Director, Strategic Communications & Projects

Job Summary

The role will develop and execute high-impact communications plans for Marriott’s top-priority initiatives under the Growing Forward strategy. This position will oversee the entire lifecycle of communications projects, ensuring internal audiences are informed, engaged, and aligned with key changes. Partnering closely with key stakeholders, this role influences decisions, anticipates risks, and elevates the effectiveness of communications supporting the company’s most visible and high‑impact priorities. A key leader on the Strategic Communications Business Partner team, this role will provide strategic guidance and expertise to drive success across business areas and target audiences, leveraging new technologies and platforms to manage projects efficiently alongside standard processes and tools. In addition to leading high‑impact work, this role is expected to guide, coach, and elevate junior team members by setting direction, providing feedback, and modeling best‑in‑class strategic communications practices. This position will collaborate with senior leaders to maintain connectivity and visibility across the Senior Leadership Team and key stakeholders, ensuring seamless execution for the company’s most high-profile and high-impact priorities.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree with a concentration in Communications, Journalism, English, Marketing, or related field

• 8+ years of communications experience in internal communications

• Demonstrated experience working with executive and senior leadership communications and success working with members of the leadership team in fast-paced situations

• Experience translating complex business strategies into clear, compelling enterprise narratives.

• Strong executive presence when navigating ambiguity, sensitive topics, and competing priorities.

• Proven ability to connect work across initiatives to ensure clarity and alignment at the enterprise level.

• Creative problem-solving skills and excellent time management.

• Outstanding interpersonal skills to effectively build relationships and interact with associates at all levels within the organization and with the general public.

• Ability to routinely work from the HQ office in Bethesda.

Preferred

• Master's degree in communications, Journalism, English, Marketing, or related field

• Experience in the hospitality business

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

• Develop strategic communications plans in support of Marriott’s most high-priority work related to the Growing Forward strategy.

• Responsible for end-to-end development, management, and execution of communications strategy and deliverables for assigned projects and initiatives.

• Partner across organization to ensure all internal audiences have awareness, understanding, and adoption of (as necessary) changes related to the assigned projects/initiatives.

• Act as a critical member of project team in driving the success of projects/initiatives by leading and showing strategic expertise across functional business areas and target audiences.

• Manage projects and use standard processes, templates, tools, and other resources to execute while embracing new technology and platforms.

• Root assigned projects/initiatives in the Growing Forward strategy, including Three Paths to Win, Enablers, and Foundations

• Partner with Senior Directors to ensure connectivity across the Senior Leadership Team and other key stakeholder groups to address their needs, provide updates, and ensure visibility into communications to the enterprise.

• Serve as a strategic leader within the team by providing ongoing guidance, coaching, and oversight to junior team members, sharing best practices, reviewing work to ensure quality and consistency, and partnering on multi‑functional, high‑impact projects and initiatives.