Vice President, Brand Experience, Ruder Finn

About the role

We are seeking a Vice President to lead client partnerships and integrated marketing communications programs for consumer brands across food, wellness, lifestyle, CPG, and retail sectors. This role requires a strategic thinker, collaborative leader, and someone who can navigate complexity while inspiring teams and guiding programs that drive results.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the strategic lead and day-to-day client partner across your account portfolio, bringing clear thinking, proactive recommendations, and trusted counsel that moves client business forward
• Lead account strategy and execution across client priorities, ensuring programs are connected to the broader brand story, business goals, cultural moments, and measurable outcomes
• Act as a senior counselor to clients, bringing a strong point of view, thoughtful recommendations, and steady guidance in real time
• Own account health across staffing, workflow, budgets, projections, timelines, deliverables, and team priorities, ensuring work is well-run, well-resourced, and aligned to client expectations
• Anticipate client needs, identify opportunities, solve challenges quickly, and bring answers — not just updates — to every interaction
• Guide integrated earned media strategy for your portfolio, ensuring angles, pitches, and coverage support larger client objectives and brand narratives
• Oversee the development of creative story angles and strategic pivots when the news cycle shifts, helping teams find fresh, relevant ways in
• Build and maintain strong relationships across key media verticals, including consumer lifestyle, parenting, food, wellness, and broadcast, while helping junior team members grow their own networks
• Manage, mentor, and develop junior team members, helping them strengthen client judgment, account management skills, strategic thinking, media instincts, and executive presence
• Collaborate closely with internal creative, strategy, media, and account teams to ensure all work ladders up to the larger client strategy and delivers against shared goals
• Contribute meaningfully to new business by bringing smart ideas, client leadership instincts, relevant category experience, and a strong understanding of what makes programs compelling and achievable

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or a related field preferred
• 8+ years of experience leading integrated consumer communications programs, with a strong understanding of how client strategy, media, creative ideas, and account operations come together to drive results
• A proven track record of managing client relationships, building trust with senior stakeholders, and serving as a day-to-day strategic lead across complex, fast-moving accounts
• Adept at translating client business priorities into smart communications strategies, clear workstreams, and actionable plans for the team
• A deep understanding of consumer brand experience across categories such as CPG, food, wellness, lifestyle, parenting, retail, or consumer tech
• Adept at identifying culturally relevant, media-worthy, and shareable stories, and contributing to standout pitches, campaigns, or creative concepts
• A strong media instinct and experience partnering closely with media specialists, creative teams, and clients to develop earned-first ideas that break through
• Able to contribute to new business pitches and bring strategic thinking, creative ideas, category knowledge, and a strong point of view to the process
• An organized approach to managing account operations effectively, ensuring work moves forward and nothing slips through the cracks
• A flexible and adaptable mindset, thriving in fast-moving environments where priorities shift and you can pivot quickly while keeping clients and teams aligned
• A strong people leader who enjoys mentoring junior talent, creating clarity, building momentum, and driving accountability across the team
• A willingness to integrate AI tools into communications planning, workflows, and team processes

Benefits & More

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunity
• Health, Dental, Vision, company-paid Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Account, and 401k (match) plan
• Monthly allowance for cell phone, office equipment, etc.
• Generous PTO policy with paid maternity/paternity leave
• Professional learning and development opportunities
• Workplace flexibility
• On-site and off-site social gatherings