateral and events.

Digital Marketing Management

• Work with an outside vendor to build, design, and launch a new promotional website consistent with the VisionSpring brand. Manage the project and the process as a liaison between the vendor and VisionSpring.
• Regularly refine and update the website after launch, and manage new content development to enhance the user experience.
• Through use of social media analytics, implement strategies to increase VisionSpring’s social media presence.

Cross-enterprise Leadership

• Work with the COO and country directors to evolve three-year rolling plans, and prepare annual goals and an operating budget, to support the achievement of VisionSpring’s global strategy.
• Strengthen internal systems and create new approaches to increase collaboration and information sharing across the organization. Develop an integrated marketing calendar, including work-back schedules with key milestones for campaigns/initiatives. Establish processes among internal stakeholders to drive participation and efficiencies.
• Leverage internal data systems (Salesforce and an SAP-based point-of-sale system) to discover customer insights.

WHAT’S REQUIRED

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience leading global teams in marketing, communications, and brand management.
• Experience with B2B and/or B2C end-consumer marketing in global geographies.
• International marketing experience, preferably in frontier and/or emerging markets.
• Outstanding writing, editing, public speaking, and interpersonal communications skills.
• Proven ability to quickly establish trust and credibility, and forge and maintain close relationships with diverse groups of internal and external partners.
• At least 2 years of digital marketing experience and proven social media tactics.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of time.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Other preferred and beneficial experience: (1) History with and/or commitment to community service, social enterprise, and social impact work; (2) Living or working in a low-income international setting and/or working across languages and cultures; (3) Sector experience in optical, fast moving consumer goods, health, pharmaceuticals, or service industries, including software as a service; (4) Marketing to low-income consumers.

COMPENSATION

• Salary range is $100,000 -$120,000 per year, based on experience and education.
• We offer comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision, as well as 401(k) with match, pre-tax commuter plan, flexible spending accounts, and generous vacation/personal time.

How to Apply

• We want to know more than just what you have done. We want to know who you are. What are the passions and talents that draw you to this role?
• Please make sure your CV/résumé includes a brief description (a phrase or sentence) about the business/mission of each organization where you have worked.
• Please submit your application, including a thoughtful cover letter and updated CV/résumé, saved as a single document, via our job posting on LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2429502441)
• The preferred start date is April 5, 2021.
• Please note, only candidates to be interviewed will be contacted.

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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