Senior Brand & Content Lead

Position Summary:

The Senior Brand & Content Lead within OpenStax at Rice University owns brand strategy, editorial voice, and external content and communications across the OpenStax K-12 and Higher Education markets. OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative of Rice University that publishes free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and builds interactive teaching and learning tools used by students and educators across high school and higher education. Working under the direction of OpenStax marketing leadership, the Senior Brand & Content Lead develops and implements complex, multi-audience communications and marketing strategies; sets, governs, and enforces the OpenStax brand and style guide; leads public relations, media relations, and external communications; supports executive messaging; owns the editorial voice, content calendar, and the organization’s owned content channels, including the blog, newsletters, podcast, and social media; and serves as a core member of the cross-functional product marketing group, contributing to positioning, messaging, and sales-facing collateral. This is an individual-contributor role that drives cross-functional collaboration across marketing, product, design, sales, and leadership and provides expert guidance and mentorship to colleagues without formal supervisory authority.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About OpenStax:

OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative of Rice University. OpenStax publishes free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and builds interactive teaching and learning tools that are used by students and educators across high school and higher education. Our mission is to make an amazing education accessible to all, and our work spans both the K-12 and Higher Education markets, from open textbooks and courseware to research partnerships and instructor support.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is an accomplished brand and content professional who can maintain a consistent voice across very different audiences, including high school teachers, college faculty, students, supporters, and the press, without diminishing what makes each audience distinct. You have owned a brand or style guide and enforced it with care and good judgment, and you are comfortable being the final authority on brand questions while bringing colleagues along rather than simply overruling them. You write well and edit even better. You can manage an editorial calendar across multiple channels and markets simultaneously, and you know how to work with growth, events, design, product, and sales colleagues who do not report to you. You are at ease handling a media inquiry, shaping an executive message, and reviewing a sales one-pager in the same week. Most of all, you are motivated by a mission that puts free, high-quality learning materials into the hands of students who need them.

Workplace Requirements:

This is a desk-based, computer-intensive role performed in a remote home-office environment. Reliable high-speed internet access and a suitable, distraction-minimized workspace are required. Occasional travel is required for team meetings, conferences, partner and press events, and organizational convenings.

Physical and environmental requirements for this classification:

• Movement: Walk, Occasionally (<33%); Climb Stairs, Ladders, Inclines, Objects/Equipment, Step Ladders, Rarely/As Required

• Mobility: Sitting, Standing, As Required; Repetitive Hand/Wrist/Finger Movement, Frequently

• Weight: 0-20 lbs.

• Sensory: Vision, Depth Perception, Hearing, Touch, Dexterity, Speech

• Environment: Office/Indoor

• Computer/Visual: Close visual acuity required for viewing computer monitors, reading documents, analyzing information, and performing computer-based work.

Rice provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of this role.

Workplace Location:

This position is fully remote, permitting all tasks to be completed from any location within the United States. Working hours will remain on Central Standard Time. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

This position is not classified as Essential.

Hiring Range: $96,859 - $123,624

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree

  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

• Four or more (4+) years of experience in brand management, content strategy, communications, marketing, or public relations

Skills:

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Strong leadership and strategic-management skills

• Strong project-management and organizational skills

• Strong organizational and creative skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Strong editorial and brand judgment, including experience developing or maintaining brand or style guidelines

• Ability to manage multiple content workstreams and editorial calendars simultaneously

• Ability to collaborate effectively and build consensus with colleagues across teams without formal authority over them

• Proficiency with standard office and content-collaboration tools

• Familiarity with responsible AI tools and strategies for content and marketing purposes

Preferences:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Writing, or a related field

• Eight or more (8+) years of experience in brand management, content strategy, communications, or public relations, including experience developing or maintaining brand or style guidelines

• Experience in a nonprofit, higher education, K-12, or edtech organization

• Experience owning brand or content strategy across more than one audience or product line simultaneously

• Direct experience with media relations, press outreach, or executive communications

• Experience contributing to product marketing or sales-facing collateral as part of a cross-functional group

• Familiarity with marketing automation or CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Pardot)

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for overseeing strategic long-range plans and programs to meet organizational objectives for a school or department

• Crafts and defines the comprehensive communication and brand strategy for the organization, adeptly incorporating diverse channels to amplify the institution’s presence and reputation

• Directly oversees and strategically manages vendor relationships at a level that significantly influences departmental outcomes and organizational objectives

• Innovates, writes, designs, and orchestrates the production of sophisticated marketing and communication materials, ensuring a cohesive and impactful organizational image

• Leads comprehensive market-research and analysis initiatives, employing advanced methodologies to derive actionable insights for strategic decision-making

• Guides the organization in using results to inform strategic marketing direction, product segmentation, and customer targeting

• Participates in university-wide and/or organization-wide initiatives and cross-functional teams to establish the organization as a strategic partner and thought leader

• Provides expert guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture within the organization

• Owns brand strategy and governance for OpenStax, including sign-off and enforcement of the brand and style guide across K-12 and Higher Education marketing

• Leads public relations and communications, including media inquiries, press releases, and other external communications, and supports executive messaging as needed

• Owns the editorial voice and content calendar across K-12 and Higher Education marketing, coordinating with the growth/demand and events functions to keep messaging consistent across channels

• Serves as a core member of the cross-functional product marketing group, contributing to positioning, messaging, and sales-facing collateral alongside marketing and product colleagues

• Owns and grows OpenStax’s owned content channels, including the blog, newsletters, podcast, and social media, across the K-12 and Higher Education markets

• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Partners with the Design Lead on brand execution across visual and written materials, ensuring consistency between design and content.

• Supports the development of sales and marketing materials, including one-pagers, decks, and other collateral, in partnership with sales and marketing colleagues.

• Contributes to a culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the OpenStax team.

• Performs other duties as assigned in support of OpenStax and Rice department and program objectives.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits 
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University 

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.