WorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C. and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than half a million students annually to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world – and themselves – in new ways.
Job Description
The Director, Brand Strategy & Go-to-Market is responsible for defining how WorldStrides' K12 Individual portfolio of educational travel and experiential learning experiences is positioned in the market and brought to life through compelling storytelling, content, creative, and go-to-market strategies. This leader will own brand architecture, messaging, content strategy, social strategy, and go-to-market planning while building the capabilities needed to strengthen awareness, increase share of voice, improve organic and AI-search visibility, and drive growth across the portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Brand Strategy & Positioning
- Own the portfolio brand architecture, positioning framework, messaging architecture, and value propositions across the K12 Individual business.
- Establish brand standards, messaging frameworks, and creative guidelines that create consistency across customer touchpoints.
- Leverage customer, market, and competitive insights to strengthen differentiation, drive demand, and link brand investments to measurable business results.
- Evolve the offer architecture (how programs, experiences, and portfolio brands are structured, connected, and brought to market as a cohesive system), anticipating long-term trends and opportunities that enable future growth.
Storytelling, Content & Creative
- Develop the portfolio storytelling strategy, creating narratives that inspire students, families, educators, and partners.
- Build and scale a modern content engine spanning editorial, video, social, thought leadership, user-generated content, and search-optimized content.
- Translate customer insights into compelling stories that strengthen awareness, consideration, trust, and engagement.
- Increase share of voice, brand authority, and visibility across search, social, and earned media.
Go-to-Market & Brand Growth
- Lead go-to-market strategy for new programs, offerings, partnerships, and portfolio-level initiatives.
- Develop market activation plans that build awareness and create demand.
- Ensure a consistent and compelling customer story across launches, campaigns, experiences, and channels.
- Define how major marketing moments are sequenced and coordinated across the portfolio calendar to build market presence, expand audience engagement, and grow demand.
Team Leadership
- Build and lead a high-performing team spanning brand strategy, content, creative, social media, and brand marketing.
- Establish the brand and go-to-market function (its roles, responsibilities, operating rhythms, and accountability) and the operating model for how it serves as the connective tissue across segment and portfolio marketing teams, aligning positioning, narrative, and market timing.
- Build an efficient and scalable creative and content engine capable of flexing to support seasonal demand, major launches, and peak enrollment periods.
- Lead the adoption of AI-powered creative and content tools, building the workflows, standards, and team capability to increase speed and output while protecting brand quality.
- Develop the right mix of internal talent, agency partners, creators, freelancers, and production resources to balance quality, speed, and cost efficiency.
Qualifications
- 8–12 years of experience leading brand and go-to-market strategy for consumer businesses.
- Proven success building and evolving brands in digitally driven B2C environments.
- Proven success advising and influencing senior executives and driving alignment across a matrixed organization through influence rather than authority, with advanced presentation and storytelling skills.
- Exceptional storyteller with the ability to translate customer insights into compelling narratives that strengthen brands and drive measurable business results.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across brand strategy, creative, content, social media, and marketing communications.
- Demonstrated ability to build teams, scale capabilities, and lead through transformation.
- Familiarity with brand measurement, web analytics, and social analytics.
- Hands-on experience integrating and scaling AI tools across creative and content workflows to improve speed, quality, and output.
- Experience in education, travel, hospitality, consumer services, or other mission-driven consumer brands preferred.
Work Perks:
- Comprehensive health benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, accident, critical illness, disability insurance, FSA/HSA options with employer HSA contributions, and a generous 401(k) match.
- Generous paid time off including 11 paid company holidays, 25 PTO days the first year (prorated), 1 paid volunteer day, 4 mental health days, and bereavement
- Professional development support, including up to $5,250 annually for tuition reimbursement and up to $1,000 for certifications annually
- Opportunities for paid and discounted travel
- Flexible work schedule providing on-site, remote, and hybrid office opportunities
- Encouraged participation in a wide variety of Employee Resource Groups
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness resources, including fitness centers at select locations
- Paid parental, caregiver, and disability leave
- Team Member Discount Program
- Engaging, collaborative, and fun work environment
The salary range listed for this position represents WorldStrides’ good-faith estimate of the base compensation for the role at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills and qualifications, geographic location, internal equity, and market conditions. The range does not include other forms of compensation or benefits that may be offered as part of the total rewards package.
WorldStrides, a global organization, is committed to educate and serve communities worldwide. Our commitment is fueled by the passion of our team members and partners to make experiential learning accessible, while also being socially, environmentally, and ethically responsible. Together, we accomplish this by investing in initiatives to promote inclusion, diversity, and sustainability.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, WorldStrides is committed to building a diverse workforce, supported by an environment that promotes inclusion and belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
WorldStrides will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1, J-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J or TN, or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire. Select seasonal roles may consider students on J-1 or F-1 visas.
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