Senior Director, Brand and Impact Marketing

ABOUT ULI

The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members. Founded in 1936, ULI has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing the full spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines across private enterprise and public service.

ULI is committed to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, and we embrace our core values of integrity, collaboration, inclusion, and excellence in service to our members.

ABOUT THE ROLE

ULI's brand is not a logo or a color palette. It is the sum of every story we tell about the work our members do and the impact that work has on communities around the world. As the Senior Director, Brand and Impact Marketing, you are the person responsible for that brand: how it looks, how it sounds, and how it shows up in the stories ULI tells to its members, its donors, and the broader market.

This role sits at the intersection of two things that are inseparable at a mission-driven organization. On one side: brand stewardship and creative services, the visual identity, the guidelines, the creative team, and the conference brand that shows up for 5,500 people at the Fall Meeting.

On the other: impact storytelling, the strategy for finding ULI's stories, surfacing them from district councils and programs across 80 countries, and distributing them through the right channels to the audiences that matter most.

The brand infrastructure is established and running well. The storytelling function is newer and represents the biggest growth opportunity in the role. The incoming Senior Director will inherit a strong foundation and be expected to build what does not yet exist: a systematic approach to how ULI captures and communicates its impact.

This role reports to the SVP Global Member Experience and Marketing and manages a small team of direct reports, with additional oversight of a contracted creative services team.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Brand Strategy and Governance

• Lead the ongoing evolution of ULI's global brand strategy, ensuring consistency and coherence across all channels, regions, and programs
• Serve as ULI's internal brand authority: guide departments on brand usage, manage naming conventions, and steward the brand architecture as new programs and affinity groups are developed
• Define and track brand KPIs including awareness, relevance, favorability, and recall
• Develop and maintain brand guidelines, toolkits, and asset libraries used by teams globally, including district councils and local and national councils via ULI's Canva account
• Lead brand and messaging for the Americas Spring and Fall Meetings, including all on-site signage, general session look and feel, and conference narrative, in close partnership with the meetings team

Creative Services Leadership

• Manage ULI's contracted creative services team, including designers and a project manager resourced through an agency statement of work, as well as a full-time Senior Copy Editor (direct report)
• Oversee RoboHead, ULI's creative project management platform, ensuring internal stakeholders across the organization can efficiently request, track, and receive creative deliverables
• Provide creative direction and quality review on all output, ensuring brand compliance and a consistently high standard across print, digital, event materials, and publications
• Manage the incoming in-house design team (Senior Designer and Production Designer, roles planned) once those positions are filled

Impact Storytelling and Philanthropic Marketing

• Develop and own ULI's global storytelling strategy: establish where stories originate, how they are surfaced from district councils and programs across regions, and how they are distributed to members, donors, and the broader market
• Manage and mentor a dedicated storyteller (hire pending), setting priorities and ensuring quality and consistency across all impact narratives and channels
• Collaborate with C-suite stakeholders, program leaders, district council staff, and the ULI Foundation to identify and communicate mission impact stories that drive membership engagement and philanthropic giving
• Lead the Annual Report end-to-end, including story selection, production oversight, and the communications strategy for distributing it to Governors, Founders, and key member leaders

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Required

• 10 or more years of experience in brand strategy, creative direction, or integrated marketing, with a demonstrated track record of leading brand in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Genuine storytelling capability: experience developing and executing impact or mission-driven content strategy, not just brand execution or creative production
• Experience managing and directing creative teams, including designers, copyeditors, and agency or contract resources; comfortable briefing, reviewing, and redirecting without being a hands-on designer
• Background in a membership association, nonprofit, philanthropically funded organization, or an agency whose client base included these types of organizations; understanding of mission-driven culture, member-first orientation, and philanthropic funding models is important
• Proven ability to build alignment and compliance across a matrixed organization where brand guidance must be adopted by teams and departments without a formal reporting relationship
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present and advise at senior levels
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously across a global organization
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or a related field

Preferred

• Experience administering a brand across global regions including APAC and EMEA
• Background in philanthropic or capital-raise marketing, donor communications, or foundation-facing content strategy
• Familiarity with Canva, RoboHead, or similar creative operations platforms
• Real estate, land use, or built environment sector knowledge

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In the first six months, success means the creative services function is running smoothly under your leadership, brand governance is fully absorbed, and the Spring or Fall Meeting brand is delivered without gaps. The existing team has confidence in its new leader, and key internal stakeholders know how to work with you.

By the end of year one, a documented storytelling strategy is in place, a publishing cadence is running, and the right stories are reaching the right audiences through the right channels. Members and donors can feel the difference.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $106,916 to $120,281 annually, which includes base salary and performance-based incentive eligibility. Compensation is determined by experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors.

ULI offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and life insurance; generous vacation leave; and a retirement plan with employer match.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Urban Land Institute is committed to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, and we embrace our core values of integrity, collaboration, inclusion, and excellence in service to our members.

In alignment with the Board of Directors' strong commitment to in-person collaboration, our roles require regular on-site presence to foster teamwork, innovation, and organizational effectiveness. ULI's primary workplace remains its offices, where in-person collaboration supports our mission and service to members.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please follow the link. Please submit a resume and a letter of interest.

ULI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion/creed, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran or active military status, non-citizenship or citizenship status, arrest or conviction record, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or partnership status, familial status, unemployment status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sexual violence, or any other status protected by applicable law.

EOE/m/f/d/v. No relocation reimbursement is offered at this time.