Senior Director, Brand Strategy

WorldStrides; Vienna (VA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Certifications stipend

Discounted travel

Flexible work

Employee Resource Groups

EAP

Wellness resources

Parental leave

Team discounts

Job summary

WorldStrides seeks a Senior Director of Brand Strategy to lead the repositioning of the master brand across K-12, International, and Performing Arts. You will consolidate sub-brands, shape storytelling architecture, and champion brand narrative with educators and students.

You will oversee organic content, guide campaigns and films, and build governance across Marketing, Sales, Product and Partners. This is a premier leadership role with broad organizational impact.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of brand strategy and marketing experience in education, travel, or consumer brands.
• Proven track record leading brand repositioning or relaunch at a company or product portfolio level.
• Experience managing brand architecture across a multi-product or multi-brand organization.
• Strong storytelling instincts - you write a sharp brief, give decisive creative direction, and recognize a great idea instantly.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority.
• Experience managing external agencies (brand, PR, production).

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end repositioning of WorldStrides as the definitive educational travel brand across K-12, International, and Performing Arts.
• Define and execute a sub-brand consolidation strategy - creating a coherent brand architecture across all WorldStrides products and programs.
• Develop brand guidelines, tone of voice, and messaging frameworks that ensure consistency across every customer touchpoint.
• Partner with Product and Sales leadership to ensure brand narrative aligns with commercial strategy and segment needs.
• Build and own the organic content strategy - editorial, social, video - as a long-term brand-building and SEO asset.
• Commission and champion student and educator stories that bring WorldStrides' mission to life authentically.
• Oversee development of campaign narratives, brand films, and impact content that differentiate WorldStrides in a competitive landscape.
• Serve as the internal brand guardian across Marketing, Sales, Product, and Partner channels.
• Lead and develop the Manager, Social & Influencer and work cross-functionally with Creative, Digital, and Channel teams.
• Build agency and freelance partnerships for brand strategy, PR, and film production.

Skills

Brand strategy leadership

Brand repositioning

Storytelling instincts

Cross-functional influence

Agency management

Team leadership

Job description

Company Introduction

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.

Company Introduction

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.

The Role

This is a defining hire for WorldStrides. As Senior Director of Brand Strategy, you will lead the repositioning of the WorldStrides master brand - consolidating a portfolio of sub-brands, building the storytelling architecture that drives emotional connection with educators and students, and establishing organic content as a top-of-funnel engine. You will be the brand's chief architect and its loudest champion internally and externally.

Brand Repositioning & Architecture

• Lead the end-to-end repositioning of WorldStrides as the definitive educational travel brand across K-12, International, and Performing Arts
• Define and execute a sub-brand consolidation strategy - creating a coherent brand architecture across all WorldStrides products and programs
• Develop brand guidelines, tone of voice, and messaging frameworks that ensure consistency across every customer touchpoint
• Partner with Product and Sales leadership to ensure brand narrative aligns with commercial strategy and segment needs

Storytelling & Organic Content

• Build and own the organic content strategy - editorial, social, video - as a long-term brand-building and SEO asset
• Commission and champion student and educator stories that bring WorldStrides' mission to life authentically
• Oversee development of campaign narratives, brand films, and impact content that differentiate WorldStrides in a competitive landscape

Brand Governance & Team Leadership

• Serve as the internal brand guardian across Marketing, Sales, Product, and Partner channels
• Lead and develop the Manager, Social & Influencer and work cross-functionally with Creative, Digital, and Channel teams
• Build agency and freelance partnerships for brand strategy, PR, and film production

What Success Looks Like

• Unified brand architecture adopted across all sub-brands within 12 months
• Measurable increase in unaided brand awareness among target educator and student segments
• Organic content contributing measurably to top-of-funnel MQL pipeline
• WorldStrides featured in top-tier education and travel media

Requirements

• 8-12 years of brand strategy and marketing experience in education, travel, or consumer brands
• Proven track record leading brand repositioning or relaunch at a company or product portfolio level
• Experience managing brand architecture across a multi-product or multi-brand organization
• Strong storytelling instincts - you write a sharp brief, give decisive creative direction, and recognize a great idea instantly
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority
• Experience managing external agencies (brand, PR, production)

Nice to Have

• Experience in K-12 education, study abroad, or experiential travel
• Track record building organic content as a measurable growth channel
• Familiarity with brand tracking tools and qualitative research methodologies

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.

Compensation Range: $180,000 USD - $210,000 USD

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.