Position Title: Director, BrandSchedule Format - Location: San Francisco, Hybrid
Pay Information: $125,547 - $165,000
Position SummaryKQED is seeking a Director of Brand to own KQED's brand strategy end to end - leading a landmark brand renewal, launching KQED's first major brand campaign in over a decade, and building the architecture that carries the brand forward. You'll also oversee sub-brands across KQED's rich ecosystem of content properties and experiences, and manage the KQED Creative team in matching the ambition of the moment. This is a rare opportunity to shape the identity of an institution that genuinely matters in one of the most culturally rich markets of the country-making a beloved brand feel relevant while honoring its core DNA.
This role will work hybrid between working in KQED's newly renovated headquarters and working remotely.
Essential FunctionsBrand Strategy & Campaign
- Own KQED's brand strategy - defining and evolving the brand narrative, identity, and architecture that will guide the organization for the next decade.
- Lead KQED's brand renewal from strategy through activation - including positioning, messaging, visual identity governance, and a cross-functional rollout plan.
- Build genuine organizational buy-in - creating the conditions where every team believes in and wants to bring the brand to life.
- Oversee KQED's brand architecture, including development and stewardship of sub-brands across KQED's ecosystem of shows, content properties, and experiences.
- Manage and build the brand team and key external relationships - including hiring a Brand Manager, overseeing the brand consultant through transition, and managing agency partner(s) supporting the renewal and campaign.
- Present brand strategy, progress, and recommendations to staff across the organization.
- Lead and own end-to-end a major, multi-year brand campaign - from strategic brief through creative development, production, and go-to-market.
- Partner closely with the Director of Media/Marketing on media planning and measurement to drive campaign efficacy and ensure the brand campaign and performance marketing campaigns are strategically aligned and mutually reinforcing.
- Partner with KQED's research and insights team to inform brand strategy - overseeing qualitative research such as focus groups, audience studies, and brand lift measurement to assess impact and guide decision-making.
Creative
- Manage and inspire KQED's in-house Creative team (which serves internal clients across the organization)- setting a high bar for craft, creative excellence, and strategic rigor across everything the team produces.
- Ensure the renewed brand comes to life consistently across every KQED touchpoint - TV, radio, web, social, events, and beyond - connecting brand strategy directly to creative execution at scale.
- Foster a culture of intentionality and craft - shaping briefs into clear creative direction and building systems that help the team do their best work.
- Champion innovation - pushing the team to explore new formats and approaches that keep KQED's brand expression current and compelling.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Be a collaborative brand partner to teams across KQED - Product, Editorial, Membership, etc. - helping them bring the brand to life authentically.
- Lead cross-functional workstreams related to the brand renewal and campaign, including steering committees, working groups, and organization-wide communications.
Knowledge/Experience Required- 7-10 years in brand strategy or brand management (in-house or at an agency), with experience building or evolving brands, not just maintaining them.
- Demonstrated experience leading major, integrated marketing campaigns from strategic brief through execution - including creative agency management, production, etc.
- Proven experience managing external agencies - overseeing briefs, budgets, timelines, and creative quality across multiple agency relationships simultaneously.
- Experience partnering closely with or managing creative teams, with strong instincts for what makes creative work strategically sound, culturally resonant, and excellent in craft.
- Deep expertise in brand strategy and the ability to translate it into words - including brand positioning, narrative development, messaging frameworks, reasons to believe, and the governance systems that keep a brand coherent at scale.
- A modern, community-driven approach to brand that invites participation and allows audiences to see themselves in the work.
- Proven ability to drive cross-functional alignment - including brand architecture and governance - making people feel genuinely invested in a shared direction.
- Experience partnering with research and insights teams to inform brand strategy - including overseeing qualitative research such as focus groups, interpreting audience data, and managing brand lift studies to measure impact.
- Strong executive communication and presentation skills - able to make complex brand ideas feel clear and compelling to senior leaders and broad audiences alike.
Knowledge/Experience Desired- Appreciation for KQED's mission - and the ability to bring for-profit rigor to a nonprofit context without losing what makes public media special.
- Appreciation for the Bay Area and its communities - and for what it means to steward a brand that has been part of this place for over 70 years.
- Experience in product marketing.
- Experience at a for-profit media, entertainment or experiences company - with an understanding of how a brand operates in a competitive environment.
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