Startegic Brand & Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Strategic Brand & Design Manager

Company: SITA Switzerland Sarl

Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Marketing & Brand Management

Date Posted: 2026-09-18

Experience Level: 10+ years

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the global brand and design function, shaping the company's visual identity and creative output.

• Develop and own the strategic brand platform, including brand architecture, personality, and identity systems.

• Manage and mentor a team of brand managers, designers, and video specialists, setting high quality standards.

• Oversee creative direction for major corporate initiatives, publications, executive presentations, and event environments.

• Collaborate with global, business unit, and regional teams to ensure consistent and effective brand implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Strategic Brand & Design Manager," the responsibilities and qualifications strongly indicate a leadership role within the marketing and brand function, focusing on strategic brand development and creative oversight rather than direct revenue operations or sales operations. The emphasis is on B2B branding and corporate identity within a complex, global technology and aviation industry context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic brand platform, encompassing brand architecture, personality, and comprehensive verbal and visual identity systems.

• Create scalable brand tools and guidelines that empower global, business unit, and regional teams to operate autonomously while maintaining brand consistency.

• Define the strategic roadmap for brand evolution and articulate the business case for necessary investments to senior leadership.

• Own and evolve the corporate messaging architecture and tone of voice, ensuring alignment across all communications.

• Provide strategic frameworks for product messaging to portfolio and business units, ensuring coherence with the overarching corporate brand.

• Review and approve flagship corporate content for message clarity, tone, and brand alignment.

• Set a distinct design direction that differentiates SITA from traditional telecommunications and IT companies.

• Personally direct and oversee creative execution for high-impact materials, including publications, executive presentations, films, and event environments.

• Establish and enforce standards for creative briefs and approve or reject work from internal teams and external agencies.

• Define and manage the brand experience at key industry events, including exhibition presence, demo environments, and briefing spaces.

• Translate event narratives into cohesive spatial design, staging, demo flows, and visual systems.

• Brief and manage experiential and production partners, holding them accountable for delivering on brand standards and quality.

• Oversee brand governance, including the maintenance of guidelines, templates, an asset library, and an efficient review process that scales globally.

• Manage creative direction and quality assurance for brand, design, and experience agencies.

• Lead, mentor, and inspire the internal brand manager, graphic designer, and video team, setting clear expectations for quality and performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities heavily emphasize strategic brand development, creative direction, and team/agency management, aligning with a senior marketing or brand leadership role. The "operations" aspect is tangential, focusing on the operational efficiency of brand deployment and governance rather than core business operations, sales, or revenue cycles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Marketing, Brand Management, Graphic Design, Communications, or a related field is typically expected for such a senior role.

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in brand, design, or creative leadership roles.

• Minimum of 3 years in a senior role managing a team of creative professionals.

• Proven track record of owning, developing, and evolving a B2B brand, demonstrating strategic ownership beyond execution.

• Experience managing creative directors or senior designers, with a well-defined perspective on creative excellence.

• Experience managing external creative agencies, from briefing to final execution, ensuring quality, consistency, and strategic alignment.

• Experience working within a matrixed global organization, demonstrating commercial sensitivity and the ability to navigate competing priorities.

• Experience in technology, aviation, or similarly complex industry sectors is advantageous. Required Skills:

• Brand Strategy: Development and implementation of strategic brand platforms, including architecture, personality, and identity systems.

• Visual Identity Management: Expertise in defining and evolving visual identity systems, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints.

• Creative Direction: Ability to set design direction, provide clear feedback, and oversee the quality of creative output.

• Team Leadership: Proven experience managing, mentoring, and developing creative teams (brand managers, designers, video specialists).

• B2B Branding: Deep understanding and practical experience in building and managing brands in a business-to-business context.

• Corporate Messaging: Ownership of corporate messaging architecture, tone of voice, and communication frameworks.

• Agency Management: Skilled in briefing, managing, and evaluating performance of external creative and experiential agencies.

• Stakeholder Management: Ability to engage effectively with senior executives, peers, and junior team members in a global, matrixed environment.

• Strategic Planning: Capacity to operate at both strategic and detailed levels, linking brand initiatives to business objectives.

• Budget Management: Experience managing project budgets and agency costs effectively.

• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to articulate strategic rationale and influence senior leadership.

• Project Management: Proficiency in managing timelines, resources, and competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

• Brand Governance: Establishing and enforcing brand guidelines, templates, and review processes.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the technology or aviation industries.

• Familiarity with global marketing operations and campaign execution.

• Understanding of digital marketing and content strategy integration with brand.

• Experience with brand measurement and ROI analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications are heavily focused on brand strategy, creative leadership, and team management, typical for a senior marketing or brand role. While "operations" is mentioned in the context of brand operations (governance, scalable tools), it does not imply a direct Revenue Operations or Sales Operations function. The emphasis on B2B and complex industries suggests a need for strategic thinking and adaptability.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of strategic brand development initiatives, showcasing the evolution of a B2B brand.

• Case studies detailing the creation and implementation of visual identity systems and brand guidelines.

• Examples of successful corporate messaging architecture and tone of voice development.

• Evidence of creative direction for high-impact projects (e.g., publications, executive presentations, event environments).

• Documentation of experience managing external agencies and ensuring quality creative output.

• Projects illustrating experience within complex industries like technology or aviation.

• Examples of how brand governance processes were established and maintained at scale. Process Documentation:

• Documented approach to building and evolving a strategic brand platform.

• Methodologies for creating scalable brand tools and empowering decentralized teams.

• Frameworks for developing corporate messaging architecture and tone of voice.

• Processes for creative brief development, review, and approval.

• Strategies for translating event narratives into experiential design and execution.

• Systems for managing brand governance, asset libraries, and review workflows.

• Leadership methodologies for managing and developing creative teams and external partners.

📝 Enhancement Note: Portfolio requirements are geared towards showcasing strategic brand development, creative leadership, and management capabilities. While process documentation is implied through the responsibilities (e.g., building scalable tools, governance), it's framed within brand execution rather than operational efficiency metrics or sales process optimization, which would be typical for RevOps/SalesOps roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Given the seniority (10+ years experience, management role), location (Barcelona, Spain), and industry (global technology/aviation), a competitive salary can be estimated. Based on market research for similar roles in major European cities and considering the company's global presence, a typical annual salary range for a Strategic Brand & Design Manager would likely fall between €70,000 and €100,000 gross per year.

📝 Enhancement Note: This salary estimate is based on typical compensation for senior brand and creative leadership roles in major European tech hubs. Actual compensation may vary based on the candidate's specific experience, negotiation, and the company's internal compensation structure. Research for similar roles in Barcelona (e.g., using Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, local recruitment agency data) supports this range.

Benefits:

• Flex Week: Opportunity to work from home up to 2 days per week, depending on team needs, promoting work-life balance.

• Flex Day: Flexibility to structure the workday to accommodate personal plans and life events.

• Flex-Location: Ability to work remotely from any location for up to 30 days per year, offering significant global mobility.

• Employee Wellbeing: Comprehensive support through a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and dependents, and access to the Champion Health platform for personalized wellbeing needs.

• Professional Development: Extensive learning opportunities including access to LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft's Enterprise Skills Initiative, Airport Council International, Pluralsight (for tech upskilling), Harvard Business Publishing (for leadership), and Stanford (for strategic development), aligned with individual development plans and business priorities.

• Competitive Benefits: A package of benefits tailored to the local market and employment status, designed to be competitive and relevant.

Working Hours:

The role is full-time, with an expectation of 40 hours per week. The "Flex Day" benefit suggests a degree of flexibility in daily scheduling, allowing employees to adapt their working hours to personal needs, provided core responsibilities and team collaboration requirements are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits package, particularly the flexibility options (Flex Week, Flex Day, Flex-Location) and robust professional development resources, is a significant draw for this role and aligns with modern employee expectations, especially for experienced professionals. The mention of "Flex Day" implies that while the total hours are standard, the specific timing can be managed.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: SITA operates within the aviation technology and services sector, providing critical IT and communication solutions to airports, airlines, and governments worldwide. This industry is characterized by high stakes, operational complexity, global reach, and a constant need for innovation to enhance efficiency, security, and passenger experience.

