Start Date: 9/1/21
This is a newly-created, executive-level position for Swell Energy, and it reflects the company’s expanding commitment to brand-building and Marketing as critical growth-drivers for the business going forward. The new Executive Vice President, Marketing for Swell Energy will lead the continued development and evolution of a growth brand, with responsibility for brand visioning, strategic positioning, and Marketing activation. Reporting directly to the CEO of Swell Energy, the new EVP, Marketing will be the Brand steward for the organization, directing corporate brand development, guiding and supporting flawless, channel-specific Marketing execution, supporting and enabling the Sales organization, driving Innovation, and helping lead a company-wide transformation
• Driving Transformation – Help the CEO and his Executive Team drive a company-wide, transformation effort, designed to: 1) Move the company closer to its customers; 2) Innovate products and services; and 3) Intentionally evolve the culture. This “customer” work will include hunting big sales, strengthening services, establishing a high-performing D2C channel, and enhancing overall channel support. Innovation work will include balancing the portfolio, elevating Product Management, and enhancing speed-to-market with new initiatives. Evolving the culture will include nurturing and developing better talent, inspiring a “learning environment,” and better aligning and defining the day-to-day decision-making processes.
• Strategic Planning – Develop a quantitatively-derived, fact-based and insight-driven Marketing strategy for Swell Energy that positions and reinforces the company as the progressive thought leader in the category. The end result of this strategy should be profitable organic growth, new customer acquisition, enhanced customer retention, and enhanced revenue/EBITDA. Ensure annual planning is linked with critical business needs, as well as key internal and external constituents.
• Brand Stewardship – Evolve the Swell brand to connect best with customers and partners under Swell’s strategic direction. Serve as a passionate steward, advocate and gatekeeper for the Swell Energy brand,. Apply this same stewardship and guidance to all relevant aspects of the company-wide Transformation effort. As needed, champion a renewal and refinement of the brand’s strategic positioning and architecture, derived from a deep understanding of key brand health measures, as well as a keen understanding of the competitive, technological, retail and customer environments.
• Marketing Activation – Lead the development and execution of an integrated corporate brand—and product-level—Advertising/Communications and Promotion strategy, across traditional (Sales Collateral, Direct Mail, Conventions/Trade Shows, White Papers) and New Media (Web, Blogs, Social, Mobile) channels. Support and facilitate channel teams to create powerful messages and imagery that reflect Swell Energy’s brand essence, across all critical customer touch-points. Lead key message development for media inquiries, while also effectively managing the dialogue and reinforcing Swell Energy’s leadership position in the marketplace. Develop and manage agency relationships as necessary for execution of marketing and branding strategy.
• Sales Enablement – While Sales is primarily accountable for generating new business , this “EVP, Marketing” and his/her team must be perfectly aligned—and work closely—with the Swell Energy Selling organization given that developing incremental business—and renewing/expanding current customer commitments—are the lifeblood of this company. This individual needs to embrace and support the Swell Energy Sales leadership—and team—as a key partner in his/her efforts and success.
• Product Innovation – Add value to the Swell Energy Innovation work, as the company develops and qualifies a number of new initiatives (products and services), based on what will resonate most convincingly with customers, and based on the company’s transformation efforts. Looking ahead, strive to continually uncover and identify new marketplace and customer trends, thereby enabling the company to set the pace for “what must come next” from a category standpoint. This understanding will be leveraged to help Innovation leaders define new opportunities worth exploring further via strategy/business case development and measurable, projectable in-market testing.
• Research & Consumer Insights – Through market research, provide insight and customer perspective to the company’s leadership—to ensure that Swell Energy continually strives to uncover customer and marketplace learning that helps support and inform a fact-based and insight-driven Marketing strategy. This learning should assist in the ongoing monitoring of the health of the business and the health of the brand, as well as in the ongoing development of specific, enhanced customer value propositions.
• Functional Management – This is a leadership position and the new “EVP, Marketing” is expected to play collaboratively on an organizational basis. Build and shape a highly-effective, world-class Marketing organization by hiring, training, motivating and setting leadership direction for all direct reports. Continue to nurture a collaborative and customer-oriented Marketing community, cross-functionally. Review and enhance, where necessary, all Marketing processes, measurements, information systems, etc., that enable the overall Marketing function to operate efficiently and effectively. The new “VP, Marketing” will oversee a wide range of partnerships, from Integrated Marketing agencies, to Information Services suppliers, to Consultants, etc.
• Institutional or Enterprise (B2B) Marketing – Proven success and experience Marketing to enterprise clients and prospects, or to an analogous highly technical and specialist professional buyer/intermediary and end corporate client. Experience must include Sales enablement and deep knowledge of supporting a long, relationship-driven sales cycle, with an emphasis on large enterprise purchases. Tactical experience should include Advertising, Sales Collateral, White Papers, Conventions, Trade Shows and Events, PR, etc.
• Brand Marketing – As a possible foundational experience, line Marketing/Brand Management experience from a leading, global CPG company and/or consumer orientated organization. Broad/deep experience across the entire Marketing mix⎯Research, Segmentation, Consumer Insights, Innovation and New Product Development, Advertising and PR. Agency management experience, to include experience of global networks.
• Digital Marketing – Relevant and practical experience with Online/web-based Marketing—EMail, Display Advertising, Affiliate, Search (SEO/SEM), Social Media, Blogs, and Mobile. Additionally, this role is responsible for the corporate web site, so experience overseeing such a communication asset would be helpful.
• Organizational Development – Experience recruiting, hiring, managing, developing, motivating and promoting direct reports, and installing a Marketing/Brand-centric culture. This ability extends to external relationships too, with key Agency partners and suppliers.
Skill Set
• Listening (listen first, then respond)
• Intellectual horsepower (highly analytical & strategic)
• Strong relationship management and interpersonal savvy (high EQ)
• Influencing (proven ability to persuade others towards an idea or goal)
• Complex problem-solving (create options, then converge)
• Innovative and creative thinking (need fresh thinking)
• Highly resourceful (stretches people and money; compresses time)
• Team-Building (organizational development, recruiting and training)
Personality Profile
• Self-directed/motivated
• Flexible and adaptable
• Strong work ethic
• Results orientation
• High integrity and trustworthy
• Intellectually curious
• Strategic thinker- can see and play with the big picture