As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.
A Career at HARMAN Lifestyle
We’re a global, multi-disciplinary team that’s putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. As a member of HARMAN Lifestyle, you connect consumers with the power of superior sound.
Contribute your talents to high-end, esteemed brands like JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG.
Unite your passion for audio innovation with high-tech product development
Create pitch-perfect, cutting-edge technology that elevates the listening experience
About the Role
We are looking for a seasoned Marketing Director to lead the China marketing organization for JBL and Harman Kardon, two of the world's most iconic audio brands. This role owns the end-to-end marketing agenda for China — from consumer insight to brand strategy, campaign activation, Social& PR, merchandising and e-commerce marketing — with a strong mandate to explore new retail formats that redefine how Chinese consumers discover, experience, and purchase premium audio products.
The ideal candidate is a business-minded marketing leader who combines strategic vision with hands-on execution excellence, thrives in a matrixed multinational environment, and can translate financial target into actionable marketing plans and growth strategies.
What You Will Do
1. Marketing Strategy & Leadership
- Define and own the China marketing strategy and annual marketing plan for JBL and Harman Kardon, aligned with global brand direction and China business objectives.
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing marketing team; build organizational capability across brand, digital, retail marketing, and e-commerce.
- Act as a core member of the China leadership team, contributing to overall business strategy and growth agenda.
2. New Retail Dynamics Support
- Lead the exploration to support any potential new retail formats — e.g., brand experience stores, pop-ups, shop-in-shop upgrades, O2O models, instant commerce, livestream commerce, social commerce (Douyin, RED/Xiaohongshu), and DTC initiatives.
- Identify emerging consumer touchpoints and retail trends in China; pilot, validate, and scale innovative go-to-market models in partnership with sales teams.
- Bridge online and offline ecosystems to create seamless consumer journeys and new revenue streams.
3. Brand Management & Campaign Activation
- Own brand positioning and architecture for both brands in China, ensuring global consistency with local relevance.
- Turn consumer and market insights into compelling campaigns — from insight mining, big idea development, and media planning to full-funnel activation and execution.
- Oversee product launch marketing, content strategy, KOL/influencer programs, PR, and events with strong execution discipline and measurable ROI.
4. Channel & E-commerce Marketing
- Develop channel marketing strategies across modern trade, specialty audio stores, 3C chains, duty-free, and emerging retail channels.
- Drive e-commerce marketing excellence across Tmall, JD, Douyin, and other platforms, in close partnership with the e-commerce sales team.
5. Financial and P&L understanding
- Demonstrate strong understanding of P&L: read and interpret financial data (revenue, margin, ROI, sell-through) and translate financial numbers into marketing planning, resource allocation, and marketing investment strategy.
- Manage the marketing budget with discipline; continuously optimize spend effectiveness.
6. Asia & Global Marketing Collaboration
- Partner closely with the Asia Marketing Head to drive global brand consistency in China — ensuring brand look & feel, visual identity, and tone of voice align with global standards while delivering authentic local brand expression.
- Coordinate and align with global marketing programs (campaigns, product launches, brand initiatives) together with the Asia Marketing Head; serve as the China bridge between global/regional teams and local execution — bringing global best practices in, and voicing China market needs out.
- Set the benchmark for marketing excellence: build and grow the China marketing team into a top-tier marketing team in Asia, sharing best practices and contributing talent and case studies to the regional organization.
7. Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner effectively with product, sales, e-commerce, finance, and procurment teams to translate marketing strategy into commercial results.
- Influence without authority in a matrix organization; align internal stakeholders around the brand and consumer agenda, and secure the resources needed for execution.
What You Need to Be Successful
- 15–20 years of progressive marketing experience, with at least 5 years in a marketing leadership role managing teams.
- Industry background in fashion, FMCG, beauty, or luxury; premium/lifestyle brand experience strongly preferred.
- Proven track record in new retail exploration, channel marketing, and e-commerce in the China market.
- Demonstrated ability to go from insight → campaign → marketing plan → activation, with strong, hands-on execution.
- Solid financial literacy: comfortable with commercial terms and able to convert financial data into marketing strategy and plans.
- Experience working in multinational, matrixed organizations, with strong cross-border and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Fluent English (written and spoken) as a working language.
- Strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset, high energy, and strong leadership presence.
Bonus Points if You Have
- Education: An MBA or Master's degree from a top-tier business school is strongly preferred.
What Makes You Eligible
- Willingness to travel.
- Willingness to work in an office
What We Offer
- Flexible work environment, allowing for full-time remote work one day per week for positions that can be performed outside a HARMAN or customer location
- Access to employee discounts on world-class Harman products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, etc.)
- Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University
- Competitive wellness benefits
- An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development
HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Skills Required
- 15-20 years progressive marketing experience
- At least 5 years in a marketing leadership role managing teams
- Industry background in fashion, FMCG, beauty, or luxury
- Premium/lifestyle brand experience
- Proven track record in new retail exploration, channel marketing, and e-commerce in the China market
- Demonstrated ability to translate consumer insight into campaigns and execute end-to-end marketing
- Solid financial literacy and P&L understanding (revenue, margin, ROI, sell-through)
- Experience working in multinational, matrixed organizations with cross-border collaboration
- Fluent English (written and spoken)
- Willingness to travel
- Willingness to work in an office
- MBA or Master's degree from a top-tier business school
Harman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Harman and has not been reviewed or approved by Harman.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, often including medical, dental, and vision plans, with HSAs/FSAs and disability or life insurance also referenced. Wellbeing support such as EAP access and onsite occupational health services is also part of the package in some regions.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Lifestyle-oriented benefits include employee product discounts and region-specific perks like free fruit deliveries, Cycle to Work schemes, and meal coupons or allowances. Flexible schedules and work-from-home options are also part of the overall offering where roles and projects allow.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is repeatedly characterized as solid or market-aligned for many roles, with salary payments described as consistent and on time. Compensation is also tied to performance in some accounts, reinforcing a perception of basic fairness for a portion of employees.
Harman Insights
What We Do
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. HARMAN is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. HARMAN offers a great work environment, challenging career opportunities, professional training and competitive compensation. Looking for a challenge where your experience is valued? Come see what you can achieve as a leader with HARMAN!