Company Size: SITA is a large, global organization, operating in approximately 200 countries with a diverse workforce speaking 60 languages. This scale implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for significant impact within specific domains. For operations professionals, this means navigating complex organizational structures and collaborating across numerous departments and geographies.

Founded: While the founding date isn't provided, SITA has a long-standing presence in the aviation industry, suggesting a history of evolution and adaptation to technological advancements and industry shifts. This longevity typically indicates a stable yet dynamic company culture, where established practices are balanced with a forward-looking approach to innovation.

Team Structure:

• The Brand & Design team is part of a larger marketing function and likely collaborates closely with product management, sales, corporate communications, and regional business units.

• The role reports to a senior marketing leader (e.g., VP of Marketing or Chief Marketing Officer), overseeing a direct team consisting of a Brand Manager, Graphic Designer, and Video Team.

• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, requiring effective communication and influence across different departments and geographical regions to ensure brand consistency and strategic alignment. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Brand Insights: While not explicitly stated, a modern brand strategy role would leverage market research, customer insights, and performance analytics to inform brand decisions and measure impact.

• Strategic Brand Planning: A structured approach to defining brand architecture, personality, messaging, and visual identity, aligned with SITA's business objectives and market positioning.

• Creative Excellence & Governance: A focus on setting high creative standards, managing agency partners effectively, and implementing robust governance processes to ensure brand consistency at scale across a global organization.

Company Website: https://www.sita.aero/

📝 Enhancement Note: The industry context of aviation technology is crucial. Operations professionals in this space must understand the critical nature of reliability, security, and efficiency. SITA's global footprint suggests a need for cultural sensitivity and adaptability in communication and strategy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a senior-level management position, leading a critical function within the marketing department. It sits at the intersection of strategic brand development, creative execution, and team leadership, requiring significant experience and a proven ability to drive brand initiatives at a global scale. It's a strategic contributor role with direct impact on the company's external perception and internal alignment.

Reporting Structure: The Strategic Brand & Design Manager will report to a senior marketing executive (e.g., VP of Marketing, CMO). They will directly manage a team comprising a Brand Manager, Graphic Designer, and Video Team. This structure allows for direct oversight of brand strategy execution and creative output.

Operations Impact: While not a traditional "operations" role in the sense of RevOps or SalesOps, this position has a significant impact on the company's commercial success by shaping its external perception, influencing market positioning, and supporting sales enablement through strong brand assets and consistent messaging. A well-defined and executed brand strategy can directly support lead generation, customer acquisition, and brand loyalty, indirectly impacting revenue.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into broader marketing leadership roles, such as Director of Marketing, VP of Marketing, or Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing a wider scope of marketing functions.

• Strategic Specialization: Deepen expertise in global brand strategy, B2B marketing for complex industries, or digital brand transformation.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Opportunities to lead cross-functional projects involving product marketing, corporate communications, and sales enablement, broadening strategic influence.

• Industry Expertise: Further develop specialized knowledge within the aviation and technology sectors, becoming a thought leader in industry branding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for this role is clearly within marketing and brand leadership. While it doesn't directly lead to a Revenue Operations or Sales Operations career track, the strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and impact on commercial outcomes are transferable skills.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The job is based in Barcelona, Spain, at SITA's offices located at Calle Álava 111. The description mentions "comfortable and fun places to work" and offers "Flex Week" (up to 2 days WFH) and "Flex Day" benefits, indicating a hybrid work model. This suggests a blend of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Barcelona, Spain. SITA is a global company with offices worldwide, but this specific role is tied to the Barcelona operations.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model facilitates collaboration, with dedicated office days likely used for team meetings, strategic planning sessions, and cross-functional discussions.

• Tools & Technology: While not explicitly detailed for this role, SITA's business implies a reliance on modern IT infrastructure, collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack), and design software. The role will likely involve using industry-standard design and project management tools.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with the internal brand and design team, as well as regular engagement with senior leadership and colleagues across various departments.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time position with standard working hours (approximately 40 hours per week), augmented by "Flex Day" flexibility, allowing for some adaptation of daily schedules. The hybrid nature means approximately 3 days per week are expected to be in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work model is a key aspect of the work environment. Operations professionals will need to be adept at managing their workflow and collaborating effectively in both remote and in-office settings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of the application and resume to assess alignment with the minimum experience and skill requirements.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into experience, strategic thinking, leadership style, and cultural fit.

