Overview:
Responsible for leading the firm's brand strategy and visual identity, ensuring that HKS is consistently represented as a bold, innovative, and trusted architecture firm across every practice and region.
Owns brand positioning, guidelines, creative direction, and brand governance, and ensures brand equity is protected and amplified across all channels. Partners closely with Practice Marketing Directors (PMDs), Centers of Excellence (COEs), and firmwide leadership to make sure the HKS brand shows up consistently while adapting appropriately for market needs.
Responsibilities:
Defines, manages, and evolves the HKS brand strategy and architecture
Ensures brand consistency across all practices, regions, and offices
Creates brand governance frameworks and enforce adoption across marketing and BD functions
Leads the development of brand campaigns and creative assets that reinforce HKS's positioning
Oversees visual identity, design systems, and templates to support both practice and regional needs
Partners with COEs (Creative, Digital, PR) to ensure brand is integrated across every touchpoint
Partners with PMDs to translate practice strategies into brand-aligned assets, campaigns, and content
Ensures practice value propositions are consistently expressed in all materials
Partners with firmwide leadership to localize the brand for regional relevance while protecting consistency
Develops scalable brand tools, playbooks, and templates for regional teams and local coordinators
Provides direct brand support for priority regional campaigns and pursuits
Defines KPIs to measure brand strength (awareness, perception, consistency)
Monitors adoption of brand guidelines and consistency of execution across practices and regions
Reports regularly to CMO and firm leadership on brand performance and alignment
Collaborates with PR, Digital, and Creative teams to deliver fully integrated campaigns
Provides high level of interactive service to others, building relationships, addressing identified needs and following through with implementing resolutions for the firm's brand identity system
Stays current on trends and developments in graphic design
Models and holds others accountable to the firm's cultural values, including a commitment to quality, innovation, learning and growth
Oversees and actively invests in the professional development of staff through mentoring, performance management and career planning
Leads efforts in attracting, training, retaining, growing and recognizing diverse talent
Manages conflict effectively and encourages a healthy team environment
Partners with leadership, business development and marketing teams to implement/maintain the strategic plan goals for brand
Fosters and maintains a collaborative professional working relationship with the project team, including promoting communication and creating approachability
Takes personal responsibility for fostering a green workplace through sustainable work practices
Develops budgets and timelines of team projects in collaboration with Chief Marketing Officer
Responsible for the financial implications of overhead and chargeable time, including accountability to project plan and planned utilization rate
Collaborates in managing projects to satisfy requirements with best possible ROI and delivering projects on defined budget requirements
Collaborates with practice leaders and Marketing team to ensure the brand is presented across all tactics and assets in a synchronized and impactful way
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Advertising or related degree
Typically with 15+ years of experience in advertising/design agency environment, with experience in brand strategy and visual identity within a global or matrixed organization
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite such as InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketchup graphic software
Proficiency in MS Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint preferred
Prior experience in professional services or design industries
Successful track record with managing a team and performing duties in a fast-paced environment
Proven experience in successfully scaling a global brand in a competitive market landscape
Proven ability to balance consistency with flexibility across diverse practices and markets
Proven ability to work across stakeholder groups, functional areas, geographies, and differing levels of seniority
Proven ability in identifying issues,... For full info follow application link.
HKS is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and committed to a policy of non-discrimination in all employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, advancement, compensation, and termination. HKS’ policies, including its Affirmative Action Programs, are designed to not only ensure legal compliance with state and federal anti-discrimination and retaliation laws, but to carry out the principles of equal employment opportunities in all job categories. Deliberate and conscious effort is made to make employment decisions that are consistent with these equal employment opportunity principles. HKS will recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles, and ensure that all other personnel actions are administered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status or disability; and ensure that all employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements. Employees and applicants will not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination for filing a complaint, assisting or participating in an investigation, compliance evaluation or hearing, opposing and/or exercising any other right made unlawful by Executive Order 11246, Sections 503 and 38 USC 4212, as amended, or their implementing regulations, or any other Federal, State or local laws requiring equal opportunity.
