Brand Marketing Manager

Summary

Join InStride as a Manager, Brand Marketing to develop and execute brand strategies that drive awareness, engagement, and conversion. This role blends strategic thinking, storytelling, and data-driven marketing. You will be responsible for crafting compelling narratives and campaigns aligned with business goals. The ideal candidate possesses 7+ years of B2B marketing experience and a proven track record of successful brand campaigns. Strong communication skills, cross-functional collaboration experience, and a data-driven approach are essential. InStride offers a competitive salary, benefits including a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible vacation policy, paid family leave, and best-in-class health care benefits. The company values diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all qualified individuals.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in B2B marketing, brand strategy, public relations, communications, or a related field
• Proven track record of successfully executing brand campaigns and messaging strategies
• Strong understanding of customer behavior, market research, and segmentation
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with a portfolio showcasing the ability to craft compelling narratives, using different “voices” for different audiences and business needs
• Experience developing and maintaining strong relationships with journalists and media outlets and an understanding of the current media landscape
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders
• Highly analytical with a data-driven approach to marketing and communications
• A creative self-starter who enjoys bringing new ideas and initiatives forward
• Process and detail-oriented, with strong project and program management skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with an early-stage company mentality

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute brand strategies to effectively position InStride’s solutions in the market
• Conduct competitive analysis and market research to identify customer preferences, industry trends, and positioning opportunities
• Create and manage brand guidelines, ensuring consistency across all marketing materials and touchpoints
• Develop value propositions, messaging frameworks, and solution positioning that align with InStride’s key goals
• Collaborate with internal teams to create compelling sales and marketing collateral, messaging, and internal/external communications to drive adoption and conversion
• Build pitch plans and media lists with a deep understanding of the HR and education media landscape, fostering relationships with key journalists and proactively identifying story opportunities that resonate and strengthen brand recognition
• Think creatively about storytelling approaches—through research reports, surveys, client case studies, or multimedia formats like short-form videos—to craft unique narratives around the transformative impact of InStride’s solutions
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders, including the content and design teams, to develop thought leadership materials such as whitepapers, opinion pieces, and event speeches
• Strengthen brand recognition and visibility through strategic media relations, thought leadership initiatives, and award submissions
• Monitor industry media, product awards, and analyst relations landscapes to identify brand-building opportunities
• Regularly analyze media coverage and PR performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of strategies, optimize outreach efforts, and identify new PR opportunities
• Stay informed of emerging PR tools, trends, and platforms—such as podcasts, industry roundtables, or influencer collaborations—to help InStride reach new audiences and make a meaningful media impact
• Foster a culture of psychological safety and trust, empowering team members to grow, collaborate, and share ideas while aligning efforts with company objectives
• Provide regular feedback and support through career development conversations, driving both individual growth and team success
• Enhance team performance by implementing strategies that boost productivity and align with business goals
• Address challenges with empathy and lead by example to inspire trust, accountability, and measurable impact

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid family leave
• Best-in-class health care benefits
• Access to 2,800+ online certificate and degree programs through our Step Forward program