• Team/Peer Interviews: Meetings with key team members (e.g., Brand Manager, senior marketers) to assess collaboration potential and functional expertise.

• Creative/Strategic Challenge: Likely a presentation or case study focusing on brand strategy, creative problem-solving, or a portfolio review. Candidates may be asked to present their work and articulate their approach to a given business challenge.

• Senior Leadership Interview: A final conversation with a senior executive to confirm strategic alignment and overall suitability for the role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Strategic Narrative: For each project presented, clearly articulate the business objective, the strategic approach taken, your specific role, the creative execution, and the measurable impact (e.g., brand perception changes, campaign performance, stakeholder satisfaction).

• B2B Focus: Highlight projects that demonstrate experience with B2B branding, complex industries, and stakeholder management.

• Brand Evolution: Showcase examples where you have evolved or significantly influenced a brand's identity or messaging.

• Leadership & Management: Include examples that demonstrate your ability to lead teams and manage external agencies effectively, highlighting your process for feedback and quality control.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Present a curated selection of your best work that is most relevant to the role, ensuring clear visuals and concise explanations. Be prepared to discuss your decision-making process behind each element.

• Company Relevance: Research SITA's current brand and consider how your portfolio demonstrates skills that would be valuable in addressing their specific challenges and opportunities.

Challenge Preparation:

• Brand Strategy Case: Be prepared to analyze a hypothetical or real business scenario and propose a brand strategy, including key messaging, visual direction, and implementation considerations.

• Creative Briefing: Practice developing a clear, concise, and actionable creative brief based on a given objective.

• Portfolio Presentation: Rehearse presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling and clearly articulating the strategic "why" behind your work. Practice answering questions about your process, decision-making, and results.

• Leadership Scenarios: Consider how you would handle common team management challenges, agency relationship issues, or stakeholder conflicts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely heavily involve a portfolio review and potentially a strategic case study, common for creative and brand leadership roles. Candidates should be prepared to articulate their strategic thinking and demonstrate leadership capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Proficiency in industry-standard design suites such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) is essential.

• Presentation Software: Expertise in creating compelling presentations using tools like Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote.

• Brand Management Platforms: Familiarity with Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems and brand guideline platforms (e.g., Bynder, Brandfolder, Canto) for managing assets and ensuring brand consistency.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Asana, Trello, Jira, or Monday.com for managing team tasks, workflows, and project timelines.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Brand Performance Metrics: Understanding of how to track and analyze brand metrics (e.g., brand awareness, perception, sentiment, engagement) using tools like Google Analytics, social media analytics platforms, and market research tools.

• Reporting Dashboards: Ability to create and interpret reports and dashboards that communicate brand performance and strategic insights to leadership.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM/automation role, understanding how brand assets and messaging integrate with CRM systems (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (like HubSpot, Marketo) to support sales and marketing campaigns would be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack focuses on creative production, brand management, and project coordination. While familiarity with marketing automation and CRM is helpful for understanding how brand assets are deployed, deep expertise in these areas is not the primary requirement, unlike in a dedicated Marketing Operations role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Brand Excellence: A commitment to upholding the highest standards of brand integrity, visual design, and messaging across all communications.

• Strategic Thinking: Emphasis on developing and executing brand strategies that align with business objectives and drive market impact.

• Innovation & Modernity: A drive to evolve the brand's perception, moving away from traditional corporate imagery towards a more modern and dynamic representation.

• Collaboration & Empowerment: Fostering a collaborative team environment where members are empowered to contribute, and cross-functional partnerships are valued.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Developing brand processes and tools that are efficient, scalable, and enable global teams to operate effectively.

• Data-Informed Decisions: Utilizing market insights and performance data to inform brand strategy and measure its effectiveness.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively seeking opportunities to integrate brand strategy with product development, sales enablement, and corporate communications to ensure a unified company message.

• Feedback Culture: Promoting an environment where constructive feedback is regularly exchanged within the team and with external partners to drive continuous improvement.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, industry trends, and creative insights across the team and relevant departments.

