Director, Brand and Content Strategy

Noodle is higher education’s leading strategy, services, and technology partner. We develop infrastructure, provide life-changing learning experiences, and grow the awareness of and the enrollment in some of the best academic institutions in the world. Our vision is “to empower universities to change the world.” We achieve this vision by offering our university partners various products and services that help them be more resilient, responsive, efficient, and interconnected.
About the Role:
The Director of Brand and Content Strategy is a senior leader within the Engagement Strategy team, responsible for shaping how our partners show up in the market and how their stories are told across the student journey. This role combines upstream brand strategy with downstream content execution, from developing brand identities and messaging frameworks in discovery to building scalable systems that guide content creation and optimization at scale in support of Noodle’s business goals and client success.The Director partners closely with SEO, implementation, and creative leaders to ensure strategies are insight-driven, brand-aligned, and performance-ready. They define how programs are positioned, craft value propositions that resonate, and keep the messaging matrix alive as a central tool that connects discovery insights to execution. Balancing high-volume execution with high-level strategic thinking, the Director oversees a portfolio that includes hundreds of deliverables annually while continuously innovating how we brief, create, measure, and optimize content. While leading one direct report, this role relies heavily on collaboration and influence across Noodle’s highly matrixed teams, bringing people together to translate strategy into measurable impact for both Noodle’s business goals and client success.

As our Director, Brand and Content Strategy, you will:

• Co-lead brand positioning and messaging development alongside the discovery team and the Integrated Marketing Director, translating discovery insights into program narratives and developing messaging frameworks (messaging matrix, value propositions, program narratives) that guide the creative and content team and ensure alignment with institutional identity, student demand, and performance goals
• Serve as a consultative partner to higher education clients to understand their needs, provide strategic recommendations, and problem-solve collaboratively to inform brand and content strategy
• Translate brand strategy into execution across teams by aligning client teams, creative, SEO, engagement, and other cross-functional partners, ensuring that storytelling and content planning reinforce differentiation, enrollment outcomes, and continuous feedback loopsAuthor foundational deliverables, including SEO- and data-driven annual content strategies that guide multi-channel campaigns for Noodle’s university partners
• Oversee content production and revisions by developing and maintaining scalable templates, briefing tools, style guides, and strategic frameworks that ensure brand consistency, voice alignment, and SEO best practices
• Lead content strategy initiatives across the prospect lifecycle – from organic top-of-funnel touchpoints to middle-of-funnel events and deep-funnel articles – ensuring work is insight-driven and aligned with business outcomes
• Manage full-time contract staff and freelance contributors; provide mentorship, feedback loops, and editorial oversight with emphasis on developing team capabilities in SEO, content best practices, and brand storytelling
• Ensure microsite and website content aligns with brand positioning while meeting UX best practices and supporting student journey improvements in partnership with UX strategy leadershipDrive content performance tracking and reporting by partnering with analytics, UX, and SEO teams, connecting insights to strategic decisions, defining key metrics, and contributing to cross-functional initiatives such as thought leadership content and campaign measurement frameworks

You Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communication or related field
• 7-10 years minimum experience in content or editorial strategy; higher education or mission-driven organization experience preferred
• Proven background in narrative development, creative briefing, or campaign messaging
• Demonstrated ability to manage a high-volume portfolio while maintaining strategic clarity
• Experience managing writers/editors or freelancers; proven mentorship or people management skills
• Strong ability to translate qualitative insights (e.g., student needs, competitive landscape, institutional goals) into actionable brand and content strategies
• Comfort operating at both strategic altitude (brand identity, positioning) a