Job Description
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.