Head of Communications, Brand & Digital Marketing

Why Arup?

At Arup we’re dedicated to shaping a better world. Our purpose, shared values and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 80 years. We solve the world's most complex problems and deliver what seems impossible, with curiosity and creativity. We’re a thriving and growing organization which offers you many possibilities to shape a better world, and your future.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, our Marketing, Communications, and Business Development (MCBD) team enables Arup to build and protect our reputation, deepen client relationships, win quality work, and attract top talent. This role will be key in achieving strategic market and client ambitions. We are seeking to appoint a Head of Communications, Brand & Digital Marketing - Americas Region to join our MCBD function.

What this role involves

The Head of Communications, Brand & Digital Marketing - Americas Region plays a central role in leading the development and implementation of Arup’s regional communications plan enhancing, protecting Arup’s brand and reputation, and guiding the evolution of our digital footprint, ensuring alignment with our strategy and the business priorities defined in our integrated business plan.

The role leads the regional Communications, Brand & Digital Marketing teams and ensures positive work sharing, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of our resources supporting region and global priorities. They also work closely with the Regional Leadership: including the Managing Director, the Business and Markets Leader, MCBD Leader, Global Communications Leaders and Legal Counsel ensuring cohesive and effective delivery of content and campaigns that elevate the brand.

Team Leadership

• Manage a regional team of digital marketers, brand and creatives, and communications professionals, providing alignment with global marketing and communications programs, and ensures that regional content and campaigns support broader firm initiative.

• Collaborates with and advises Global Strategic Marketing and Communications providing a regional perspective on content, campaigns and programs.

• Partners closely with regional leadership championing a business partner mindset across the team.

• Ensures the team and its programs are high-performing and continually improving to meet the changing needs of the market.

• Builds, mentors, and leads a high-performing team providing performance management and career development advice, as well as ongoing training and development opportunities to team members.

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and innovative team culture.

• Champions connectivity and collaboration across the MCBD team, enabling joint working, resource flexibility and sharing better practice and learnings.

• Develops and manage regional brand, digital marketing and communications budget, including allocation of resources and spend to optimize ROI.

Communications Strategy, Planning and Management

• Provides strategic communications advice to Arup’s regional leadership team, and oversees the development and implementation of leadership communications across internal and external channels.

• Leads the development of the regional communications plan (internal and external communications) in collaboration with Regional and Geography Leadership and working closely with other MCBD Region Leaders.

• Apply insights gained from trends in communications, in particular changes in audience behaviour and use of technology, to identify opportunities to update our communications strategy and plans.

• In consultation with Americas Legal Counsel Oversees, leads the regional crisis communications program.

• Regularly reports on communications programs and monitors and assesses implementation of the communications plan and adjust as needed to achieve the region’s objectives.

Brand & Visual Communications

• Leads the development of creative and content solutions required for marketing and communication campaigns.

• In alignment with Arup’s Strategy and Integrated Business Plan, is responsible for increasing brand visibility within region to drive business growth across all media platforms.

• Ensures all creative outputs align with Arup’s brand guidelines and maintain brand consistency across all channels and content types.

Digital Marketing & Social Media

• Advises on digital marketing and social media element of integrated marketing and communication campaigns, monitoring results to optimize performance and report campaign outcomes.

• Champions continued evolution and maturity in Arup's use of the full capability of our marketing automation platform and ensures cohesion and integration with regional marketing objectives, plans and campaigns.

• Responsible for the region’s web content lifecycle plan, ensures that regional web content is aligned with brand guidelines and optimized for search engines.

• Responsible for the region’s preference center campaigns to ensure alignment to GDPR, CASL, NPP or similar data privacy regulations as relevant to the jurisdiction.

Qualifications and Accreditations

• Undergraduate or further degree or postgraduate professional qualification in communications, journalism, marketing, digital marketing or business management

• Membership of a relevant professional body [PRSA, CPSM]

Knowledge and Experience

• 10+ years proven experience in digital marketing, brand management, and communications.

• Knowledge of current trends and developments in communications, particularly in strategy, reputation management, and application of digital tools and techniques.

• Strong understanding of digital analytics, SEO/SEM, paid media, and content marketing.

• Significant, proven experience in strategic communications and proven track record in several of the following areas: communications strategy and planning, crisis communications, leadership communications and/or internal communications.

• Demonstrated experience in leading a large team in an international business and in applying business partnering models across a range of communications specialisms.

• Demonstrated experience in building trusted, influential relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated experience in building, managing and reporting on budgets.

• Experience in leading change, innovation and operational excellence within MCBD functions.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong skills in strategic thinking and analysis and problem-solving.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.

• Proficiency in communications technologies.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment across multiple time zones and adaptable to changing requirements. Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.

• Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity, particularly in the context of matrix organizational structures.

• Able to build strong and highly collaborative working relationships with peers, leaders and other stakeholders.

• High level of personal integrity, professionalism, and inclusive leadership. Commitment to exemplifying Arup’s aims, particularly those of being a ‘humane organization’, maintaining ‘quality of work’, and ‘straight and honorable dealings’.

You Should Apply If

• If you want to drive the evolution of our communications, brand and digital marketing at a moment of significant change, bringing together creativity, technology and insight to strengthen our reputation, deepen engagement and support future growth.

• If you aim to lead an integrated global capability, influence senior leadership and transform how we communicate, engage our audiences and build relevance in a rapidly changing world.

• If you desire to shape a globally recognized brand, rethink how we communicate and engage digitally, and lead a talented community through the next evolution of marketing and communications.

What We Offer You

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognizes the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Benefits at Work - At Arup, we have a comprehensive and valuable benefits program that works for our employees and their families while keeping costs low. These benefits provide health and welfare security for you as well as paid time off for rest and renewal. As a member of Arup, everyone shares in our success through a global profit share scheme (payments are dependent on the firm’s financial performance). Our Global Profit Share Plan (paid bi-annually) provides an opportunity for you to share in the success of the Firm. As a valued employee of Arup, you can also choose to participate in our 401(k) plan with up to 10% company match to help you save for your future.

Flexible Working - We believe that flexible arrangements create a more inclusive way of working that supports our diversity and the wellbeing of our people. Options for alternative schedules and the ability to work outside of the office for a portion of your workweek are available.

Hiring Range - The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed in Los Angeles is $180,000 to $210,000 per year. This range is commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level. Benefits are not included in the base salary. Please note hiring ranges for candidates performing work outside of Los Angeles will differ.

Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

To understand what to expect next, please visit https://www.arup.com/careers/recruitment-process/

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