Head of Marketing and PR, North America

Paul Smith is one of Britain’s leading independent design companies. We champion positivity, curiosity and creativity. These qualities underpin every Paul Smith design, whether it’s a shirt, a shop or a special collaboration. Reaffirming the values that Paul set down in 1970, ‘classic with a twist’ remains the guiding principle of the company. Happily positioned between high fashion and formalwear, while taking reference from both, Paul Smith has always been proud to stand apart.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Head of Marketing & PR will manage all marketing activities across the region in an effort to grow our business, promote the Paul Smith brand and lead strategy and communication in partnership with Paul Smith HQ for the North American Market. This role will have influential ownership and leadership of our North American brand communications.

The role will require creative, bold, and ambitious future thinking and planning to drive innovative local fashion forward results to evolve and define brand awareness in the region through communication strategies for product, collections, events, campaigns, and talent. Leveraging Brand Marketing strategies and assets to develop executable plans and support sales growth, while balancing and advocating Brand priorities. This entrepreneurial and motivated individual will collaborate internally and externally to proactively drive sales

This position is hybrid based in the NY HQ and will have a dual reporting line to both the regional President in NY and the Global Director of Brand & Communications in London

This role will have 3 direct reports and oversee the for credit internship program.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JOB:

Marketing Strategy

• Develop regional brand marketing strategies, calendars and budgets across our regional marketing channels to raise brand awareness and drive the commercial strategy.
• Create both localized execution of global initiatives and strategic local initiatives.
• Bring knowledge of consumer, industry and marketing trends and insights to our regional approach.

Brand

• Develop regional messaging the bring the brand values to life in a regionally appropriate way.
• Ideate and execute brand moments that bring awareness and relevance to the brand.

Press

• Deliver on communication objectives laid out by Global HQ and develop local initiatives in line with direction given by North American strategy.
• Generate positive press and ensure that Paul Smith and key special projects are consistently represented in relevant media in North America.
• Manage Sir Paul Smith’s regional personal press and where necessary his schedule while in the market.
• Pinpoint wardrobing opportunities with talent and VIP brand ambassadors, develop relationships with talent and their representatives with a view to maximizing brand awareness and positive positioning in the market.
• Nurture and develop press relations across the market, consistently communicating Paul Smith as a luxury British brand and pinpoint opportunities which will maximize this positioning.
• Organize and host press, influencer & VIP appointments in store, in the showroom and at relevant external locations.
• Launch each season’s new collection via press day presentations or equivalent reflective of global guidelines.
• Oversee and manage the North America Press Showroom, maintaining a high standard of presentation and organization at all times.
• Attend, organize and manage the seasonal shows and collection launches ensuring top caliber attendance and a high level organization throughout. Liaise with the Global HQ and European Press Offices to arrange tickets for North American press to attend the Paul Smith seasonal shows.
• Manage influencer gifting program in the North American market, working alongside Global HQ to deliver seasonal content from key partnerships within set guidelines.

Trade

• Managed the trade marketing plan and executing alongside the regional trade marketing executive and HQ counterparts.
• Lead efforts to drive, align, and execute all local key Brand initiatives across wholesale, in-store and digital channels. Ensuring consistency across in-store and digital channels when planning seasonal strategies, assets, POS, and activations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Design, brand merchandising, commercial, regional, digital, Media, Retail, Licensing) to plan and execute campaigns and promotional campaigns across various media channels to increase brand visibility.
• Establish go to market product strategies, driving sell in and sell thru in partnership with the VP of Wholesale and Retail Area Manager.
• Provide oversight for project briefs ensuring directives are created, tools are developed, and the brand voice is clearly communicated and cohesive
• Track results across all projects and initiatives to be able to share with team members and Leadership, measure marketing program effectiveness via regular monitoring of KPI's
• Ensure wholesale coop spend is performing to expectations.
• Develop engagement strategies in wholesale accounts to bring Paul Smith to life for the consumer. Strategically provide recommendations for marketing requests and updates, driving productivity

Leadership

• Lead and oversee 3x direct reports who will support the with day to day. Mentorship and career development support is expected for all direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• 10+ years of work experience
• 4-year degree, preferably in the marketing or communications field
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Office & Adobe Suite
• Have a vast network of VIP talent, stylists, and top editors
• Budget management experience, required
• Retail and/or wholesale experience in a multi-category brand is a plus
• Previous experience managing, a plus
• A positive attitude and proven experience working collaboratively with internal and external team members to achieve deliverables
• Ability to think strategically and implement tactically
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational skills, presentation skills, and positive demeanour - a creative and out of the box thinker
• Market awareness and strong passion for the fashion industry and trends
• Emulate the brand aesthetic and embody and strong sense of fashion
• Quantitative and analytical skills
• Ability to manage and develop relationships across groups and functionals at all levels of the organization

WHATS IN IT FOR YOU:

• This role will be paid a base salary between $150,000 and $175,000, commensurate with experience.
• A generous Clothing Allowance
• Discount on Paul Smith goods
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans are available through TriNet for the team member plus their spouse, children, or whole family, with generous employer contribution. Pet Insurance and other ancillary benefits available within our comprehensive package offerings!
• 401k with a 3% match
• 10 company holidays and generous PTO plan

At Paul Smith, we celebrate and encourage applications from all walks of life into our growing workforce. We are committed to empowering people from any background, belief system, or ethnicity, offering an inclusive environment where talent is recognized and valued.

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.