Director, Marketing Communications

Lincoln is Ford’s luxury automotive brand, distinguished by its heritage and commitment to creating thoughtful products and experiences for customers.

The Director of Marketing Communications is a pivotal leadership role responsible for setting Lincoln’s communications strategy and owning all paid marketing communications across the brand.

Responsibilities

Brand & Communications Strategy

• Set Lincoln’s marketing communications strategy, translating customer, business, and vehicle priorities into clear audience, positioning, channel, and measurement direction.
• Lead the evolution of brand and nameplate positioning, using customer, cultural, market, competitive, and brand-health insights to guide distinctive, customer-relevant work.
• Establish strategic briefs and decision frameworks that align stakeholders, raise creative ambition, and connect investment to measurable brand and business outcomes.

Integrated Campaigns & Go-To-Market

• Own the integrated campaign and go-to-market agenda for Lincoln brand, vehicle launches, nameplates, and priority business initiatives, from annual planning through optimization and learning.
• Set paid media and communications direction across audiences, channels, messaging, content, investment, and performance expectations.
• Align product, sales, customer experience, agencies, and other stakeholders around coordinated launch and campaign decisions, resolving trade-offs and ensuring disciplined execution.

Paid Communications Portfolio

• Own Lincoln paid communications across media, retail, dealer Tier 3 assets, sales events, Certified Pre-Owned (CPO), social, ambassador programs, experiential marketing, and brand partnerships.
• Set portfolio strategies, annual plans, briefs, calendars, content requirements, and measurement frameworks that connect each program to Lincoln brand, vehicle, customer, and business priorities.
• Lead retail, dealer Tier 3 content, sales event, and CPO communications in partnership with sales, field, dealer, and retail teams, ensuring customer-facing assets are timely, brand-consistent, and effective across markets.
• Direct social and ambassador strategy, including partner selection, content development, governance, activation, and performance measurement.
• Build experiential and brand partnership strategies that extend Lincoln’s modern luxury positioning, reach priority audiences, and create distinctive customer experiences.

Cross-Functional & Agency Leadership

• Integrate plans with Lincoln leadership and partners across consumer marketing, product, digital, customer insights, field and dealer operations, sales, customer experience, and global marketing.
• Lead agency and external partner relationships, including strategic direction, scopes of work, resource planning, and continuous improvement.
• Build alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities; communicate recommendations, risks, and trade-offs and drive timely decisions.
• Represent Lincoln Marketing Communications in planning forums and senior-level reviews, clearly connecting communications plans to business and brand objectives.

Investment, Measurement & Team Leadership

• Develop and manage Lincoln’s paid marketing communications, media, production, partnership, experiential, and operating budgets. Allocate resources against customer, brand, and business priorities, clearly communicating trade-offs and expected outcomes.
• Establish objectives and measurement plans with research, analytics, and agency partners; evaluate results and convert learning into actionable improvements.
• Lead, coach, and develop two Senior Manager direct reports and a large supporting team, including agency and cross-functional resources. Set clear accountabilities and operating rhythms, strengthen organizational capabilities, support career growth and succession planning, and foster an inclusive culture of accountability, collaboration, and high-quality execution.
• Navigate ambiguity and changing priorities with sound judgment, maintaining focus on customer impact, brand integrity, and business results.

Qualifications

You'll Have...

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Business, or a closely related field.
• 12+ years of progressive professional experience in marketing communications, brand marketing, advertising, or a related field (or 10+ years of experience with a Master’s degree/MBA).
• This role is considered Hybrid based in Detroit, MI.

You May also Have...

• Experience leading automotive marketing across paid media, brand and nameplate communications, retail and dealer Tier 2 assets, sales events, Certified Pre-Owned (CPO), social and ambassador programs, experiential marketing, brand partnerships, and launch activity.
• Experience developing communications for a premium or luxury brand and translating brand positioning into distinctive customer-facing work.
• Experience leading senior managers and large supporting teams, influencing executive stakeholders, and managing complex agency, dealer, and cross-functional relationships.
• Experience managing significant paid media, marketing communications, production, experiential, brand partnership, and operating budgets and prioritizing investment against business objectives.
• Strong understanding of paid media strategy and investment, integrated channels, retail and dealer Tier 2 communications, sales events, CPO, social and ambassador programs, experiential marketing, brand partnerships, creative development and production, consumer insights, brand-health measurement, and campaign analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, resolve competing priorities, exercise sound judgment, and communicate recommendations with clarity.
• Master's degree or MBA in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field.

What you'll receive in return...

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.