Manager - Brand Alignment

Main Objective

Provides strategic leadership, governance, and organizational direction for the Arthrex Brand Alignment function. Establishes and drives enterprise-wide brand standards, merchandising strategy, and governance processes to ensure a consistent global brand experience across corporate, divisional, international, retail, agency, and partner touchpoints. Serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on brand stewardship, merchandise programs, and corporate identity initiatives while leading the long-term vision, priorities, and operational effectiveness of the Brand Alignment team.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Brand Governance

• Establishing standards, policies, governance frameworks, and ensuring consistent execution of the Arthrex brand across the enterprise.
• Reviews projects/requests (internal and external) to ensure brand consistency, accuracy, and alignment with Arthrex standards.
• Defines standards, workflows, processes, and procedures for the team and provides training and documentation to support these practices.
• Partner with executive leadership, Legal, Compliance, Marketing, Communications, Human Resources, and international stakeholders to establish enterprise-wide decisions regarding branding, merchandise strategy, and corporate identity governance.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to document standards and update existing guidelines, style guides, brand strategy, and merchandise policies.
• Establish enterprise governance models for brand usage, merchandise programs, digital platforms, and corporate identity management.
• Collaborate with Creative Solutions Leadership Team to align on brand governance, policy development, and brand compliance initiatives.
• Manage and provide direction on internal Arthrex branded merchandise by aligning with branding guidelines, merchandise policies, and established criteria for business uses and new selections.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and success metrics for brand compliance, merchandise programs, platform adoption, and customer engagement initiatives.

Strategic Merchandising & Retail Leadership

• Driving the business strategy, performance, operational effectiveness, and innovation of merchandise and retail programs.
• Develop and execute the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for Brand Alignment initiatives across the organization.
• Manage the operation of the Arthrex Proud store, including scheduling, coverage, merchandising, buying strategy, promotions, sales reporting, seasonal merchandise planning, and pop-up shop execution.
• Maintain a high level of customer engagement with the Arthrex Proud store.
• Manage online and internal merchandise programs (New Hire, Uniforms, etc.) and one-time requests to fulfill company needs while ensuring alignment with guidelines and policies.
• Establish and monitor performance metrics, customer engagement analytics, inventory trends, sales performance, and brand compliance indicators to guide strategic decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Monitor program performance, vendor expenditures, and financial outcomes to ensure operational efficiency and responsible resource allocation.
• Negotiate and manage strategic vendor relationships to maximize quality, service, and organizational value.
• Evaluate emerging industry trends, technologies, and best practices and incorporate innovative approaches into brand stewardship and merchandising strategies.
• Maintain all tools and platforms created by the team.
• Manage system updates, as well as the adoption of new systems, for onsite Arthrex campus stores.

Executive Consulting & Cross-Functional Influence

• Influencing enterprise decisions, advising leadership, and leading strategic partnerships.
• Serve as a strategic consultant to executive leadership on matters related to branding, merchandise programs, employee engagement initiatives, and corporate identity management.
• Work closely and maintain strong cross-functional relationships with executive stakeholders to present projects related to key initiatives.
• Partner with executive leadership to identify opportunities to strengthen brand equity, employee engagement, and organizational culture through strategic brand initiatives.
• Communicate regularly with Creative Solutions leadership to report inefficiencies, opportunities for improvement, and identify solutions to make timely adjustments and improvements.

People Leadership & Organizational Development

• Building team capability, developing talent, and ensuring organizational effectiveness.
• Provides timely performance reviews, appraises performance, and successfully resolves conflict.
• Sets goals and objectives for team members.
• Lead workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, and organizational structure recommendations for the Brand Alignment team.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing team members while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Manage team capacity, resource allocation, and prioritization of work to ensure alignment with organizational objectives.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, Communications, Business, Retail Management, or related field required.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in brand management, merchandising, retail operations, marketing, or related field.
• 5+ years of leadership or management experience leading high-performing teams.
• Experience developing enterprise policies, governance frameworks, and cross-functional strategic initiatives.
• Experience collaborating directly with executive leadership and influencing organizational decisions.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements/Specialized Courses and/or Training

• Demonstrated success leading, developing, and collaborating with high-performing teams while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Expert knowledge of brand governance, enterprise brand management principles, vendor management, merchandise purchasing, retail operations, and associated business systems and platforms.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to develop strategic plans, manage budgets, analyze performance metrics, and drive measurable organizational outcomes.
• Proven ability to influence decision-making across multiple business functions and leadership levels while building strong relationships with executive leadership, direct reports, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change initiatives, establishing standards and governance frameworks, and driving adoption of new processes, systems, and technologies.
• Proven ability to serve as a brand advocate, effectively communicating conceptual ideas, strategy, and rationale while championing a user-centered approach.
• Highly effective problem-solving, organizational, project management, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and meet critical deadlines in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution while working independently and exercising sound judgment under minimal supervision.
• Driven to continuously explore emerging technologies, industry trends, and innovative solutions.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, confidentiality, integrity, and professional discretion.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator preferred.