Sr. Director, Communications and Earned Programming

We’re an international AgTech startup pioneering an ambitious mission in a high-growth industry where agriculture meets technology to solve our toughest climate and economic challenges. Through the use of data-driven insights, natural microbiology, and innovative digital technologies, Indigo is partnering across the supply chain to cultivate agriculture as a scalable climate solution and enhanced ecosystem that beneficially serves farmers, consumers, and the planet alike.

Our mission is unique, and therefore our teams are too: from multigenerational farming experts who understand the land as though it were an extension of themselves, to cutting-edge technologists and scientists on the frontier of innovation, our teams are a reflection of the range of the stakeholders we serve: the Earth, the Farmer, and the Consumer.

In this newly created position reporting to Indigo's Chief Marketing Officer, we are seeking a dynamic leader with a passion for storytelling, brand building, and driving business impact. You will work closely with executive leadership, marketing, product offering teams, Investor Relations, and internal and external partners to ensure a consistent and compelling company-wide narrative and portfolio communications strategy that is excellent and impactful. This position has a global remit and you'll have the mandate to run a fast-paced business and partner with a team of integrated marketers to lead and raise Indigo awareness through smart attention-grabbing work.

Responsibilities

Indigo - The Preferred Partner:

• Build Indigo’s brand reputation as a leader in AgTech among farmers, grain merchants, and ecosystem partners
• Create a consistent, compelling brand message that builds trust with the agricultural community
• Cultivate both a “farmer-first” and “customer-first” brand reputation that resonates in the industry and ultimately drives business
• Strategically connect marketing and communications activity on behalf of Indigo and through partners 

Leadership & Teamwork:

• Stand as an integral part of the Marketing Leadership Team, acting as a strategic driver and voice of our fast-paced business through earned media
• Partner with a team of integrated marketers to lead and grow through smart, intriguing work and elevated stakeholder relations
• Lead and develop an internal team of talent
• Collaborate closely with teams across the company including: People (HR), Government Relations, Investor Relations, and Marketing Leadership to provide counsel and drive to activation so that our efforts show up as one brand with impact
• Coach and activate internal stakeholders across the organization to ensure consistent and optimal narrative - ensuring consistency across all audiences (eg. field employees, technology team at conferences, executives to partners)

Presence and Purpose:

• Cultivate a consistent narrative across the company
• From planning and strategy to creative and measurement, you will be leading communications for a unique and pioneering business that has ambitions to make beneficial impact on agriculture and all of the industry stakeholders, including consumers
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders in the scientific community to help Indigo build its position as a leading expert in the climate / environment space

Execution:

• Develop a corporate communications plan for Indigo that factors our range of audiences, stakeholders and offerings
  • Maintain a pulse and analysis of Indigo’s public perception across our range of stakeholders - understanding our strengths, weaknesses and opportunities
  • Manage and support the corporate and commercial communications work product in executing upon the communications plan that builds brand equity (trust, reputation, quality)
  • Collaborate across channels - digital, social, PR for Indigo and its partners - around an editorial and agronomic calendar, identifying and leaning into key moments for Indigo’s brand with our range of audiences
• Conduct audience research that measures sentiment, media consumption habits, production support needs (growers), perceived value of Indigo based on current offers
• Align communications and marketing to strategically develop a unified message across all offers and stakeholders

Understands and embodies our mission & core values:

• Excited by Indigo’s mission; believes that Indigo can fundamentally change the agriculture industry; can clearly articulate passion for our mission and values
• Innovative; solution-oriented; fearless communicator on steers for the business and operates with optimism
• Will be widely viewed as someone who personifies our core values, is committed to them, and leans on them when making decisions. Specifically:
  • Demonstrates a track record of high integrity - doing the right thing, owning mistakes, conducting oneself honestly
  • Values, communicates and interacts with others with high levels of transparency and respect
  • Collaborates well across functions; creates an inspiring and collegial work environment

Competencies

• Able to connect and communicate across boundaries effectively and in a manner that engenders trust and empathy
• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Collaborates well across functions; creates an inspiring and collegial work environment
• Excited by Indigo’s mission; believes that Indigo can fundamentally change the agriculture industry; can clearly articulate passion for our mission and values
• Demonstrates a track record of high integrity - doing the right thing, owning mistakes, conducting oneself honestly
• Values, communicates and interacts with others with high levels of transparency and respect
• Ability to articulate strategy to internal and external audiences
• Experience distilling complex issues into clear, creative communications
• Strong instincts in fast-moving situations with media and partners
• Deep understanding and appreciation for all aspects of modern marketing, content and communications
• Able to filter through the noise to identify and shape communication and content to a larger narrative consistently and over time
• Has the ability to intuitively drive process, mitigate issues before they’re known, and maintain a constant pulse of all necessary functions
• Exceptional research, writing, editing, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Has a pulse of news and newsmaking events and knows how to find opportunities to insert Indigo into relevant stories

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience leading Corporate Communications
• Proven experience developing and implementing corporate communications plans that factor in multiple audiences and initiatives.
• Sophisticated understanding of media landscape and each respective group’s audiences goals
• Experience with how content production and digital media work to leverage ideas effectively
• Leadership and management experience building and leading high performing team in an inclusive way that aligns with Indigo core values
• Demonstrated knowledge of our intersecting sectors and constituencies, passion and a proven track record in earned programming can make the journey more efficient (experience in Climate/Sustainability is a plus)
• Gravitas to ensure Indigo’s message leads the day in crowded coalitions and partnerships
• Clear financial acumen
• Experience successfully managing and engaging with multiple agencies (of all types) to produce great results/work
• Experience with crisis and issues preparedness
• Experience with investor relations and communications, experience with transitioning from private to public a plus
• Has an understanding of the agriculture industry with experience outside of the industry
• Experience in similar role for a brand that successfully navigated hyper growth and evolution, transformation
• Experience in a similar role navigating reputation management issues with proven, successful outcomes

“The requirements below are a wish list - not a hard set of “boxes” you need to check to move forward. Indigo is building an inclusive, team-oriented organization, and we want you to apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements below:”

Indigo is committed to living our values, specifically “creating a work environment where everyone feels respected, connected, and has opportunities to learn and grow.” As part of living our values, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels they can be themselves and has an equal opportunity of succeeding.