• Agile Adaptation: Embracing flexibility and adaptability in response to evolving market dynamics, technological advancements, and business priorities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a forward-thinking approach to branding, with a strong focus on strategic execution and collaborative problem-solving, typical of companies aiming to modernize their market presence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Brand Modernization: Shifting SITA's brand perception from a legacy telco/IT provider to an innovative industry leader requires a significant strategic and creative effort.

• Global Consistency: Ensuring consistent brand application across diverse markets, cultures, and business units within a large, matrixed organization.

• Balancing Strategy and Execution: Effectively managing both the high-level strategic direction of the brand and the granular creative execution across numerous touchpoints.

• Agency Management: Optimizing the performance and output of multiple external agencies to ensure quality, brand alignment, and cost-effectiveness.

• Measuring Brand ROI: Quantifying the direct impact of brand and design initiatives on business outcomes, which can be challenging in a B2B context.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Global Brand Strategy Mastery: Deepen expertise in managing and evolving a multinational B2B brand in a complex, regulated industry.

• Creative Leadership Development: Enhance skills in leading and inspiring creative teams, providing effective direction, and fostering a culture of innovation.

• Industry Insight: Gain specialized knowledge of the aviation technology sector, its challenges, and its future trends, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Digital Transformation: Explore opportunities to lead the digital transformation of SITA's brand presence and customer experience.

• Executive Communication: Hone skills in presenting strategic proposals and brand performance to C-suite executives and board members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to leading brand transformation in a large, established B2B company. The growth opportunities are geared towards advancing within marketing and brand leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you successfully evolved a B2B brand. What was your strategic approach, what were the key challenges, and what were the measurable outcomes?" (Focus on strategic thinking, problem-solving, and impact demonstration).

• "How would you approach developing a new visual identity system for a global company like SITA, considering both strategic objectives and practical implementation across different regions and teams?" (Assess understanding of brand architecture, identity development, and scalability).

• "Walk us through your process for managing creative agencies. How do you ensure they deliver high-quality work that is strategically aligned and on budget?" (Evaluate agency management skills, briefing capabilities, and quality control).

• "How do you balance the need for brand consistency with the desire for regional or product-specific differentiation in a global organization?" (Test understanding of brand governance and flexible brand application). Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your research, what do you see as SITA's biggest brand challenges and opportunities, and how would you address them in your first 90 days?" (Demonstrate research, strategic insight, and proactive approach).

• "How do you foster a collaborative and innovative culture within a creative team, especially in a hybrid work environment?" (Assess leadership style and team management approach).

• "How do you measure the ROI of brand and design initiatives? Can you provide an example of how you've demonstrated the business impact of your work?" (Focus on data-driven approach and ability to link brand to business outcomes). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Strategic Storytelling: For each project, frame it as a narrative: the problem, your strategic solution, the creative execution, and the results. Quantify outcomes wherever possible.

• Showcase B2B Expertise: Highlight projects that demonstrate your understanding of B2B audiences, complex solutions, and long sales cycles.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Emphasize your role in strategic decision-making, team management, and agency oversight. Use "I" for your direct contributions and "we" for team efforts, clearly delineating responsibilities.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your presentation is visually appealing, on-brand (even if it's your own personal brand for the presentation), and easy to follow.

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your process, the rationale behind specific design choices, and how you handled challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on strategic brand thinking, creative leadership, B2B context, and the ability to articulate impact. The portfolio is a critical component, so preparation for its presentation is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Strategic Brand & Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the SITA careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience directly relevant to global B2B brand strategy, creative direction, team leadership, and agency management. Use keywords from the job description, such as "brand architecture," "visual identity," "creative director," and "B2B branding."

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase your strategic approach, creative execution, and leadership capabilities. Prepare clear case studies with measurable results, focusing on B2B contexts and brand evolution.

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice presenting your portfolio and answering common interview questions related to brand strategy, creative leadership, and problem-solving. Be ready to articulate your vision for SITA's brand.

• Research SITA: Thoroughly understand SITA's business, its position in the aviation technology market, its current brand perception, and its strategic goals. Identify potential areas where your expertise can add immediate value.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with SITA Switzerland Sarl before making application decisions.