Strategic Brand Architect

Our organization is embarking on a pioneering venture to launch universities in India, making world-class education more accessible to local students. As an Associate Director, you will spearhead the creation and execution of distinctive brand identities for each campus – influencing how students, parents, faculty, and partners perceive our institution. You'll shape how India perceives and embraces these global institutions, ensuring every university touchpoint reflects academic excellence and aspirational value.

This senior leadership role combines strategic thinking, creative storytelling, and data-driven execution to shape perceptions, drive enrollment, deepen engagement, and build long-term university brand reputation. Key responsibilities include everything from strategic identity development and ATL/BTL activation to content marketing, digital campaigns, and influencer collaborations. You will work cross-functionally with admissions, marketing, communications, student services, and academic leadership to ensure every interaction with our brand delivers clarity, consistency, and emotional resonance.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and own a composite brand strategy that balances global equity of our partner universities in their home campus with their unique positioning in the Indian market.
• Build a scalable brand architecture that supports multiple academic programs, partnerships, and audiences.
• Maintain brand guidelines and governance frameworks across all platforms and touchpoints.
• Design and manage large-scale influencer marketing campaigns with high authority influencers, education YouTubers, and subject-matter influencers.
• Build a student ambassador network on college campuses, student clubs, and faculty champions to organically amplify brand stories.
• Lead partnerships with credible voices in education and youth media to elevate trust and authenticity.
• Plan and execute ATL campaigns including print, and outdoor to drive mass awareness and reputation building.
• Plan and execute BTL activations including school/college fairs, campus branding, experiential events, influencer-led meetups, and community-based outreach.
• Oversee media strategy and planning in collaboration with agency partners — including channel mix, geo-targeting, audience segmentation, and ROI tracking.
• Oversee the planning and creation of the university's website as a flagship brand destination — including design, structure, content, SEO, and storytelling.
• Develop and execute a digital content strategy that brings alive the university's mission, student stories, faculty expertise, and program outcomes.
• Drive usability, SEO, and UX improvements in coordination with product and tech teams.
• Conceptualize and execute digital-first brand campaigns across platforms like YouTube, Meta, and others.
• Lead campaign planning and messaging for paid digital media — integrated across video, display, social, and content formats.
• Champion creative experimentation in digital — from brand films and reels to interactive storytelling.
• Build and lead the content marketing strategy to engage prospects and build brand equity over time.
• Develop high-impact content formats: blogs, articles, newsletters, student/faculty stories, and thought leadership pieces.
• Collaborate with admissions, academic, and digital teams to ensure content aligns with student journeys and application cycles.
• Own and oversee production of all brand assets — video, copy, design, motion, and physical collateral.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard creative, branding, media, PR and digital agencies to support brand development and go-to-market execution.
• Define KPIs and establish brand health tracking mechanisms to continuously assess brand equity, recall, and sentiment.
• Commission qualitative and quantitative research (student insights, competitor scans, perception studies) to track brand awareness, recall, consideration, preference, and NPS.
• Drive internal brand onboarding for faculty, staff, and operations — ensuring cultural alignment and brand advocacy.
• Equip all departments with toolkits and training to live and represent the brand consistently.