Director, Brand Strategy

Now, more than ever, the Toast team is committed to our customers. We’re taking steps to help restaurants navigate these unprecedented times with technology, resources, and community. Our focus is on building the restaurant platform that helps restaurants adapt, take control, and get back to what they do best: building the businesses they love. And because our technology is purpose-built for restaurants, by restaurant people, restaurants can trust that we’ll deliver on their needs for today while investing in experiences that will power their restaurant of the future.

About this roll*: (Responsibilities)

Toast is seeking an experienced Director of Brand Strategy  to lead the charge in shaping and driving our brand narrative. This pivotal role will define and execute a comprehensive brand strategy that positions Toast as the definitive leader in restaurant tech. Reporting to the Head of Brand Marketing, you will be responsible for unifying cross-functional teams behind a single powerful story, translating data-driven insights into compelling narratives, and building frameworks that ensure consistent messaging across all customer touchpoints. 

Strategic Brand Leadership

• Develop Toast's unified brand narrative to drive differentiation, ensuring our story resonates consistently across all touchpoints.
• Create frameworks and systems that make it possible for stakeholders to communicate consistently about Toast. 
• Serve as the ultimate authority on Toast's brand positioning and audience insights, ensuring all marketing initiatives reflect our core story. 

Cross-Functional Alignment

• Serve as the connective tissue between Creative, Campaigns, Product Marketing, and PR teams, providing clear strategic direction and unifying efforts.
• Lead brand governance efforts to ensure consistency across diverse customer segments, markets, and business divisions.
• Brief internal and external agencies to ensure impactful, on-brand execution.

Data-Driven Storytelling

• Synthesize complex data sets, third-party research, and cultural trends into strategic insights that inspire impactful brand initiatives.
• Serve as the bridge between market insights  and creative—ensuring that our campaigns, product launches, and communications are informed by sharp, research-backed insights.
• Monitor cultural and business landscape shifts, identifying emerging trends and consumer behaviors that present new opportunities for Toast.

Communications Planning

• Co-lead the development of integrated communications plans across paid, earned, and owned channels to create cohesive demand-generation strategies. 
• Develop frameworks for evaluating brand health and perception in the market, with particular focus on demonstrating the impact of brand investment.

Do you have the right ingredients*? (Requirements)

• 15+ years of experience in brand strategy, communications planning, or related roles, ideally within high-growth SaaS or B2B organizations
• Proven track record of transforming brand narratives in competitive markets, with demonstrable results in shifting perception and driving consideration
• Experience building the business case for brand investment and successfully transitioning organizations from performance-first to brand-led marketing approaches
• Experience collaborating with creative teams and external agencies to produce high-impact campaigns
• Deep expertise in analyzing and synthesizing complex data sets and research into actionable strategic insights
• Exceptional storytelling skills and the ability to distill complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives
• Demonstrated leadership in managing cross-functional teams and aligning diverse stakeholders
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Passion for Toast's mission to empower restaurants and transform the food service industry

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Vision: Ability to connect business objectives with audience needs, creating a brand narrative that drives growth and differentiation.
• Data-Driven Thinking: Exceptional ability to translate big data sets, third-party research, and cultural trends into strategic insights that inspire impactful brand initiatives.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Skilled at building partnerships across functions, fostering alignment, and driving results through influence.
• Creative Vision: A passion for storytelling and an eye for impactful, audience-first creative execution.
• Business Acumen: Ability to build compelling business cases for brand investment and communicate value to finance and executive leadership.

Our Spread* of Total Rewards
We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.