Institutional Marketing Strategy Director

About the Role

Pacific Life is seeking a talented Institutional Marketing Strategy Director to join our Institutional Retirement Solutions Group (IRSG). This role can be based in Newport Beach, CA, Omaha, NE, or another approved Pacific Life office location. As Institutional Marketing Strategy Director, you will serve as a strategic marketing partner to IRSG leadership, translating business strategy, market dynamics, customer needs, and competitive intelligence into clear marketing priorities and differentiated market strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Evolve Institutional Marketing Strategy:
  • Own, activate, and evolve the established IRSG marketing strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities, market opportunities, customer needs, and business maturity.
  • Partner with senior leaders to identify high-impact markets, audiences, opportunities, and priorities.
  • Translate business strategies into actionable audience strategies, positioning, messaging, content, and go-to-market recommendations.
  • Develop business-specific marketing approaches for Pension Risk Transfer (PRT), Defined Contribution Lifetime Income (DCLI), Stable Value, and emerging institutional businesses.
  • Monitor market developments and recommend strategic adjustments.
  • Lead marketing planning, prioritization, and resource allocation to align with growth objectives.
• Drive Market Intelligence and Competitive Insights:
  • Serve as a strategic consumer of market, customer, and competitive intelligence.
  • Partner with internal teams to leverage market and customer insights.
  • Monitor industry, competitor, regulatory, and market developments.
  • Identify gaps in market understanding and define needed research.
  • Translate complex information into actionable insights for leaders.
• Steward Positioning, Messaging, and Market Narrative:
  • Ensure consistent application of IRSG’s positioning, value proposition, and narrative across initiatives.
  • Translate positioning into audience-specific messaging for PRT, DCLI, Stable Value, and emerging businesses.
  • Partner with leaders to apply positioning to priority initiatives and campaigns.
  • Identify opportunities to refine positioning and messaging based on market dynamics.
  • Ensure consistency and differentiation across marketing efforts.
• Guide Institutional Thought Leadership:
  • Provide strategic direction for thought leadership priorities aligned with IRSG strategy.
  • Identify priority topics and opportunities for thought leadership.
  • Translate business priorities into thought leadership themes, audiences, and channels.
  • Advise on executive visibility and external engagement opportunities.
  • Evaluate thought leadership effectiveness and recommend adjustments.
• Inform Go-to-Market and Growth Initiatives:
  • Provide strategic marketing leadership for new products, market expansion, and growth opportunities.
  • Assess market readiness, audience needs, and competitive dynamics.
  • Partner with teams to translate strategy into execution.
  • Define target audiences, market priorities, and channel strategies.
  • Provide strategic counsel on business cases and communications.
• Measure Impact and Evolve the Strategy:
  • Establish frameworks for evaluating marketing effectiveness and progress.
  • Define KPIs for marketing strategies and growth programs.
  • Use data to evaluate effectiveness and recommend strategy evolution.
  • Champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in strategic marketing, financial services marketing, institutional marketing, business strategy, consulting, or related disciplines.
• Strong understanding of institutional financial services, retirement markets, insurance, investments, or related B2B markets.
• Experience translating market intelligence into strategic recommendations.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and build alignment across complex organizations.
• Experience developing positioning, segmentation, value propositions, and go-to-market strategies.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Ability to operate strategically and collaborate with execution teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Pension Risk Transfer, Defined Contribution, retirement income, Stable Value, asset management, or adjacent markets.
• Experience working with institutional buyers, consultants, intermediaries, and retirement-focused organizations.
• Experience building market intelligence or strategic planning capabilities.
• Experience developing thought leadership and executive positioning programs.
• Experience supporting large-scale growth or transformation initiatives.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Skills

• Ability to think beyond the marketing function, connecting markets, customers, competitors, and business strategy.
• Curiosity about market changes and their implications for Pacific Life.
• Skill in turning complexity into clarity and compelling narratives.
• Ability to connect strategy to action and influence without direct ownership.
• Understanding of how differentiation is earned through capabilities and market opportunities.
• Executive presence and comfort engaging with senior leaders on complex issues.

Why This Role Matters

This role serves as the strategic marketing connector across IRSG, aligning business priorities, market intelligence, customer insights, and marketing execution. The Director will activate and evolve the IRSG strategy across Pension Risk Transfer, Defined Contribution Lifetime Income, Stable Value, and emerging retirement solutions. They will translate priorities into focused initiatives, inform planning through market intelligence, and ensure marketing efforts are differentiated and connected to measurable outcomes. The role will also identify emerging opportunities and future strategic needs to shape the next evolution of IRSG’s marketing strategy.