Brand Associate

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Job Title:

Brand Associate

Department:

External Affairs | Marketing | Brand Experience

Position Overview The Office of Marketing (OM) builds, protects, and advances the Ohio State brand, strengthening the university’s reputation and ensuring a consistent, compelling brand presence across audiences and experiences. Within OM, the Brand Strategy & Stewardship function provides the enterprise capability that defines how the brand is understood, applied, and experienced across the institution.

The Brand Associate is a brand steward and trusted partner who supports the (interim) Senior Director, Brand Strategy & Stewardship in bringing Ohio State’s brand to life across the university. This role focuses on brand strategy application, governance support, guided consultation, and enablement - not marketing strategy or campaign execution. The Brand Associate helps ensure the brand is consistently and thoughtfully expressed across colleges, units, and initiatives, reinforcing Ohio State as a cohesive branded house. The Brand Associate provides brand consultation to assigned university partners, assisting and guiding them in applying the enterprise brand platform to their initiatives, environments, and experiences. This role supports brand architecture, naming, and co-branding efforts; contributes to brand governance processes; and helps implement brand tools, standards, and frameworks that enable others to deliver on brand intent.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Brand Strategy & Stewardship, the Brand Associate serves as a connector between brand strategy and institutional practice - helping teams interpret brand guidance, navigate brand decisions, and support the quality and consistency of brand expression across the enterprise. Working collaboratively across OM and the broader university, the Brand Associate brings together people, insights, and best practices to support brand-aligned outcomes. This role requires strong relationship-building skills, developing professional judgment, and the ability to work effectively in evolving situations while managing multiple priorities with guidance and support.Top of Form

All members of Advancement are part of creating an inclusive culture that inspires an exceptionally multifaceted and talented team and are expected to exhibit The Ohio State University’s Shared Values. The Office of Advancement is committed to acting with kindness, respect, and integrity at all times and welcoming our colleagues’ ideas, voices, and perspectives, acknowledging that we are better together.

About the Office of Marketing The Office of Marketing (OM) advances The Ohio State University’s enterprise priorities by translating the university’s strategic plan into clear marketing imperatives, initiatives, and narratives that guide engagement with key audiences. OM leads enterprise marketing strategy and coordination to strengthen Ohio State’s reputation, visibility, and distinctiveness - enabling colleges, administrative units, Wexner Medical Center (WMC), and Athletics to align their priorities with institutional goals while addressing their unique audiences and needs. Through integrated marketing and brand stewardship, OM ensures the university presents a cohesive, compelling presence that drives impact at scale.

Duties and Responsibilities 60% Brand Stewardship & Consultation

• Serve as a brand steward and advisor to guide campus-wide colleges, units and collaborators in applying Ohio State’s brand platform, experience principles and narrative
• Serve as point of contact for Brand Center inquiries and requests, ensuring timely follow-up and resolution
• Conduct reviews of brand applications and materials to ensure alignment with brand standards and guidelines; and provide recommendations for improvement
• Route and evaluate brand-related inquiries to ensure alignment with policies and processes
• Elevate complex or precedent-setting brand decisions to leadership for guidance and resolution as appropriate
• Collaborate with OMC peers to ensure brand intent is understood and applied correctly across channels and disciplines
• Assist leaders and teams in making informed brand decisions that protect and strengthen brand equity

25% Brand Governance & Enablement

• Maintain and organize brand resources, templates, toolkits and reference materials to ensure access and usability for stakeholders
• Contribute to the creation and refinement of brand guidelines, templates, and resources
• Assist in developing brand education, onboarding materials, workshops and presentations to increase brand literacy and understanding across the institution
• Support cultivating brand champions through organizational adoption of brand standards, tools and practices through communications, stakeholder engagement and change management
• Support the development, maintenance and adoption of brand governance framework, standards and tools
• Support brand architecture, naming and co-branding initiatives in alignment with enterprise strategy

10% Brand Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to brand health reporting and insights in partnership with analytics teams
• Collect and organize data related to brand adoption, compliance and stakeholder engagement, prepare summaries and reports to support brand usage and continuous improvement discussions
• Identify and share trends, risk and opportunities related to brand consistency, perception and on-going brand evolution

5%

• Performs other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, psychology, or related field, or equivalent experience
• Minimum two (2) years of professional experience in brand management, brand strategy, marketing or related roles
• Experience applying an enterprise or master brand across multiple units or lines of business
• Demonstrated ability to apply brand platforms to real-world scenarios with appropriate guidance
• Effective consultative, relationship-building, and communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex, matrixed environment while receiving coaching and direction on higher impact decisions

Desired Qualifications (We’re committed to building a team that reflects a variety of skills and experiences and encourage you to apply even if your experience does not align perfectly)

• Four (4) years of relevant brand strategy or brand stewardship experience
• Experience in client, account, or relationship management roles
• Experience working within large, decentralized organizations
• Familiarity with brand governance, naming, or brand architecture processes

The Office of Advancement is committed to providing tools and resources for you to learn our business, proprietary databases, University-specific processes, and advancement practices.

You Need to Know Aside from the unparalleled benefits of working for The Ohio State University and working in the vibrant, smart, enjoyable, and growing city of Columbus, Ohio, this opportunity will provide exceptional rewards that arise from working for an institution doing worldwide life-changing teaching and research. Learn more here: https://hr.osu.edu/careers/.

In accordance with the Disaster Preparedness and University State of Emergency Policy 6.17 this position has been designated as a standby position.

Additional Information:

To learn more about the Office of External Affairs, please visit externalaffairs.osu.edu. To learn more about the Office of Marketing please visit marketing.osu.edu. The target hiring range for this job profile is $59,300 – $77,500. The offer will be based on internal equity and the candidate's qualifications.

Function: Marketing and Communications Sub-function: Marketing Strategy and Management Career Band: Individual Contributor-Specialized Career Level: S2

Location:

University Square South (1032)

Position Type:

Regular

Scheduled Hours:

40

Shift:

First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

Thank you for your interest in positions at The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center. Once you have applied, the most updated information on the status of your application can be found by visiting the Candidate Home section of this site. Please view your submitted applications by logging in and reviewing your status. For answers to additional questions please review the frequently asked questions.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.