Director of Brand

Blue Cross of Idaho is looking for a dynamic and strategic Director of Brand to lead the development, execution, and governance of our brand strategy. This role involves ensuring brand consistency across all touchpoints, maintaining our brand identity, and strengthening brand equity. The ideal candidate will be data-driven, bringing to bear consumer insights, performance analytics, and market trends to inform strategic decision-making.

This individual must excel at building positive relationships, forming strategic partnerships across the organization, working collaboratively with peers, and influencing senior leadership. The Director effectively communicates ideas to senior leaders, aligning brand strategy with business objectives while ensuring leadership agreement for key brand initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Brand Strategy & Leadership

• Oversee brand positioning, governance, and identity, ensuring alignment with what we value and market objectives.

• Develop and implement brand strategies that differentiate Blue Cross of Idaho from competitors and strengthen brand affinity.

• Lead and mentor brand marketing teams, encouraging a culture of innovation and excellence.

• Ensure all marketing communications align with the company’s brand image and objectives.

• Define and reinforce the brand promise, attributes, and reasons to believe (RTBs) in all brand communications.

• Use data and insights to refine brand positioning and continuously optimize brand strategy.

• Build strategic relationships with cross-functional teams and collaborate with peers across the organization to ensure brand consistency and alignment with business goals.

• Effectively communicate and sell brand strategies to senior leadership, gaining agreement on key initiatives.

Brand Communication & Messaging

• Develop and enforce brand guidelines to maintain consistency across internal teams, media, and external partners.

• Build and refine key messaging frameworks.

• Work closely with senior leadership to craft and maintain a clear, compelling, and differentiated brand narrative.

• Establish and refine the brand’s voice and tone across all consumer touchpoints.

• Analyze audience sentiment, brand perception, and engagement metrics to optimize messaging approach.

Creative Development & Execution

• Provide strategic mentorship on identity and creative strategy, ensuring alignment across marketing campaigns, advertisements, and partnerships.

• Lead creative teams and agencies to develop impactful marketing materials that improve consumer perception and engagement.

• Oversee physical branding and marketing efforts, including branded assets, signage, and retail marketing strategies.

• Apply A/B testing, campaign performance data, and audience insights to refine creative executions.

Marketing & Experiential Initiatives

• Lead consideration campaigns to drive awareness and conversion.

• Develop and implement experiential marketing and activation strategies to engage audiences in unique and meaningful ways.

• Plan and manage events, ensuring alignment with overall brand strategy and objectives.

• Oversee sports marketing activities, including sponsorships and ticket management, to improve brand visibility and engagement.

• Measure and evaluate campaign effectiveness, using data to optimize marketing spend and impact.

Digital & Media Strategy

• Drive organic social media strategy to strengthen community engagement and brand perception.

• Manage content development for the company blog, ensuring alignment with brand storytelling and audience engagement goals.

• Lead all aspects of brand media buying strategies, improving paid media investments to enhance brand impact.

• Deploy data analytics tools to evaluate the efficiency of digital campaigns and make necessary strategy adjustments.

Community Impact & Partnerships

• Develop and implement community impact initiatives, including strategy, programming, events, and sponsorships to strengthen local and regional engagement.

• Establish and cultivate relationships with senior leaders, ensuring alignment between brand initiatives and overall company vision.

• Establish and nurture connections with business partners, influencers, and brand ambassadors to improve brand credibility and reach.

• Use impact assessments and engagement metrics to track the success of community programs and refine future initiatives.

Corporate Reputation

• Build and further relationships with local and statewide leaders across various sectors to support company goals and community initiatives.

• Connect with peer organizations to understand emerging issues regarding healthcare.

• Develop and leverage key internal/external networks to identify and cultivate opportunities to further improve corporate citizenship.

• Stay well-informed and engaged with the Foundation staff to leverage shared knowledge, relationships, and opportunities for collaboration.

Qualifications & Experience

Location: This position has preferred flexibility to work hybrid local location (onsite Meridian Idaho campus and remote work-from-home within Idaho). Working fully remote within a mutually acceptable location may also be considered.

Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in related field; or equivalent work experience (two years' relevant work experience is equivalent to one-year college)

Required Experience: 10/+ years' experience in brand strategy, marketing, and/or related fields, to include:

• Proven leadership experience within branding, marketing, or agency environments.

• Strong understanding of branding principles, consumer psychology, and market positioning.

• Demonstrated ability to bring to bear data and analytics to drive brand strategy and optimize marketing effectiveness.

• Experience applying key data points, market research, and consumer insights to craft branding and marketing initiatives.

• Outstanding relationship-building skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally and collaborate with senior leaders to drive brand initiatives.

• Effective communication skills to persuade others, promote ideas, and gain support from leaders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in copywriting and storytelling.

• Proficiency in marketing analytics, digital platforms, and creative development.

• Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to encourage and develop talent.

• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

• Experience in the healthcare or insurance industry is a plus.

As of the date of this posting, a good faith estimate of the current pay range is $150,000 -$225,000. The position is eligible for an annual incentive bonus (variable depending on company and employee performance). The pay range for this position takes into account a wide range of factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, relevant experience, skills, seniority, performance, shift, travel requirements, internal equity, geography, business or organizational needs, and alignment with market data. At Blue Cross of Idaho, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top range for the position. Compensation decisions are dependent on factors and circumstances at the time of offer.

We offer a robust package of benefits including paid time off, paid holidays, community service and self-care days, medical/dental/vision/pharmacy insurance, 401(k) matching and non-contributory plan, life insurance, short and long term disability, education reimbursement, employee assistance plan (EAP), adoption assistance program and paid family leave program.

We will adhere to all relevant state and local laws concerning employee leave benefits, in line with our plans and policies.

Reasonable accommodations

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.