Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Crawford & Company (Crawford) is an independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk management and insurance industry, as well as self-insured entities entities, with a global network serving clients in more than 70 countries. It has four segments: America, which serves the property and casualty insurance company markets in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean; International Operations.

Crawford & Company is seeking a strategic marketing and communications executive with a proven track record of success. Leveraging the size of our company and scope of our business, this executive will be responsible for the development of global marketing, public relations and communications strategy and activities to expand market share across our business units, strengthen our brand and improve our competitive positioning. This individual will work closely with the leadership team and other thought leaders to develop and drive comprehensive marketing and communications programs, incorporating the vision, mission, values and strategic priorities of Crawford & Company.

* Creates strategic marketing business plan in conjunction with the CEOs of Crawford’s respective Business Units and oversees all aspects of media relations, including creating news releases and alerts; cultivating on-going and special events coverage with select top-tier media; responding to incoming media requests and inquiries; conducting proactive media outreach; tracking media results; and providing media training for the organization’s spokespeople. * Develops overall marketing strategy for business units including development and application of brand marketing and communications across all business units, definition of advertising needs, use of market intelligence, assessment of competitors, marketing materials, market segmentation and company’s position in the market. * Directs the planning, controlling and reporting processes for all growth initiatives. * Directs products and product development including the rollout of new products and services. * Develops and implements a strategic communications plan to advance Crawford & Company’s brand identity; broaden awareness of its programs and priorities; and increase the visibility of its programs across key stakeholder audiences. * Manages external PR initiative, including press release development, the development of talking points, internal and external presentations, positioning statements, videos, web content, and other communication materials. * Possesses a deep understanding of social media and ability to use different channels to drive communications programs. * Serves as subject matter expert on all company services and provides training and support to account management team to assist in customer interactions. * Responsible for uncovering product development opportunities based on market intelligence and customer feedback. * Collaborates with executive leadership, and other key stakeholders to recognize internal and external communications opportunities and solutions, and define and execute appropriate strategies to support them. * Collaborates with stakeholders to determine scope, messaging, audience, timeline, budget and accurate mix (e.g. videos, posters, email, etc.) of communication deliverables. * Designs, develops and implements a comprehensive communications strategy both at the corporate and business unit level that ensures relevant business information and updates cascade throughout Crawford & Company’s entire employee population. * Develops a communications strategy that will allow Crawford & Company to cultivate and enhance meaningful relationships with targeted, high-level external audiences, including the media and key influencers. * Promotes executive visibility to ensure leaders are at events aligned with key strategic objectives and interests in the markets, and help determine appropriate external engagement including boards, panels and other speaking opportunities. * Develops measurement criteria to effectively evaluate communications programs and incorporates changes into the communications program based upon measurement results. * Will be involved and be a strong contributor to the company’s strategic pricing group meetings. * Collaborates in the development of board and investor presentations to report company results and initiatives including messaging for client presentations to ensure consistency and alignment with brand. * Will support the company’s M&A and due diligence committee. * Manages proposal response team to ensure responses are based on business needs and timely. * Manage, develop, and motivate marketing and communication team responsible for internal and external communications, PR/media relations trade shows and events, advertising, corporate sponsorships, collateral and presentations to promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement. * Develops a long-range plan to take our communications team to the next level and ensure that our employees and external contacts have an appreciation for, and understanding of, our company vision, values and initiatives to foster shared understanding and engagement. * Upholds the Crawford code of Conduct.

**Requirements:** * Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Marketing or Public Relations is preferred. * Minimum five years’ experience in developing and implementing social media strategies. * Experience in developing and executing marketing and communication strategies * Experience working with diverse communication platforms, including digital, video, web, and print. * Proficient in communications software, Microsoft Office Suite, and a working knowledge of web-based communication tools. * Applies knowledge of brand marketing and communications strategies. * Applies brand knowledge to develop multimedia deliverables. * Ability to identify and create appropriate messaging for the appropriate audience, utilizing the most effective communication channels. **Preferred:** * Master’s Degree is a plus. * Minimum ten years’ experience is preferred, including an emphasis on internal and external communication, as well as social media, marketing or public relations.