Senior Manager, Employer Brand

Location: Lake Forest, IL, US, 60045-5202; Chicago, IL, US, 60654-4203

Work Location Type: Hybrid

As a leading industrial distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom, we keep the world working by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. With 2023 sales of $16.5 billion, we’re dedicated to providing value for customers, fostering an engaging culture for team members, and driving strong financial results.

Our welcoming workplace enables you to learn, grow, and make a difference by keeping businesses running and their people safe. As a 2024 Glassdoor Best Place to Work and a Great Place to Work-Certified company, we’re looking for passionate people to join our team as we continue leading the industry over our next 100 years.

The Employer Brand Senior Manager is responsible for activating and maintaining the employee value proposition both externally and internally across Grainger North America. You will ensure the employer brand is accurately portrayed to candidates and team members. This role focuses on two key stakeholders:

1. Candidates: Develop, update, and coordinate the company’s online recruiting presence to drive enhanced awareness of Grainger as an employer of choice. You will be focused on our external stakeholders to support a cohesive recruiting strategy that enables talent acquisition and hiring leaders to attract, retool, and mobilize top talent.
2. Team Members: Maintain, educate, and drive understanding of the employee value proposition (EVP) and employer brand to internal stakeholders and influence all enterprise and functional communications to create a unified experience. You will ensure messages align to a single framework and create seamless transition from candidate to team member experience through the best employee experience.

You will also manage related external communications, processes, and initiatives to amplify the brand, including associated social media channels, company awards, and oversight for design. This role can be based in either Lake Forest, IL, or downtown Chicago on a hybrid (3 days per week) basis. If based in downtown Chicago, presence in Lake Forest will still be required on an occasional basis.

You Will:

1. Independently design and deliver a multi-year employer brand strategic roadmap across North America with the objective to amplify Grainger as an employer of choice and attract new team members into the company.
2. Partner with talent acquisition and executives to understand their unique talent needs and work with agency partners to develop recruitment marketing strategies for specific functions or talent segments.
3. Develop and manage a $2 to $5 million annual budget and key vendor relationships in a way that drives continuous improvement that reduces overall cost per application.
4. Serve as a subject matter expert with advanced understanding of employer branding discipline, marketing analytics, talent trends, and job board experience research.
5. Oversee and improve candidate experience across Grainger’s North American Careers portals and independent job sites, including social media.
6. Lead cross-functional teams on major projects with the authority to direct and support team members’ daily work activities and performance.
7. Conduct research on the effectiveness of marketing and communications strategies to ensure staffing levels remain strong and consistent.
8. Partner with Communications, Legal, and Marketing to align employer branding to corporate and Grainger brand guidelines and value propositions.

You Have:

1. Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, HR, or related field.
2. 7+ years of experience in marketing, recruitment marketing, and/or social media.
3. Demonstrated expertise in creating comprehensive, innovative plans and strategies from concepts.
4. Experience managing budgets and vendors.
5. Demonstrated program or campaign management experience including Facebook, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
6. Strong knowledge of social media and job board technologies, trends, and innovations.
7. Must be detail-oriented with the ability to analyze large amounts of data to create insights.
8. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to work with cross-functional teams to ensure implementation of online marketing campaigns and talent initiatives.
9. Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
10. Ability to multi-task with strong organizational and project management skills.
11. Strong relationship building skills.
12. Proven ability to articulate point of view and influence with key stakeholders.
13. Passion for diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Rewards and Benefits:

With benefits starting day one, Grainger is committed to your safety, health, and wellbeing. Our programs provide choice to meet our team members' individual needs. Check out some of the rewards available to you at Grainger:

1. Benefits starting on day one, including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
2. 6% 401(k) company contribution each pay period with no personal contribution required.
3. Employee discounts, parental leave, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing, free access to financial counseling, education, and more.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment. With this in mind, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.