Senior Director of Brand Communications

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Management_Executive 612

Pay Range: $ - $

Job Description

$163,200 to $293,800

The Senior Director of Brand Communications will shape, elevate, and expand WGU’s brand presence across owned, earned, and brand foundations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, this leader will direct a cross-functional team, including in-house production studio, social media, brand communications and owned content platforms to ensure the brand is consistently represented, strategically amplified, and deeply engaging for diverse audiences, including philanthropy, thought leaders, government/policy officials, business and academic leaders, current and potential employees and students.

Combining creative vision with data-driven execution, the Senior Director will advance WGU’s mission by increasing brand awareness, strengthening reputation, and fostering meaningful engagement. The Senior Director is responsible for a multi-million-dollar budget. This role requires expertise in social media strategy,

influencer partnerships, brand management, SEO optimization and multi-channel content activation, as well as the ability to connect compelling storytelling to measurable impact.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities Brand Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the development and execution of WGU’s brand strategy across owned and emerging channels. Create a unified brand playbook (messaging, tone of voice, brand visual standards) that guides how WGU shows up across channels which is maintained and updated regularly to reflect institutional priorities, audience insights, and market shifts.

• Ensure consistent application of WGU’s brand identity, voice, and messaging across all touchpoints.

• Partner with cross-functional teams (marketing, communications, fundraising, government relations, partnerships) to align brand positioning with institutional priorities.

Channel & Content Strategy

• Create a comprehensive, rolling editorial calendar spanning WGU’s owned content and social media channels, including campaign integration, SEO-driven topics, channel management, content production, thought leadership placement, and seasonal priorities.

• Create a social media strategy for channel growth, influencer engagement, and community building that is continually tested and optimized, including platform-specific playbooks, influencer/ambassador partnerships, community engagement and performance dashboards. · Collaborate with Marketing to ensure SEO best practices are embedded in content production to increase discoverability and organic reach.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and mentor a team of creative professionals, including production studio, social media, brand communications and owned content/channel leads.

• Showcase proven expertise in change management and the development of large, high performing teams.

• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive culture.

• Oversee resource allocation, budgeting, and performance management for the team.

Measurement & Optimization

• Set and track KPIs for brand engagement, reach, sentiment, and channel growth.

• Use data and analytics to inform ongoing strategy, optimize content performance, and identify emerging opportunities.