Marketing Leader

Job description / Role

Job Description

Saudi Arabia is a key growth market for MEP. Reflecting the demands of the market and the expanded scope of the role, this is a senior position with experience in portfolio marketing , territory strategy and planning, brand-building, marketing campaign execution, combined with strong operational discipline, for all marketing activities and outcomes in KSA. The role requires domain knowledge both of marketing and communications disciplines.

The incumbent will be responsible to determine and execute on the campaigns for KSA each quarter, including digitally delived activities from MEA Top and WW. Will provide direct ownership and accountability for all KSA events within the quarterly marketing plan and to meet the required business goals, which are inclusive of both awareness and demand generation objectives. The event strategy and execution will consist of IBM led (proprietary) events and third-party (non-proprietary) sponsorship of events as well as on-line events (webcasts)

The right candidate will leverage the Marketing Tools, Processes and Platforms to deliver a differentiated and exceptional event experience for every event and campaign touchpoint. Demonstrate understanding of analytics tools that will lead to recommendations on event performance, event optimization, audience generation, effective use of event tactics, return on investment, as well as digital and social engagement platforms that provide a particularly powerful marketing and communications platform in Saudi Arabia.

The right candidate must be organized, possess exceptional project management and execution skills, as well as be able to manage multiple campaigns and events simultaneously. They must be able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, work closely with IBM's KSA management, local and international agencies / event production companies. They will be required to have a deep understanding of event best practices, know and follow the latest trends, and be able to match unique experiences to the required business goals.
To be successful in this role, the candidate must have a deep understanding of the target audience (from C-Level Executives to developers and IT functions), and a strong interest in the technologies and solutions IBM is bringing to market. And finally, they must possess the leadership skills to not only lead and champion these activities, but also constantly challenge them to improve, to engage the business in support of the right selections with strongest possible outcomes, and to build and lead an eminent, talented and motivated marketing team.

Key responsibilities:

- Create and execute a national marketing and communications plan. Develop customer, market, and competitor insights to inform the plan. Work collaboratively with the KSA business team to develop and implement quarterly marketing plans.
- Maximize the impact of the plan by implementation both in collaboration with channel partners and also separately from the partners in order to strengthen the IBM's market image. Gain support for the plan, and help the partners implement elements of the plan.
- Become a subject matter expert and establish strong ties with customers and with industry experts. Share the expertise and connections effectively with the global teams.
- Work with MEA communications to develop media strategy of both paid and earned media. The plan should include both an earned media strategy and a paid content placement strategy.
- Work with local partners to implement product positioning and messaging, backed up by market insights, that make the offerings truly special to partners and to customers.
- Ensure all events are surrounded by digital and social tactics, to drive buyer engagement before, during and after the event
- Negotiate sponsorships and plan overall event experiences that differentiate IBM experience
- Create detailed project plans for all events, including timelines, venues, vendors, staffing, speakers, related promotions, and budgets
- Coordinate with all internal and external stakeholders
- Collaborate with marketing campaign team to create pre, during, and post-event promotion and content plan
- Measure and analyze performance. Ensure event is an integrated part of a campaign
- Recommend additional event strategies to support business goals (webinars, livestream, custom add-ons, roadshows)
- Project manage events end to end for on time execution

Requirements

Qualifications:

- Strong marketing and communication experience with a track record of success (at least 10 years in senior/leadership roles).
- Strong marketing experience, ideally with international / MNC experience and exposure to both B2B and B2C markets.
- Understanding of digital marketing as well as traditional marketing and sales models
- Both a tech background and an MBA preferred.

EO Statement

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Preferred Education: Bachelor's Degree Commissionable: No

Key Job Details

- Country: SA
- State: AR RIYAD
- City: RIYADH
- Category: Marketing & Communications
- Required Education: Bachelor's Degree
- Position Type: Professional
- Employment Type: Full-Time
- Contract Type: Regular
- Location: RIYADH, AR RIYAD SA

About the Company

For more than six decades, IBM Middle East & Pakistan has played a vital role in shaping the information technology landscape of the region. Today, IBM is part of the region's technological fabric, solving real-world business and societal challenges, through its offices in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Pakistan, and also a diversity of centers across the region.

Within the region, IBM currently has groundbreaking initiatives in cloud computing, analytics, mobile, security, as well as nanotechnology, eGovernment, healthcare and many more, collaborating with leading educational institutes and governments. IBM supports hundreds of clients to drive transformation through technology, contributes to regional research & development programs and has an active Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program.

Reinvention is a keyword in the company's history and, today, IBM is much more than a "hardware, software, services" company. IBM is now emerging as a cognitive solutions and cloud platform company.