Marketing Strategist

Marketing Strategist Department: Projects Team Employment Type: Full Time Location: Southern California Reporting To: Margaret Meadows Compensation: $114,400 - $135,200 / year Description The Marketing Strategist is a senior, high-impact marketing leader responsible for shaping and executing comprehensive marketing campaigns, including digital and traditional, that advance the project/program brand, audience engagement, and goals. This role combines strategic thinking with the ability to drive cohesive campaign execution and measurable results across various traditional and digital platforms. This strategist position will conduct market research and audience analysis to identify key insights, set performance benchmarks, and create tailored initiatives that align with program priorities. This role will work independently, partner frequently with cross-functional teams, clients, small businesses and related organizations, corporations, and project stakeholders to translate vision into effective and measurable marketing outcomes. The strategist will guide creative direction, interpret performance data, and make informed recommendations that drive continuous improvement and long-term brand growth. The strategist will also develop and manage campaign and project budgets, making informed recommendations to ensure investments align with priorities and deliver strong impact. This is a fast-paced role that requires managing multiple concurrent marketing campaigns in a constantly changing environment. The ideal hire is able to stay nimble and adjust their priorities and approach as circumstances shift. This position is suited to a seasoned marketing professional who has experience with hands-on campaign execution in a leadership role, and who can set the strategic direction for fluid, multi-campaign initiatives while still remaining a hands-on contributor when needed. The ideal hire for this position is someone who understands nuance and is able to individualize campaigns towards a specific demographic or audience. This position will work primarily on the Metro Eat. Shop. Play. program. Check out some of the Projects we are working on and how we are making an impact to communities all throughout Southern California!: Key Responsibilities Marketing Strategy Development: Develop and own marketing strategies and campaign roadmaps informed by audience insights, market research, and program goals, providing strategic recommendations and exercising sound judgment with minimal oversight. Integrated Campaign Execution: Lead integrated marketing campaigns from concept through launch across traditional and digital media channels such as social, email, web, billboards, events, and community partnerships, coordinating internal stakeholders and creative contributors to deliver consistent, high-quality results. Content and Creative Direction: Guide messaging, storytelling, and creative direction in collaboration with content creators, designers, and multimedia teams to ensure brand alignment, clarity, and impact across all deliverables. Performance Measurement and Optimization: Track campaign performance and audience behavior, translate insights into actionable recommendations, and continuously refine strategies to improve reach, engagement, and effectiveness. Budget Planning and Management: Draft and manage campaign budgets, including forecasting needs, allocating resources across channels and tactics, tracking spend against plan, and making recommendations to stakeholders to ensure investments support strategic priorities and measurable outcomes. Cross Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with stakeholders and internal teams to align marketing strategy with communications, business development, and project priorities, while directing external partners or vendors as needed. Project Management and Delivery: Manage timelines, priorities, and workflows across multiple initiatives, maintaining accountability, clear documentation, and dependable follow-through from planning to final delivery. Team Leadership & People Management: Directly manages and supports a matrixed team of approximately 5 to 6 across multiple departments and concurrent projects, balancing people leadership with hands‑on individual contributor work. Skills, Knowledge and Expertise Strategic Marketing Judgment: Ability to independently assess goals, constraints, and opportunities, translating high level objectives into actionable marketing strategies that balance creativity, data, and business needs. Brand Strategy and Storytelling: Deep understanding of brand positioning and narrative development, with the ability to shape compelling, award‑winning stories across written, visual, and multimedia formats. Digital Marketing Fluency: Strong working knowledge of social media, websites, email marketing, and basic SEO principles, with an understanding of how channel selection and integration influence outcomes. Cultural & Linguistic Competency: Demonstrated experience leading bilingual and culturally competent campaigns across diverse groups. Lifestyle Marketing: Experience marketing places and programs through lifestyle and experience-driven storytelling, similar to destination, local tourism, and neighborhood community marketing that makes everyday moments feel aspirational and invites people to be part of them. Guerrilla Marketing: Experience with guerrilla marketing tactics, using creative, low‑cost, non‑traditional approaches, such as pop‑up activations, street‑level engagement, or grassroots outreach, to build visibility and buzz when budget or traditional channels are limited. Analytics and Decision Making: Comfort interpreting qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate performance, identify trends, and inform strategic decisions and recommendations. Budgeting and Resource Planning: Strong ability to build and manage budgets, evaluate cost versus impact, prioritize investments, and communicate budget performance and tradeoffs clearly to project stakeholders while maintaining accountability to scope, timeline, and results. Communication and Collaboration: Ability to communicate clearly and confidently with stakeholders, present strategic recommendations, and coordinate effectively across teams, clients, vendors, contractors and stakeholders. Execution and Organization: Strong project management, prioritization, and follow‑through skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives, navigate ambiguity, and deliver high‑quality work with minimal oversight. Qualifications Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience: Typically eight to ten or more years of progressive experience in marketing strategy, communications, or related roles, with a demonstrated ability to set strategic direction, lead complex multi‑channel initiatives, and execute work independently from planning through delivery. Leadership and Autonomy: Proven experience working with minimal oversight, exercising sound judgment, and directing the work of creative partners, vendors, or cross functional contributors. Stakeholder Engagement: Experience partnering closely with senior leadership, translating high level objectives into actionable strategies, and providing clear recommendations and guidance. Staff Management: Proven experience directly managing staff, contractors, and vendors, including day‑to‑day supervision, coaching, and performance accountability. Cross Level Communication: Able to adapt tone, messaging, and delivery style across a range of diverse audiences, including C‑Suite executives, senior leadership, elected or political officials, and community leadership. #J-18808-Ljbffr