The OpportunityBlackbaud is seeking a strategic, AI forward Vice President of Brand and Communications to lead our global brand and corporate communications function. This leader will shape how Blackbaud is understood, differentiated, and preferred in the market, translating company strategy into a compelling narrative that builds trust and drives growth.
This is a highly visible role for an AI-first leader who can connect brand strategy, corporate reputation, executive communications, media relations, thought leadership, internal communications, and crisis readiness. The VP will bring their experience to how the team listens, creates, personalizes, measures, and operates, while protecting the authenticity and credibility of Blackbaud's voice.
The right leader combines bold creative thinking with business judgment and operating rigor. They will lead an integrated brand and communications agenda that advances company priorities, equips leaders and employees to communicate with confidence, and creates measurable value with customers, investors, partners, employees, and the broader market.
This is an opportunity to elevate a trusted, purpose-driven technology brand with unmatched reach across the social impact sector.
What You'll Do- Own and evolve Blackbaud's global AI-first brand strategy, architecture, positioning, voice, and visual expression so the company shows up with clarity, confidence, and consistency across markets, audiences, and channels.
- Drive measurable improvements in awareness, consideration, preference, trust, and category leadership across priority audiences.
- Build an integrated corporate communications strategy spanning external, internal, executive, financial, media, analyst, thought leadership, employee, and crisis communications.
- Translate company strategy, customer impact, innovation, and responsible AI leadership into differentiated narratives that strengthen relevance, trust, and market understanding.
- Serve as a senior counselor to executive leadership team, and other business leaders on reputation, messaging, executive visibility, stakeholder communications, and high-stakes moments.
- Lead proactive media relations and issues management, strengthening relationships with influential journalists and preparing the company and its leaders to respond with speed, accuracy, and sound judgment.
- Direct executive communications and thought leadership, including speeches, presentations, talking points, bylined content, social presence, and strategic visibility opportunities.
- Shape internal communications that help employees understand company priorities, connect their work to strategy, and communicate consistently through periods of growth and change.
- Guide the brand experience across corporate campaigns, digital channels, company conferences, customer events, sponsorships, and executive forums in partnership with marketing and business leaders.
- Partner closely with Product, Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, People and Culture, Investor Relations, Legal, and other teams to ensure messaging is accurate, audience-centered, and aligned to business priorities
- Reimagine how AI can improve market intelligence, audience insights, decision-making, and the impact of brand and communications investments without compromising quality, trust or human judgement.
- Establish clear measurement discipline across brand and communications, including brand health, share of voice, message pull-through, reputation, engagement, channel performance, and program impact.
- Anticipate reputational opportunities and risks through strong market intelligence, stakeholder listening, scenario planning, and crisis preparedness.
- Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing global brand and communications team, strengthening capabilities, operating rhythms, collaboration, speed, and accountability across time zones.
- Steward the brand and communications budget and agency ecosystem, prioritizing investment against the highest-value business and reputation outcomes.
How Success Will Be Measured• Grow awareness, consideration, and preference in priority markets.
• Strengthen Blackbaud's reputation and category leadership.
• Increase the business impact of brand investments.
• Improve team productivity through responsible AI adoption.
What You'll Bring- 12+ years of progressive leadership in brand, corporate communications, public relations, or an integrated marketing communications discipline, including significant experience leading at the VP or equivalent level.
- B2B SaaS, enterprise software, or complex technology experience, with public company experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success building and evolving a global brand, corporate narrative, and reputation strategy at scale.
- Deep expertise across corporate, executive, employee, media, thought leadership, and crisis communications.
- Executive presence and sound judgment, with credibility advising senior leaders and representing a company with media, customers, partners, analysts, investors, and other external stakeholders.
- Exceptional writing, storytelling, and message-development skills, with the ability to make complex technology and business strategy clear, compelling, and relevant.
- Experience using AI-enabled tools and workflows across communications and brand operations, paired with a strong commitment to responsible use, editorial integrity, and brand trust.
- Proven ability to lead through transformation, build modern operating models, and develop high-performing global teams.
- Strong business acumen, financial stewardship, measurement discipline, and the ability to connect brand and communications investment to business outcomes.
- Collaborative leadership style and a track record of aligning cross-functional partners around shared narratives, priorities, and moments that matter.
- Calm, decisive leadership in high-pressure situations, with experience leading crisis preparedness, response, and recovery.
