Senior Manager, Brand Applications

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. Youâll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of .
• Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelorâs degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

As the Senior Manager for Brand Applications at Abbott, you will play a key role in shaping, elevating, and establishing Abbott's brand as an iconic and trusted household name.  You will serve as the expert in visual identity, style, and design systems that align with our brand strategy by developing and deploying Abbottâs foundational brand identity system, brand elements, assets, and applications across business/product and corporate touchpoints, to drive brand cohesion, strengthen brand affinity, and drive business growth.  Your high-visibility, high-impact work will facilitate the seamless adoption and consistent representation of the brand across all of Abbottâs consumer and professional touchpoints. This position works out of our Abbott Park headquarter location. 

What Youâll Work On

• Identity System:  Provide creative and brand direction across the company, including setting priorities for short- and long-term identity systems. Manage the brandâs creative point-of-view across marketing efforts and provide guidance to key business partners on art direction, tone of voice, and overall corporate/product branding. Create and deploy Abbottâs identity system across visual, verbal, and experiential applications and touchpoints. Elevate creative work that reflects Abbottâs brand with consumer and professional audiences and aligns with the architecture strategy.
• Brand Applications:  Set the standards for the creative output by driving design strategies. Serve as the creative lead for marketing applications (e.g., collateral, packaging, digital, retail) that can be scaled within the brand architecture pillar strategy and across Abbottâs portfolio. Apply high-visibility, iconic core Abbott brand elements for specific applications that deliver impact in digital and traditional touchpoints.
• Brand Assets:  Support the creation of design assets for global brands, aligning internal and external design talent and working cross-functionally to ensure creative aligns with Abbottâs brand expression. Create high-impact brand assets (e.g., concepts, designs, and original graphics) for the Abbott brand and its products for digital and traditional applications (e.g., illustrations, photography, motion graphics, icons).
• Brand Consulting: Support corporate and brand marketing teams as an identity creative consultant across global applications and brand extensions. Provide clarity and focus for implementation teams and work to ensure that local and regional applications of the brand remain within identity standards. Build trust and relationships to increase collaboration across a large variety of partners and geographies.
• Guidelines: Develop brand system elements, assets, tools, and easy-to-use guidelines that creatively market our products across digital/traditional channels to ensure global consistency. Maintain brand design integrity by collaborating in the development of creative guidance, including design documentation, style guides, visual identity systems, and ongoing updates.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelorâs degree in business, marketing, or related field is required.
• At least 6 years of agency or corporate brand experience managing brand identity systems, brand architecture, and portfolio strategy.
• Experience developing, socializing, and enforcing brand guidance documents and accompanying tools.
• Well-cultivated project management skills. 
• Proven experience and ability to cultivate/develop strong relationships and successfully interface with all organizational levels is critical. 
• Must demonstrate an ability to generate credibility and engage cross-functional team members to execute and achieve desired results.
• Well-developed problem-solving and communication skills.
• Candidates must have a track record of excellent professional writing, communication, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Positive, can-do attitude; demonstrated ability to get a job done while managing through ambiguity or environmental changes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to think âoutside the boxâ when it comes to product and business strategy.
• Experience supporting brand integration efforts following acquisitions, mergers, or significant product portfolio transformations.
• Experience working across industries, both B2C and B2B.

Key Success Factors

• Brand Excellence:  Deep understanding of brand and creative strategy. Proven track record of deploying a cohesive brand identity system across a diverse range of businesses with strong applications demonstrated in B2C and B2B touchpoints.
• Strategic: Demonstrated results in brand creation and expression, with the ability for directing and driving the adoption of visual, verbal, and experiential guidance, to unlock growth opportunities. Experience partnering with stakeholders to assess, develop and execute brand migration plans for products that have existing equities, within a corporate brand identity system, while minimizing business disruption.
• Creative: Demonstrated experience in a creative role, with a complex product portfolio, either on the agency side or in-house team. Creative capabilities to evaluate, create and apply brand elements to specific applications that deliver impact in digital and traditional applications. Experience managing a range of creative positions, such as designers, copywriters, account manager, and other related team members.
• Brand Implementation: Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, providing direction and coaching to implement at a high level. Demonstrated leadership skills working under tight deadlines, to ensure consistent implementation of the brand identity across all touchpoints, and dedication to maintaining brand consistency and integrity despite challenges.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:  Extensive experience leading design, production, and internal/agency partner teams in a matrixed organization to achieve results. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional groups and stakeholders at all levels in the organization.
• Leadership/Influence:  Strong leadership and influencing skills with the ability to set direction even when faced with ambiguity. Experience working with product teams to inspire and motivate cross-functional partners and agencies, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment. 

* Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.

The base pay for this position is $125,300.00 â $250,700.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.