Job Summary:

Virginia Farm Bureau is searching for a Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, reporting directly to the company President, who will accurately understand our target audiences, market dynamics, and competitive landscape to craft compelling multi-channel marketing strategies and collaterals that communicate our brand's value proposition and agricultural advocacy, resulting in increased membership and business growth. This position will focus on four areas of expertise: Marketing, Communications, Public Relations and Crisis Management.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement multi-faceted strategic marketing and public relations plans that align with Virginia Farm Bureau’s business objectives and target audiences in support of Insurance Sales, Customer Support, Membership, and advancement of agricultural causes that support farming in the State of VA.
• Drive brand positioning, differentiation, and brand equity to enhance market share and brand awareness; acting as a brand ambassador while representing company values and driving a consistent brand identity across all touchpoints.
• Collaborate with different teams including Sales, Operations, and the Farm Bureau Federation to ensure alignment and consistency of the brand and messaging in the execution of all marketing initiatives, in all channels.
• Lead and mentor a team of marketing and communications professionals, providing guidance, feedback and support to drive excellence in marketing execution, employee awareness, communication, and employee engagement.
• Optimize multi-channel marketing and communication efforts to reach target audiences effectively by developing and executing comprehensive marketing campaigns, including web, email, print, television, radio, direct mail, and other targeted advertising.
• Measure the effectiveness of multi-channel campaigns to effectively reach target audiences and result in sales leads, increased brand awareness, increased membership, retention of members, and overall growth.
• Manage marketing budgets and allocating resources effectively, optimizing marketing & communications expenses to achieve measurable ROI.
• Oversee the creation and use of captivating marketing and communications collaterals including television broadcasts, video productions, brochures, flyers, newsletters, advertisements, press releases and digital content.
• Monitor and analyze market trends, consumer insights, data analytics and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities and maintain a competitive edge.
• Lead strategic partnerships and collaborations with external agencies, vendors and influencers to amplify brand reach and awareness.
• Direct all internal communications channels to ensure employees are well-informed, engaged, and know where to go for critical and timely company information.
• Partner and conduit for the organization to ensure internal and external communication channels are meeting their needs.
• Stay well-informed with the industry’s advancements and the emerging marketing technologies.
• Foster relationships with key business partners, vendors and media outlets to maximize marketing reach and impact.

Required skills and qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing or an equivalent field is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience as a marketing Vice President, Officer or an equivalent senior marketing leadership role.
• Proven track record of developing, managing and executing wide-ranging marketing campaigns across B2C verticals.
• Proficiency in public relations, business development strategies, customer experience enrichment, analytics and data-led marketing.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire, mentor and develop marketing and communications professionals.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams, senior executives and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to leverage data and insights for informed decision-making.

Preferred skills and qualifications

• Familiarity with marketing automation tools, customer relationship management (CRM) systems and analytics platforms.
• Experience in scaling marketing operations.
• Understanding of data privacy and protection regulations and their implications for marketing practices.

At VA Farm Bureau, we provide an exceptional benefits package, including ongoing job development and support in all roles, paid training and continuing education reimbursement, medical and dental insurance available on your first day, generous employee 401K contribution, excellent Paid Time off (PTO) plan and more!

Virginia Farm Bureau Companies provide equal employment opportunity in all aspects of employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, orientation or veteran status.