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Position Name:  Senior Manager: Marketing Communications
Company: Nikon Inc.
Location: Melville, NY

Senior Manager: Marketing Communications plays a pivotal role in shaping, elevating and growing the Nikon brand and business. This person is responsible for leading brand strategy, research & insights, advertising, social media, influencer and end-user marketing, events, integrated content planning and PR/crisis communications. The person in this role will be responsible for developing and executing comprehensive strategic marketing initiatives to improve sentiment, drive brand awareness, acquisition, engagement and retention.
Senior Manager is someone with a proven track record for strategic marketing and brand building, who can translate the needs of the business into creative and compelling marketing communications initiatives that help to solidify Nikon as an industry leader. They will balance the ideation of long-term strategy and vision, with rolling up their sleeves to execute on short term business driving wins.  They work closely with executive management, product marketing, sales and creative services to help cultivate our customer experience, elevating our brand and voice across offline and online touchpoints.

This role requires a deep understanding of marketing, communications and brand management, stakeholder priorities, and imaging industry nuances. The ideal candidate will bring a unique point of view to applying relevant marketing concepts and strategic communications, creating scalable frameworks, and driving projects aligned with cross-functional goals.

Strategic and Team Leadership: Lead, mentor and empower a growing team of talented marketing communications professionals, contractors and agency partnersfostering a collaborative, inclusive and inspired work environment. Serve as liaison between internal parties at Nikon (including Nikon Corporation and other Nikon markets) to present communications strategies/plans, share updates on current activities and merchandise results for programs and campaigns.
Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with department heads and executive management to ensure seamless strategy alignment across all functions
Creative and Strategic Development: Guide the creation and execution of brand concepts, creative campaigns, marketing briefs, and strategic plans aimed at stimulating consumer interest and driving demand.
Insight-Driven Strategy: Utilize data, consumer insights and brand vision to develop strategic initiatives, continuously innovating to create engaging consumer experiences that promote brand and business growth.
Collaborative Execution: Foster a collaborative atmosphere throughout the go-to-market process, working with teams across Marketing, Design, Communications, Sales, Digital and Planning to ensure cohesive execution.
Performance Measurement: Oversee the measurement of campaign progress, prioritizing impact on business outcomes and adjusting strategies based on performance insights.
Consumer Insight Acquisition: Implement comprehensive process to gather deep insights from consumers, including trends in the industry, to stay ahead of market shifts.
Budget Management: Oversee robust marketing communications budget, ensuring transparency and alignment of spend, strategizing and optimizing resource allocation according to business goals.
Championing Innovation: Pioneer brand-led innovation by staying at the forefront of industry trends and consumer insights, positioning Nikon as frontrunners in the imaging industry
Data-Driven Excellence: Leverage data and metrics to meticulously evaluate and optimize brand initiatives, achieving continuous improvement and excellence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Lead advertising initiatives including campaign strategy, platform mix, spend, audience targeting, creative development, testing & optimization, campaign analysis & reporting Using segmentation of target audiences, data, user journey and multiple communications touchpoints, collaborate in creating customized communication strategies
• Develop, in collaboration with PR agency, Nikon’s PR strategies. Own execution of associated plans, including scope, target outcomes, key metrics and measures, and required inputs and resources to deliver.  Craft narratives to create brand momentum and curate editorial news flow and content across channels. Drive consistency and cohesion of all corporate messaging and thought leadership communications for the company across all communications channels (e.g. website, social, press, etc)
• Navigate PR and crisis communications in partnership with PR agency, ensuring effective management and mitigation of challenging situations while safeguarding brand reputation
• Lead the development and execution of our social media strategy, content creation, community engagement and social advertising; integrate emerging technologies and innovative communication approaches to enhance our communication effectiveness and engagement
• Oversee all influencer and community building initiatives, audience engagement and integrated content campaigns.
• Supervise strategy for cultivation, planning and managing offline events (includes consumer and influencer events and trade shows) that provide end user brand engagement and product trial opportunities
• Lead all brand market research efforts (qualitative and quantitative) garnering insights for brand and and go-to-market strategies; ability to turn data into actionable insights and marketing strategies

 

Ancillary responsibilities:

• Work with legal department to negotiate contracts and develop agreements for various partnerships that maximize communications goals and leverage assets for Nikon Inc.
• Ensure high quality of proposals and presentations to present ideas, plans, as well as analysis of performance and recommendations for optimizing. 
• Establish OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) for marketing communications activities, track performance against targets, and provide regular reports and analysis to executive management
• Fulfill Nikon Corp requests for specific reports related to marketing communications activities.
• Complete and administer performance evaluations for all direct reports consisting of establishment and monitoring of OKRs.

                             
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• 15+ years of similar progressive brand marketing, communications and digital experience. Must have minimum 5+ years of management experience (with direct reports preferred)
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire a team
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret complex data, glean insights and make data-driven decisions
• Strong understanding of user journey touchpoints and ability to connect various communications initiatives to achieve specific goals along the journey (i.e., awareness building, consideration, conversion, appreciation, loyalty)
• Demonstrated experience developing, directing and executing strategic communications programs that blend PR, content marketing, social media, offline experiences and data.
• Must understand analytics and how to use data to create actionable insights for the brand
• Clear understanding of the digital landscape, and how emerging technologies and avenues add value to campaigns
• Experience in consumer electronics and imaging, a plus
• Proficiency in social networking platforms ex: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Linkedin)
• Experience in CRM platforms and social media reporting platforms
• Proficiency in Tableau, Google Analytics and other data gathering platforms
• Working knowledge of ECommerce & DTC, website UX & design, email marketing
• Experience managing agency partners
• Awareness of emerging technologies and platforms; stay current with industry/advertising/cultural trends
• Passion for innovation, creative problem solving, and building strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
• Strategic self-starter and ability to prioritize many ongoing projects
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills
• Ability to Travel U.S. domestic and international

 

Nikon Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to successfully perform the essential function of the position.
Please email your resume to [email protected] and identify Code: 2372
Nikon is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. 
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on this site as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Nikon’s Department of Human Resources at (631) 547-4254 or at [email protected].

 

Compensation depends on a variety of factors including but not limited to; knowledge, skills, experience, education and location. The range for this position is $134,000-$187,000