VisionSpring, an international social enterprise, was founded in 2001 with a mission to broaden access to affordable eyewear everywhere. We establish market access to eyeglasses and vision correction for people living in poverty so that they may enhance their livelihoods, learning, and quality of life.

Responsibilities

Strategy

• Develop and implement a forward-thinking marketing and communications strategy that embodies VisionSpring’s mission, ambition, and values; conveys our impact and sector leadership; elevates brand visibility; and drives revenue growth.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership and stakeholders to serve VisionSpring’s four customers/audiences: eyeglasses wearers, institutional wholesale partners, funders, and policy makers.
• Strengthen, promote, and safeguard VisionSpring’s brand, maintaining consistent positioning and messaging across all channels and platforms.
• Manage the performance of three-year rolling plans, set and achieve annual goals and objectives, and manage the department budget.

Eyeglasses Product Development and Marketing

• Oversee the establishment and performance of the product development and institutional marketing function to increase sales and revenue.
• Provide strategic direction for the design, production, and launch of eyeglasses collections within VisionSpring’s programs and across a network of 800 institutional customers.
• Guide the product design specialist in leveraging customer insights and market trends, and collaborate with procurement and manufacturing partners to develop radically affordable collections that offer quality, style, and choice to low-income consumers.
• Lead new product introductions, including pricing strategies, merchandising, sales training, catalogues and collateral, and B2B marketing initiatives.
• Collaborate with the supply chain team, using sales data and customer feedback, to maintain a high-demand, high-performing selection of eyeglasses and inventory.

Communications

• Provide strategic leadership for integrated global communications initiatives that drive VisionSpring’s program, sales, fundraising, systems change, and impact goals.
• Guide messaging architecture, narrative development, social media/digital strategy, media relations, and stakeholder engagement.
• Establish and monitor performance metrics to assess communication effectiveness, using data-driven insights to maximize reach, engagement, and revenue.
• Oversee public and media relations, building opportunities for earned media and speaking engagements, and equipping teams with resources and training to consistently deliver compelling messages.
• Elevate donor engagement and fundraising campaigns with powerful narratives, persuasive reporting, and multimedia content that inspire participation and support.

Behavior Change and Demand Generation

• Guide the development and execution of behavior change and demand generation campaigns that enhance the efficacy of our Vision Access Programs, bringing vision screening and eyeglasses to first-time customers in low-income communities.
• Support research, and campaign/creative development, informed by customers’ journeys, knowledge, attitudes, and practices, and input from country experts.
• Oversee piloting and replication of innovative strategies and campaigns that drive awareness, demand for vision services, and conversion to glasses wearing.
• Monitor campaign effectiveness across markets, review performance data, and synthesize insights into actionable recommendations, best practices, and learning.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing through training and dissemination of evidence-based toolkits to enhance marketing and behavior change efforts across VisionSpring and the eyecare sector.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of global communication and marketing specialists, and consultants/freelancers as needed, through a matrixed reporting structure.
• Facilitate talent development by identifying and supporting growth opportunities and championing professional development.
• Evolve the composition and functions of a geographically distributed team to meet VisionSpring’s changing needs.
• Promote a team culture that embodies VisionSpring’s core values: help others to do well; advance equity; constantly adapt, relentlessly improve; default to transparency, reveal hard truths; learn together.

Requirements

• Minimum of 15 years of experience leading global teams in marketing strategy roles, with progressive levels of responsibility, in multiple international markets and/or international social impact organizations.
• Experience with B2B and B2C end-consumer marketing in global geographies, preferably in frontier and/or emerging markets.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to anticipate trends, craft strategies, and adapt in response to opportunities and challenges.
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills.
• Outstanding writing, editing, public speaking, and interpersonal communications skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively in English.
• Degree in marketing, communications, media, or another relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• Ability to travel, up to 20% of time, to locations with limited infrastructure