Senior Content Specialist

What you can expect as the Senior Content Specialist:

Responsible for contributing to, advocating for, educating on, and advancing Marketing's overall content strategy by serving as a go-to and subject matter expert (SME) for the team. Work with content team to ensure brand standards, AP style standards, and brand tone are being followed and are appropriate for the specific audience. Write effective and impactful marketing communications content, campaigns, and sales-oriented tactics through collaborating across the organization with subject matter experts, executive leadership, sales, distribution partners, producers, and compliance representatives. Research and write content for electronic marketing pieces, video scripts, sales concepts, news releases, field communications, and social media. Manage marketing projects and collaborate with project leaders, campaign specialists, graphic designers, e-marketers, compliance representatives, and a wide variety of subject matter experts while meeting and exceeding stringent deadlines.

• Work closely with marketing graphic designers, content manager and marketing strategist to develop messaging strategies as most appropriate for intended target audiences.
• Serve as a go-to for the team's content strategy utilizing thorough understanding of company brand standards, team and organization goals, and the company's products and services. Regularly educate other Content Specialists.
• Work with customer experience and marketing technology teams, subject matter experts, executive leadership, sales, distribution partners, and producers to proactively identify ways to improve content strategy through shared feedback, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices, and data analytics.
• Keep up to date with latest company initiatives and content trends-developing creative ideas for applying those learnings to the financial and insurance industry.
• Serve as subject matter expert regarding Sammons Financial Group Companies' application of latest AP standards-applying that knowledge to work product and educating the content team as appropriate.
• Lead multiple key project initiatives and recurring projects though setting up meetings with key subject matter experts and stakeholders, asking probing questions to fully understand content goals, and continually evaluating the efforts' effectiveness for long-term success.
• Create effective marketing communication content and campaigns and sales-oriented tactics through collaboration across the organization with subject matter experts, executive leadership, sales, distribution partners, producers, and compliance representatives. Research, write, edit and acquire approvals on print and electronic marketing pieces, video scripts, sales concepts, news releases, public relations projects, field communications and social media content utilizing strong project management and attention to details and deadlines.
• Take advanced or technical information and develop easy-to-understand, compelling, and creative copy.
• Develop high impact marketing copy while taking into consideration the intended audience and media, and best practices in writing for print, electronic, video, web and social media; interpret and incorporate, as appropriate, recommendations of various business unit and compliance representatives as part of the review and approval process.
• Regularly and thoroughly participate in proofreading of peer content.
• Manage select marketing projects from inception to execution.
• Proactively identify opportunities for repurposing, restructuring, or revising existing content and materials.
• Work with marketing strategy team to execute marketing communications plans that focus on the organization's sales goals, initiatives and specific distribution channels; collaborate with other departments in the development of content and marketing materials, including theme, content, and image recommendations.
• Coordinate and manage marketing communications projects through an electronic project management system to assign workflows, record comments and approvals, and assign tasks in order to meet strict deadlines. Suggest improvements to processes that will enable greater efficiencies.
• Effectively manage time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently- setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully tracking, reporting on, and completing assignments or tasks. Self-impose standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed.
• Provide promotional support for sales meetings, trade shows and conferences through the development of presentation and on-site materials.
• Strategize and develop content for web pages and interactive content experiences
• Collaborate with marketing strategy team, designers, and marketing technology teams regarding creative direction and distribution methods.
• Maintain satisfactory level of technical, functional, and/or professional skill or knowledge as required by the position; keeping up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise; leveraging expert knowledge to accomplish results.
• As stated within the Company Attendance and Punctuality policy, regular attendance is required and expected in order to meet the business service levels and workflow demands.
• Commitment to embrace Sammons Financial Group Companies shared values (Accountability, Connection, Openness, Respect and Integrity).
• As stated within the Company Attendance and Punctuality policy, regular attendance is required and expected in order to meet the business service levels and workflow demands.

What we are looking for: 

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Advertising, English, Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or equivalent business experience preferred
• Minimum 5 years' related experience in Marketing Communications preferred
• Experience with integrated marketing platforms (like Salesforce or Marketing Cloud) and interactive content creation platforms (like Ion Interactive) preferred
• Advanced copywriting/editing skills and comfortable contributing to a creative and collaborative work environment
• Outstanding ability to ask probing questions and learn pertinent details of subject matter.
• Demonstrated high degree of initiative and accountability, while having strong organizational skills and high level of detail-orientation
• Strong research skills-ability to identify appropriate search resources and find, collect, analyze, interpret, and evaluate information that is relevant. Ability to understand and interpret organizational information, including highly technical terminology relating to products
• Ability to learn quickly and be proactive in planning and problem solving
• Excellent verbal and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate in writing both technical data and promotional materials
• Knowledge of and ability to execute best practices in writing for print, e-marketing, video, web and social media
• Advanced knowledge of Associated Press (AP) and American Psychological Association (APA) styles
• Working knowledge of computer operating systems, including Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access and major social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines, as well as, change work practices and priorities in response to changing conditions or multiple work demand
• Ability to work without close supervision, taking responsibility to ensure assigned projects are completed on time and within quality standards
• Ability to work well with all types of individuals at all levels of the organization, including administrative office, executive leadership and field personnel
• Self-starter and strategic mindset
• Insurance knowledge and/or willingness to develop knowledge of life insurance and financial products and services and willingness to continue learning
• Outstanding willingness and ability to receive and provide constructive feedback and to educate others on best practices
• Criminal background check required.
• If the position is in the SIG business unit or if we are holding securities licenses, FINRA regulations require fingerprinting for this position; if we are holding securities licenses, a credit check will also be required. Management reserves the right to determine and approve incumbent suitability for this position.

Sammons Financial Group Companies offers some of today’s most sought after life insurance, annuity, retirement planning products and portfolio-management solutions. Unlike most financial organizations, our companies are not publicly traded, which means we’re focused on long-term value rather than short-term earnings pressures. As a privately held company, our leaders and employees remain consistently focused on long-term growth, making decisions that allow us to deliver on our commitments to customers, distribution partners, our employees, and our communities. Individually, our companies provide value in the products and services they offer. Together we represent a history of strength and longevity.
What you can expect when you join Sammons Financial Group:

• A casual dress code (yep – that means jeans!)
• A company you want to be a part of, driven by inspiring leaders and a fun, friendly work environment.
• Colleagues who support one another, model our core values, and drive our healthy, high-performing culture.
• Healthy balance between work and personal lives. Friday afternoons off all year long, competitive PTO, and generous number of paid holidays.
• Our competitive benefit package includes: Health, Dental, Vision, Company Paid Retirement, PTO and Holiday Pay.
• A generous retirement program. Our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a 100% company funded retirement plan, so you can save for retirement without contributing a penny of your own paycheck.
• A company that celebrates diversity, is committed to inclusion, and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We comply with all federal and state equal employment opportunity laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we’re not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)