Principal Advisor - Strategic Projects and Communication (Memphis, TN)
The Principal Advisor serves as a strategic partner to the Senior Director, Marketing Business Center, and a trusted advisor to the Chief Marketing & Brand Officer and senior marketing leaders. Operating at the center of the organization’s most important priorities, this role helps shape and communicate the strategic direction of the Marketing Division while driving critical initiatives that advance organizational goals.
This position is responsible for translating complex business challenges, strategies, and data into clear, compelling narratives that inform decision-making, align stakeholders, and inspire action. A key aspect of the role is the ability to visualize strategy and create executive-level communications that bring ideas to life through impactful storytelling, business narrative development, and presentation design.
The Principal Advisor leads high-priority strategic projects on behalf of marketing leadership, provides thought partnership on emerging opportunities, and business challenges, and supports enterprise-level planning and execution. The role also serves as a steward of marketing intelligence, synthesizing industry trends, organizational insights, and competitive perspectives into actionable recommendations that strengthen strategic decision-making. Examples of projects include helping manage our Digital Innovation Advisory Council (DIAC) and leading the bi-monthly Marketing Review with the CEO and key executive leaders and developing Board-level communication and presentations.
In addition, the Principal Advisor helps advance the capabilities of the marketing organization by supporting leadership communications, strategic planning processes, and educational initiatives that build marketing/communications/creative acumen, strengthen organizational alignment, and elevate the effectiveness of the division.
Success in this role requires exceptional strategic thinking, executive presence, communication expertise, business storytelling, and the ability to influence across all levels of the organization. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable serving as a trusted advisor, strategic problem solver, project leader, and architect of the narratives that shape how the organization understands and advances its most important work.
Job Requirements:
- 8-10 years of experience in the user-experience, marketing, and communications realm driving projects in a cross-functional environment including 3-5 years in a leadership position involving strategic project planning, management, and cost control. Bachelor's Degree preferred.
- Proven leader with a track record of driving value through a book of strategic and diverse projects, a highly effective self-starter with the ability to work autonomously, organize and lead project teams, and/or serve as contributing member of a work group.
- Demonstrated skills working within a complex environment at senior levels and able to work in a rapidly changing and dynamic environment. Demonstrated success coordinating and leading cross-functional teams and activities with strong organizational skills with the ability to negotiate and concurrently manage multiple priorities. Resolves conflicts diplomatically while driving toward creative solutions.
- Strong business and marketing written skills coupled with verbal communication, presentation, and storytelling skills that typically comes from experience and hands-on working knowledge of tools used to create powerful visual presentations and/or digital experiences. Requires a background in creative design, user-centered design, creative writing and/or writing for business. Should have experience crafting Board-level communications and narratives.
- Demonstrated expertise in a Marketing and/or Fundraising discipline with a track record of driving positive results; solid business acumen with the ability to analyze and organize data, metrics, and financial information into meaningful summaries and visualizations.
- Ability to speak to large groups as well as one on one. Strong interpersonal skills, ability to be creative and to think strategically; understand difficult verbal or written instruction; ability to translate complicated information into written and visual narratives.
Location:
This position will be based at our National Executive Office in Memphis, TN
The position will be eligible for a hybrid work schedule.
- Core Medical Coverage: (low cost low deductible Medical, Dental, and Vison Insurance plans)
- 401K Retirement Plan with 7% Employer Contribution
- Exceptional Paid Time Off
- Maternity / Paternity Leave
- Infertility Treatment Program
- Adoption Assistance
- Education Assistance
- Enterprise Learning and Development
- And more
ALSAC is an equal employment opportunity employer.
ALSAC does not discriminate against any individual with regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or other protected status.
No Search Firms:
ALSAC does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All resumes submitted by search firms to any ALSAC employee or ALSAC representative via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without being contacted and approved by our Employee Experience team and without a valid written search agreement in place will result in no fee being paid if a referred candidate is hired by ALSAC.
Skills Required
- 8-10 years of experience in user experience, marketing, and communications, including cross-functional project work
- 3-5 years in a leadership position involving strategic project planning, management, and cost control
- Bachelor's degree
- Leadership experience managing strategic and diverse projects autonomously and across project teams
- Experience working with senior leaders in complex, rapidly changing environments
- Cross-functional coordination, negotiation, conflict resolution, organization, and multitasking skills
- Strong marketing and business writing, verbal communication, presentation, storytelling, and visual communication skills
- Experience with creative design, user-centered design, creative writing, or business writing
- Experience crafting Board-level communications and narratives
- Marketing or fundraising expertise with a record of delivering positive results
- Business acumen and ability to analyze and visualize data, metrics, and financial information
- Ability to speak effectively to large groups and individuals
What We Do
ALSAC is the largest healthcare-related charity in the United States. Founded in 1957 by Danny Thomas, our sole mission is to raise the funds and awareness needed to operate and maintain St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®. While our headquarters can be found in Memphis, Tennessee, we have additional offices in more than 30 locations across the country and in Puerto Rico with positions in fundraising, marketing, digital, information technology, legal, finance and many other disciplines all supporting our lifesaving mission - Finding cures. Saving children. ® At ALSAC, we believe in hiring the best and brightest from around the globe, and in 2020 we were named #1 on Fast Company's 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators. With a concerted focus on diversity and inclusion, we value and respect the contributions of all of our employees. Our work environment encourages everyone to be their authentic selves as we strive together towards a day when “no child dies in the dawn of life.” As we look to the future, we understand that we must be relentlessly innovative. Our work helps fuel the groundbreaking research and treatment at St. Jude and ensures that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. View our career opportunities at https://www.stjude.org/jobs/alsac.html and follow ALSAC across social media using @stjude. To learn more about the research hospital, follow St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on LinkedIn. For specific career opportunities available through the hospital, visit www.stjude.org/JoinOurMission.







