Director, Brand and Communications

At Caribou, we care about giving people financial freedom so they can focus on what’s most important to them. Today, less than two percent of Americans refinance their auto loans despite drastic increases in the cost of new and used cars. We see huge potential to help folks reduce their monthly auto expenses, as well as increase the predictability of those expenses over time. We do this by building technology to pair customers with community banks and credit unions, and ushering them through the process quickly. On average, our drivers save $115/month on their car loans while protecting their investment long term. 

Caribou is led by leaders from the technology, automotive, and finance industries. We’re proud to be backed by a great team of investors, including QED Investors, Goldman Sachs, Moderne Ventures, Accomplice, Link Ventures, Motley Fool Ventures and others.

About the Role

As the Director of Brand and Communications, you will be responsible for growing our brand awareness and consideration, while establishing Caribou as the leader in the auto refinancing space. This role is a blend of strategy and execution, storytelling and relationship building, with a focus on building a strong, consistent brand identity and clear value proposition across earned and social media, with consumers and B2B partners. You’ll oversee brand and communications strategy, storytelling, content, organic social media, community engagement, and creative direction. The ideal candidate is both strategic-minded and a hands-on leader who will craft and execute initiatives that build brand equity and drive customer engagement and advocacy.

In this role, you will be responsible for…

• Brand Strategy: Build our brand awareness and consideration by developing and implementing a comprehensive brand strategy that reflects our core values, mission, and market positioning. Guide the evolution of our brand to ensure it remains relevant, competitive, unique, and inspiring.
• Brand Storytelling: Craft and communicate a compelling brand narrative that resonates with our target consumer audience, strategic partners, and lenders to generate awareness, enhance brand affinity, and differentiate us in the market. Lead efforts to clearly communicate our value proposition across customer touchpoints, including PR, lifecycle marketing, website content, social media, blog content, and marketing campaigns.
• PR Strategy and  Execution: Develop and execute PR strategies, including pitching compelling story ideas to media outlets to generate consistent media coverage and leads across print, digital, and broadcast platforms. 
• Content Strategy: Oversee content strategy and lead the development of high-quality, on-brand content across channels, to attract, educate, and engage prospects, leads, and customers across the customer lifecycle.
• Community  Engagement: Evolve and execute an organic social media and third party review site strategy that builds community, fosters positive engagement, and promotes brand advocacy. 
• Customer Insights: Conduct customer surveys and stay updated on industry trends, consumer preferences, and competitive landscape, using insights to inform brand decisions.
• Brand Performance Tracking: Track brand health metrics to measure the effectiveness of brand initiatives, storytelling efforts, and audience engagement. Provide regular updates to executive leadership on brand performance, insights, and opportunities for growth. 
• CEO/C-Suite Branding: Develop and execute a CEO branding strategy to position the CEO and other C-Suite executives as industry thought leaders.
• Brand and Creative Team Leadership: Manage a small team with a mix of FTEs, contractors and/or agency partners.
• Brand Stewardship: Work cross-functionally with performance marketing, partnerships, product, sales, lending, people & culture, and other teams to ensure brand alignment and consistency. 

This role can be based out of our Caribou office in Denver, CO. Alternatively, this role may work remotely from a state where Caribou operates, with a preference for the Chicago, IL, Denver, CO or San Francisco, CA markets.*

This role will require attendance at occasional in-person team meetings at one of our offices.

 About You:

You, like us, are driven to achieve your goals. At Caribou, we have just three core values: Give a damn. Velocity. Make the assist. We’re motivated. We race towards our goals. And we help each other along the way. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of brand strategy and brand building experience, preferably in a high growth start-up in the fintech or financial services industry. 
• Experience managing PR, social media, and content strategy, with a passion for creating impactful brand narratives. 
• Gifted storyteller and creative thinker with a strong sense of design, aesthetics, and narrative structure.
• Proven leadership skills, with experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with an ability to articulate and advocate for the brand vision.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

How we will take care of you:

Everyone at Caribou is a valued team member. Our compensation and benefits package includes: 

• Competitive compensation: $148k - $185k
• Eligible for annual performance-based incentive
• Equity options
• 401k savings program
• Generous paid time off including: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for all employees and 100% paid parental leave for all parents.
• Robust wellness benefits including company-paid plans for health, dental, vision, mental health, disability and basic life insurance.
• Optional benefits to suit your individual circumstances such as HSAs, FSAs, supplemental life and medical insurance, and pet insurance.
• Up to $1,000 per year for eligible professional development expenses.

We come from all walks of life and are joined together by our shared values, which guide our work and how we work together. 

• Give a damn. What we’re doing matters. We show up determined to deliver results, and we love it.
• Velocity. We’re intentional about where we’re going and we race towards it.  
• Make the assist. We have diverse strengths. We offer and ask for help so we all win.  

Caribou is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, marital status, military or protected veteran status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by law. This position is not restricted solely to the responsibilities listed above, and the scope and responsibilities are subject to change. A pre-employment background check is required as a condition of employment.

*Caribou does not currently have employee operations in AL, AK, AR, CT, DE, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, ME, MI, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WV, WY.

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