Brand and Content Director in Sacramento, California at Guidewell Education

Position Summary

The Brand & Content Director owns brand, content, and social media strategy across all Guidewell Education brands — including Applerouth, ESM Prep/College MatchPoint, Guidewell Global, mbaMission, and Reach Summer Academies (as well as associated subbrands) - our tutoring, test prep, counseling, and summer enrichment portfolio. This role builds and protects a consistent brand identity across a multi-brand portfolio, leads the content and social media team, and partners closely with Sales & Marketing leadership on the ongoing Guidewell Education rebrand, paid media creative, and thought leadership strategy. This is a highly cross-functional role sitting at the intersection of brand, content, creative, and demand generation.

Key Responsibilities

Social Media & Team Leadership

• Own social media strategy and voice across all Guidewell Education brand accounts, ensuring each brand's presence reflects both its individual positioning and the broader Guidewell identity.
• Oversee and develop the social media and content team, setting priorities, quality standards, and growth plans.

Content Strategy

• Own content strategy across evergreen email campaigns, newsletters, blogs, and website content for all brands, ensuring a consistent editorial voice, publishing cadence, and quality bar.
• Own SEO content strategy in partnership with our digital agency, providing direction on keyword and topic priorities and holding the content side of that relationship accountable to measurable results.
• Establish and maintain a content performance reporting cadence (engagement, growth, and lead-generation impact where traceable) for leadership visibility.

Thought Leadership

• Partner with the VP of Sales & Marketing and the Director of Marketing as well as internal thought leaders and subject-matter experts across the company to support strategy for conference speaking engagements, panels, webinars, and other visibility opportunities that build brand authority.

Brand & Rebrand Leadership

• Work with company leadership on the rebrand of Guidewell Education brands, including messaging architecture, visual branding, content, and a brand communications framework.
• Lead day-to-day brand governance, ensuring brand and messaging consistency across all Guidewell Education brands, particularly during the rebrand transition.

Digital Media & Paid Collaboration

• Collaborate on digital media content and advertising creative, including design and copy, ensuring paid campaigns reflect brand and messaging standards.
• Partner with the Sales & Marketing team on aligning brand messaging and creative with paid media targeting to support customer acquisition efficiency.
• Work with external creative, content, and branding vendors, and coordinate closely with the paid media agency on creative alignment.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in brand, content, or marketing communications roles, with at least 2 years managing or leading a team.
• Experience managing brand strategy across multiple brands or product lines simultaneously; multi-brand portfolio experience strongly preferred.
• Strong editorial judgment and a demonstrated ability to identify compelling narratives, maintain a cohesive brand story, and adapt messaging for different audiences and stages of the customer journey.
• Demonstrated ability to independently assess audience, market, search, and performance insights and translate them into clear strategic recommendations, editorial priorities, and measurable KPIs.
• Demonstrated experience leading or contributing significantly to a brand refresh or rebrand initiative.
• Strong understanding of how content and brand strategy intersect with paid media and demand generation — this is not a purely creative role.
• Experience managing external creative, content, or digital marketing agencies.
• Excellent written communication skills across formats — executive messaging, long-form content, and social copy.
• Education services, EdTech, or professional services marketing experience are a plus.
• Comfortable operating as a player-coach—leading and developing a team while contributing directly to high-priority writing, editing, content development, and social media work when needed.

What Success Looks Like

• A consistent, recognizable brand identity across all Guidewell Education brands within the first year of the rebrand rollout.
• A documented content and social strategy with clear performance metrics reported on a regular cadence.
• Demonstrated collaboration with Sales & Marketing resulting in improved creative performance in paid channels.
• A pipeline of thought leadership placements (speaking engagements, panels, bylines) tied to brand visibility goals.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: $110,000, plus eligibility for a $10,000 annual incentive bonus
• A collaborative environment where team members are encouraged to contribute ideas and drive meaningful impact across the organization.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) with company match
• Hybrid work flexibility
• Opportunity to grow within a high-growth, PE-backed organization
• Discount on services
• Referral program

What to Expect from the Hiring Process

• Application and Portfolio Review: Screening by our Talent Team (~1 business week). Optional priority review for video cover letters if submitted.
• Intro & Alignment with Head of Talent: 30-minute video conversation on role fit, compensation, and logistics
• Strategic Assessment (Brief or Work Sample): Shortlisted candidates will either receive a brief in advance to discuss their initial observations and approach during the interview process, or complete a short work sample.
• Cross-Functional Team Interview: 45 to 60-minute panel with key internal stakeholders and peers for a mix of behavioral interview questions and assessment discussion.
• Final Strategic Discussion with Hiring Manager: 45 to 60-minute conversation on vision, portfolio alignment, and culture fit.

About Guidewell Education & Our Core Values

Guidewell Education is a mission-driven organization representing a family of successful legacy brands in the education sector. Our mission is to deliver best-in-class, transformational educational experiences and resources, guiding every student with empathy and expertise.

Our portfolio includes some of the most trusted names in the educational services space, such as Applerouth Education, Summit Educational Group, ESM Prep, College MatchPoint, and Guidewell Global. Together, we provide a comprehensive suite of services including academic tutoring, standardized test preparation, executive function coaching, college counseling, graduate admissions, and summer enrichment.

Across our brands, we guide students and families at every stage of their academic journey. Our team is dedicated to helping students and professionals define their goals, develop confidence in their abilities, and achieve their full potential.

Our Culture & Values

At Guidewell Education, we’re guided by values that shape how we support students and work together as colleagues — we are student-centered, empathetic, expert practitioners, and growth-oriented. These principles show up in every coaching relationship we build and every decision we make. You can read more about how our team lives these values at www.guidewelleducation.com/about.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We believe that diversity and inclusion enrich education and drive success. We are committed to ensuring that all people who interact with Guidewell Education--parents, students, staff, contractors, partners, vendors--are respected and valued holistically. We are committed to attracting and retaining students and staff from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences because we believe that diversity fuels innovation and education to new heights.

The Legal Stuff:

Applicants will be considered for the position on the basis of their qualifications and ability to perform the job for which they are applying. Guidewell Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, genetics, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or status as a special disabled or other veteran covered by the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended.