The Brand Strategist / Account Manager is the most senior creative and communication hire in this team. You will own the brand strategy for both The Quarry and Design First — managing two distinct brand voices, two editorial registers, and two sets of com

1. Brand Strategy & Architecture

• Own and evolve the brand positioning and communication architecture for both The Quarry and Design First — maintaining the strategic distinction between them at every touchpoint
• Build and maintain a Brand Voice Document for each brand — The Quarry's restrained, material-authority register and Design First's warm, design-led narrative are different disciplines and must be held separately
• Define quarterly content pillars, editorial direction, and platform strategy for both brands — each calibrated to its specific audience
• Translate The Quarry's curatorial philosophy — the quarry journeys, the 20 mm standard, the gallery distinction — into brand language the team can execute
• Translate Design First's design philosophy — the project journeys, the Carlo Scarpa inspiration, the end-to-end design ownership — into brand language the team can execute
• Identify where communication on either brand is inconsistent and present clear, evidence-backed recommendations for improvement

2. Creative Partner Management

• Manage all external creative and production partners for both brands — briefing, reviewing output, holding to deadlines and brand standards
• Own the creative brief process for all campaign work across both brands — ensuring partners receive clear, precise direction and return work that meets each brand's standard
• Review and approve all third-party creative output before it is published or distributed under either brand name

3. Team Leadership & Output Quality

• Brief, direct and quality-review all output from the Content Writer, Graphic Designer, and Performance Marketer & Digital Marketing Team — across both brands
• Run structured weekly reviews of all content going out under both brand names — assessing quality, brand alignment, and platform fit
• Set and enforce quality benchmarks for both brands. What is right for The Quarry and what is right for Design First are different things — and both must be right.
• Co-interview and provide input on all new creative and content hires as the team expands

4. Communication Systems & Workflow

• Build and manage the internal approval workflow for both brands — every piece of content passes through a defined review and sign-off process before publication
• Own the campaign timelines for both brands: from brief initiation through asset delivery, documented and tracked without requiring Founder follow-up
• Build and present monthly Founder review decks covering both brands — an honest account of what is working, what is not, and what the next priority is for each
• Coordinate the Content Writer, Graphic Designer and Performance Marketer & Digital Marketing team across overlapping campaign timelines for both brands without output bottlenecks

5. Founder & Marketing Manager Interface

• Serve as the primary strategic and creative partner to the Marketing Manager and Founder on all brand communication decisions for both organizations.
• Prepare monthly brand reviews — honest assessments of output quality, campaign performance, and strategic direction for both brands
• Manage the creative feedback loop: receive direction, brief the team, present back with reasoning

What skills we are looking for?

Qualifications:

• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Marketing, Brand Management, Communications, or equivalent
• Formal qualification in a design, editorial, or creative discipline is an additional advantage

Experience:

• 14–16 years in brand management, brand strategy, or senior account leadership — with a career demonstrating deepening strategic responsibility
• Has managed multiple brands or brand lines simultaneously — the ability to hold distinct voices without cross-contamination is a specific and testable skill
• Has built or significantly shaped a brand communication system — not managed campaigns within one
• Documented experience leading creative teams and managing external partners simultaneously
• Has worked through a brand maturity moment — where the standard of communication needed to be raised and they led that change
• Strong familiarity with luxury goods, luxury interiors, architecture, or luxury lifestyle categories

Skills & Qualities:

• Exceptional written communication — writes and speaks with the precision and restraint both brands require
• Aesthetic intelligence across two distinct registers — understands the difference between The Quarry's restrained material authority and Design First's warm design narrative, and can brief and review both without conflating them
• Strategic range — holds the long-term brand view for two organizations and the weekly content calendar simultaneously
• The authority to say no — to a brief that is wrong, to creative that falls short, to a direction that compromises either brand
• Composed under pressure — this role carries final accountability for the quality of everything both brands publish
• Emotional maturity, ownership, and discretion — the non-negotiable operating standard for anyone working in a founder-led dual-brand luxury environment

Tools & Platforms:

• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides — mandatory for Founder review decks and client-facing materials
• Project management: Notion, Asana, or equivalent — for managing briefs, timelines, and content calendars across two brands
• Content scheduling: Meta Business Suite, Later, or equivalent — for overseeing social output and campaign timing
• Analytics: GA4, Meta Business Suite reporting, Google Ads — sufficient fluency to review, challenge, and contextualize performance data
• Collaborative tools: Google Workspace — for briefs, brand voice documentation, and team coordination.

Personality – What this Role requires:

• Calm and polished under pressure — interfaces directly with the Founder and with UHNI clients; composure is non-negotiable
• Emotionally intelligent — reads rooms, handles feedback with maturity, manages the creative team without ego
• Discreet — works with confidential client projects, sensitive business information, and Founder-level communication across two organizations
• Aesthetically aware — has a genuine and informed point of view on what looks and sounds like quality
• Highly accountable — takes ownership from brief to output without requiring follow-up