Job Description

XQ Institute is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life. We work in communities nationwide, with individual schools and entire school systems, to help them dream big about what high school could be, turn their innovative ideas into action, and create more rigorous and equitable schools.

The Opportunity

XQ Institute seeks a visionary Head of Content to shape our content strategy, build our content operation, drive awareness, and ensure a consistent and compelling voice across all platforms. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this role involves significant collaboration with the Product and the Schools & Systems teams to ensure that content and storytelling strategies align with educational product offerings and systemic initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess a unique blend of expertise building content teams and operations, analytical prowess, and a proven track record of transforming insights into impactful storytelling strategies

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Content Process and Execution: Create and oversee the execution of a multi-channel content strategy that helps establish XQ as a thought leader as well as a leader in SEO. And ensure the highest level of quality across all content team deliverables.
• Brand Voice Leadership: Develop and refine XQ’s brand voice guidelines, and ensure consistent usage of our brand voice and taxonomy across all of our products, websites, events, publications, advertisements, etc.
• Collaborative Leadership: Partner with leaders on Product and Schools & Systems teams to drive essential storytelling initiatives, and partner with marketing stakeholders to help increase engagement with our key audience groups—including educators, students, and policymakers.
• Audience Engagement: Cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders across educational sectors, leveraging insights to tailor engagement strategies. Represent the brand’s vision and values in public forums, enhancing XQ’s visibility and thought leadership in the education sector.
• Innovation and Adaptation: Drive innovation in branding and insights methodologies, staying ahead of market trends and adapting strategies to meet the evolving needs of the education landscape. Champion new tools and technologies to enhance brand analysis and perception.
• Team Building and Leadership: Build and mentor a growing content team dedicated to storytelling about XQ’s work, schools, and products. Foster a culture of continuous learning and development within the team.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in content creation, management, and strategy, preferably in a leadership role. Experience in educational content preferred.

• Strong understanding of SEO, content marketing, and digital marketing best practices. 

• Exceptional writing, editing, leadership, and communication skills, capable of articulating vision and influencing both internal teams and external partners.

• Proficiency with content management systems (CMS) and analytics tools.

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with senior executives and across functional teams, particularly in aligning cross-functional strategies and initiatives.

• Strong analytical skills and experience with contemporary analytical and market research tools.

XQ Mindsets

Ours is a world defined by uncertainty, a society in flux, a state of unprecedented upheavals. While we don’t anticipate any quick fixes, we can anchor ourselves to what we see emerging. That’s why we have established a set of collective XQ Mindsets to ground us. 

• 100% accountability: This doesn't mean you have 100% ownership. It doesn't mean you are responsible for every last thing that needs to be done. It means choosing to take responsibility for our collective success and impact.
• Maker mindset: We build stuff. We won’t always get it right the first time—in fact, we rarely will. But by quickly making and testing our work, we can learn what works and what doesn’t.
• We are the ones we’ve been waiting for: Critique is not enough. It is on us to create the solutions—no matter where we sit in the organization. We are a well-resourced organization filled with brilliant people. No one else is coming to our rescue.
• Opportunity knocks: We are ready, willing, and able to take on anything that is thrown our way. Pivots are a natural part of our approach, so let’s embrace them so that we can experience them joyfully.

Stand on the shoulders of giants: We honor those who came before us, who aren’t seated at our tables, and build on others’ and our own earlier work with respect and reverence.

Benefits

Compensation

The salary for this role is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. XQ offers excellent organizational benefits. The salary range for this role is: $225,000 - $275,000 annually.

Location

XQ is based in Oakland, CA with offices in Washington DC and New York, NY.

To Apply

Please apply online. In your cover letter, please address why your skills, interests, and experience align with the requirements for this role.

XQ is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. At XQ, promoting, celebrating, and supporting diversity is a core value. Individuals are considered without regard to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, sexual expression, religion, color, veteran status, disability, marital status, or ancestry.

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