Director, Brand & Content (Onsite or Remote)

Follett Content Solutions•McHenry, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Follett Content Solutions is seeking a Director, Brand & Content to join their marketing department. This is a full-time exempt role responsible for building, protecting, and activating the Follett Content brand across all audiences, channels, and touchpoints. The position reports to the VP of Marketing and owns the brand and content ecosystem, including brand strategy, content development, PR, communications, creative services, paid media, thought leadership, social media, and marketing project management. This is a highly visible, cross-functional role that acts as a strategic link between brand, content, demand generation, and the broader business, ensuring all marketing efforts are differentiated, on-brand, and connected to business outcomes. The ideal candidate will have a strong command of both brand strategy and operational execution, capable of setting a creative vision, developing a communications framework, and fostering a collaborative environment. This role is for a builder, collaborator, and storyteller who understands that brand is reflected in every interaction.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience.
Strong track record in brand strategy, content marketing, and marketing communications.
Proven B2B marketing expertise with demonstrated success building brand presence, driving content performance, and supporting pipeline and revenue growth.
5-7 years of direct experience building, leading, and overseeing marketing communications, creative, and/or content teams.
Demonstrated ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.
Strong strategic decision-making skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proven project management skills with a history of successfully leading and delivering complex initiatives on time and within budget.
Strong analytical foundation with the ability to translate data into actionable brand and content strategies.
Deep understanding of marketing systems, tooling, and process optimization.
A leadership style that motivates, develops, and holds teams accountable.
Sense of urgency balanced with strategic patience.
Flexibility and composure in the face of ambiguity, shifting priorities, and a fast-paced environment.
Perpetual curiosity and a genuine passion for education, literacy, and the markets served.

Nice To Haves

Experience in preK-12 education, publishing, or library markets strongly preferred.
Familiarity with platforms such as HubSpot, project management tools, and content management systems.

Responsibilities

Own the Follett Content brand, defining and stewarding brand positioning, voice, visual identity, and messaging architecture.
Provide strategic oversight of brand standards, design systems, and naming conventions.
Translate business strategy into brand narrative, ensuring communications reflect strategic priorities.
Lead competitive and market intelligence to inform strategic recommendations.
Define brand KPIs, establish measurement frameworks, and report on brand health.
Stay current on brand, content, and communications trends in the K-12 and public library market.
Own the overall content strategy, setting the vision, framework, and priorities for content across various formats.
Drive content marketing performance, holding accountability for initiatives that support revenue growth and retention.
Own industry association and media partnerships, managing strategy and co-marketing opportunities.
Oversee thought leadership and influencer programs, ensuring alignment with brand positioning.
Champion social media strategy and performance, ensuring alignment with broader objectives.
Own paid media and media buys, ensuring alignment with business goals and tracking ROI.
Serve as the strategic connective tissue between brand/content, marketing strategy/demand gen, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Provide management oversight of project coordination and support the Manager of Creative Services.
Approve and align on marketing calendar priorities, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
Champion structure and flexibility in handling urgent requests and providing director-level guidance.
Own the PR and communications strategy, setting the vision and priorities for media relations and internal/external communications.
Lead and develop the communications/PR function, managing the Communications/PR lead.
Oversee customer-facing marketing communications, ensuring adherence to brand standards.
Maintain senior media and PR relationships and support the Communications/PR lead in building a broader network.
Oversee internal communications strategy, ensuring strategic and consistent company-wide communications.
Drive performance and accountability for PR and communications, establishing KPIs and making strategic adjustments.
Set and champion the creative vision, defining creative direction, quality bar, and brand design principles.
Provide strategic oversight of the creative services function, ensuring the team is resourced and delivering at a high level.
Champion the brand design system, providing strategic oversight of templates and style guides.
Serve as senior creative approver and escalation point for high-visibility creative output.
Ensure cross-functional creative alignment, serving as a liaison between creative services and the broader marketing organization.
Support the annual budget process, developing and submitting annual budgets and contributing to reforecasting.
Monitor and manage brand/content related expenses, ensuring spending meets or stays within budget.
Ensure timely financial administration for expenses and invoices.
Manage staffing and contractor resources, evaluating needs and overseeing vetting, contract negotiations, and management.