Responsibilities

• Set the vision and operating strategy for WGU’s brand elevation, governance, and store/merch functions, in partnership with the Senior Director, and oversee execution across all three workstreams.
• Lead and develop a team of 3–4 direct reports spanning Brand Elevation, Brand Governance/Policy, and the WGU Store/Merch team; set hiring plans, performance standards, and career development paths.
• Drive initiatives that elevate and evolve WGU’s brand identity, partnering with design, content, communications, events and marketing to keep brand expression fresh and aligned to institutional strategy.
• Own brand standards, guidelines, and approval processes to ensure consistent, on-brand execution across the university, including oversight of policy enforcement, brand reviews, and stakeholder education.
• Oversee the WGU Store and merchandise program, including product strategy, vendor relationships, and day-to-day operations.
• Partner with Finance and Operations on budget, inventory, and P&L for the store and merch program.
• Balance protecting brand integrity with giving internal teams the speed and flexibility they need.
• Track brand governance compliance and store/merch performance, and report results to the Senior Director on a recurring cadence.
• Partner with Marketing, Content & Social, PR/Communications, Finance, and Academic leadership so brand governance and merch decisions stay integrated and mission-aligned.
• Stay close to brand, retail, and merchandising trends, and bring a point of view on when and how WGU’s brand should evolve.

Requirements

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• - Strong point of view on brand strategy and elevation, balanced with the discipline to run consistent governance processes.
• - Excellent leadership and people management skills; experience managing a functionally diverse team.
• - Skilled in developing and enforcing brand standards, guidelines, and approval workflows at scale.
• - Experience overseeing retail, merchandise, or product operations; comfortable with vendor and production management.
• - Strong fluency in budget and P&L management for a retail or merchandise function.
• - Ability to influence without direct authority across the organization.
• - Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• - Sound judgment around brand risk, IP/licensing, and compliance considerations.
• - Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with design, marketing, content/social, finance, and academic stakeholders.

Preferred

• Prior experience in higher education, nonprofit, or another highly regulated/mission-driven brand environment.
• Experience with merchandise/licensing programs.
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior leadership stakeholders on brand strategy.

Benefits

• Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.
• Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.
• Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.