Location: This position is located in Fort Worth, Texas at corporate headquarters. The First Command team is back in the office three days each week, company officers are in the office 4 to 5 days per week.
How will this role impact First Command?
Over the last eight years, the company has refocused on its marketing strategy and capabilities and has seen strong, positive results. Brand recognition has doubled among its customer base, digital enablement has evolved, and the marketing team has been strengthened. The current Chief Marketing Officer is moving up in the company, so a new CMO will be recruited.
The CMO will define and lead the company’s marketing efforts, including:
- Brand Development and Reputation Management: Strengthening the brand’s position in the marketplace through a compelling value proposition and consistent messaging.
- Comprehensive Marketing Strategy: Overseeing communications, public and military affairs, wealth management and product promotion, and charitable giving programs.
- Prospect and Client Engagement: Creating innovative strategies to attract and serve military families profitably while addressing their financial and wealth management needs at every life stage.
- Strategic Leadership: Direct marketing and client wealth solutions by optimizing resources (technology, tools, talent) to achieve company goals.
- Digital Enablement: Spearhead the ongoing modernization of marketing activities and expand distribution channels to engage effectively with First Command’s military audience.
- Innovation and Growth: Continuously refine marketing strategies to foster direct client engagement, introduce new wealth solutions, and deepen relationships with the military community.
- Collaboration: Work closely with the executive team, Field Force leadership, and the Compliance and Supervision teams to align initiatives with broader company objectives, driving growth and delivering value to Financial Advisors and clients.
- Market and Competitive Insights: Identify industry, regulatory, and market trends, analyze competitors and client behavior, and recommend strategic actions to secure the company’s competitive advantage.
Reporting Relationship
This CMO reports directly to the CEO and President and is a member of the ELT. It will lead a group of five direct reports and a team of 40-50 marketing, public and military affairs, financial planning, and wealth solutions professionals.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Band and Reputation Management: Lead efforts to build, protect, and manage the company's brand and reputation, ensuring alignment with First Command’s core Military market.
- Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorships: Collaborate with the CEO and executive team to translate marketplace insights into differentiating products and solutions that enhance market presence as well as execute sponsorships that enhance brand awareness and support military-focused initiatives.
- Wealth Management Differentiation: Oversee the financial solutions strategy function and positioning of solutions portfolio aligned to the best interests of the unique needs of military families, veterans and spouses.
- Client Engagement and Growth: Drive growth through targeted campaigns that attract and engage military service members, spouses, and dependents, while fostering client loyalty and satisfaction.
- Client-Centric Culture: Promote a culture of client-centricity by aligning brand promise with wealth solutions that enable financial security.
- Team Leadership and Metrics: Direct marketing and wealth solutions teams, set measurable objectives, and manage budgets to meet organizational goals.
- Unified Messaging: Ensure consistent brand standards and unified messaging for high-quality client experiences with lasting positive impact.
- Cross-Company Collaboration: Build consensus across the company to deliver maximum value to client segments, leveraging data, analytics, and business intelligence.
- Digital Presence: Manage the creation of digital content and use of social media channels to boost awareness, addressing generational and career diversity within the military.
- Market Research and Differentiation: Leverage research and insights to ensure offerings are client-focused, competitive, and aligned with market needs.
- Public Relations and Communications: Oversee corporate communications and public relations strategy to ensure brand consistency across channels.
- Agency and Media Oversight: Manage marketing, advertising and media production agency relationships to meet growth objectives, adapting strategies as markets evolve
- Event Management: Oversee events to support client engagement, marketing initiatives, and Financial Advisor recognition.
- Operational Oversight: Manage the creation of advertising campaigns, marketing reports, contracts, and expenditures to maintain consistent branding and effective resource allocation.
- Field Support: Build relationships with Field Force leadership, internal sales teams and the Compliance and Supervision teams to support enterprise and local market strategies.
Travel
It is anticipated that 10% business travel will be required for this role.
The Candidate
Education
A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or communications is required. A master’s degree in business is preferred.
Certifications
Financial industry licenses (e.g. FINRA series 7, 65, CFP, CFA) preferred
Professional Qualifications
- 15 years of marketing experience with 10+ years of leading senior leaders.
- 10+ years of financial industry and product promotion experience across a variety of wealth management planning and product solutions.
- Understanding the financial industry policy and regulatory environment. DOD regulatory understanding is a plus.
- Experience in development and leadership of a successful brand identity and the rapidly evolving ways to measure brand impact.
- Has successfully introduced challenger brand(s) to the marketplace with small budget(s), using digital marketing strategies and tools.
- Understands the importance of brand reputation along with the tools and strategies to build and protect it.
- Demonstrated experience managing marketing and product resources through effective operations, metrics, and insights.
- Fluent in innovation techniques used to test and learn, evolve, and reprioritize approaches. Demonstrated successful application of agile marketing practices.
- Experienced industry leader who balances product strategy and client experience with thoughtful marketing plans so both are delivered well.
- Possesses a solid understanding of the value of industry experts and how to work with them to the company's benefit.
- Excellent relationship, collaboration, and networking abilities.
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