Senior Lead Writer

The content strategist seat/position is a full-time, remote, or on-site role, working with our education marketing managers, production managers, writers, designers, developers, and internal marketing team.

Candidates should possess a degree in Mass Communications/Journalism/English with at least five years of copywriting/editing experience. Experience in creating and implementing a content strategy for a brand or product development team is required, preferably in the education industry. Candidates must demonstrate a deep understanding of the customer buyer journey, the various stages of that journey, and the role content plays in nurturing buyers to complete an intended outcome. The content strategist candidate should possess an exceptional grasp of promotional writing, with an emphasis on writing for search engine optimization, online advertising, and social media. Additionally, candidates must demonstrate the ability to strategically and purposefully develop content towards a higher marketing goal and generate highly creative, engaging, and compelling content for their audience. An aptitude for proper writing techniques, including spelling, punctuation, and grammar, is a must.

Excellent communication and research skills are essential to the success of this position. The content strategist must have the ability to work across multiple projects, quickly organize information, and deliver on deadlines in a fast-paced environment serving clients in the education industry. 

We are looking for candidates who:

• Find North Star’s core values compelling and engaging
• Have integrity and a high degree of personal responsibility
• Demonstrate a positive, can-do, go-the-extra-mile attitude
• Are comfortable working with faith-based clients
• Are strategic thinkers: able to process, plan, and evaluate
• Are eager and able to learn new things and stay on top of current marketing trends
• Are strong communicators and creative thinkers
• Have expert knowledge of spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules
• Have experience with Associated Press style (prefer this experience)
• Have experience with Google Docs (prefer this experience)
• Are comfortable hitting daily deadlines
• Demonstrate strong analytical skills
• Are strong writers: capable of crafting well-written messages efficiently
• Appreciate and value constructive criticism
• Are comfortable being a key player on a variety of projects
• Handle themselves in a pleasant, personable manner (in-person, phone, and email)
• Are social media, web, and tech-savvy 
• Are detail-oriented
• Enjoy working as part of a team
• Are good listeners
• Have a good sense of humor

Position Summary

This role’s primary aims are to direct and develop the overarching content strategy and contribute well-written content for a wide range of marketing projects. Principal roles and  responsibilities of the content strategist include: 

Content Strategy:

• Collaborate with team members in the development of content strategy
• Develop messaging based on identified problems, insights, and illustrations uncovered through discovery
• Research topics and themes to create solutions that align with strategic goals
• Implement SEO best practices
• Monitor and assess data/analytics to inform content strategy and optimizations
• Review final deliverables to verify content alignment
• Maintain continuity of voice and ethos for a client’s brand and messaging across multiple platforms
• Create recommendations for content promotional strategy
• Revise best practices and rhetorical strategies based on the effectiveness of previous campaigns and comparable messaging
• Review and optimize the content strategy process at the agency

Writing:

• Review of project briefs and available resources
• Conduct topic research
• Develop clear and engaging copy
• Maintain proper voice, tone, and terminology
• Project collaboration and communication
• Campaign theme development
• Review and optimize the writing process at the agency

Editing:

• Proofing content for proper writing mechanics and content quality
• Providing editorial feedback, oversight, and recommendations to junior writers
• Confirming content is correctly translated into the final deliverable
• Review and optimize the editing process at the agency

Manage Freelance Writers

• Oversee and manage a small group of independent writing consultants
• Assist with recruiting new freelancers to align with current content demands
• Establish and maintain standard operating procedures for all independent writing consultants
• Review and approve invoices for payment from freelancers

Lead, Manage, Accountability

• Providing compelling vision and clear direction for your team
• Providing clear communications to direct reports
• Conducting quarterly reviews for direct reports
• Leading daily standup and weekly meetings for the department
• Providing positive and negative feedback to direct reports within 24 hours
• Ensure direct reports have the necessary tools for success in their seats
• Setting clear expectations for direct reports
• Delegating & holding direct reports accountable for their area of responsibility

The job will require content strategy and writing across the following categories:

• Blog posts
• Editorial calendars
• Email campaigns and nurturing sequences
• Website content
• Paid search ads
• Social media updates and ads
• E-books and white papers
• Landing pages
• Infographics
• Promotional video scripts
• Brand Messaging
• Brand standards guides
• Print ads
• Billboards
• Direct mail pieces

The Senior Lead Writer will be instrumental in producing engaging marketing deliverables for clients and growing our content development knowledge base. The Senior Lead Writer will also support the sales team in promoting marketing offerings. This position requires a personality that is energized by change and challenges. As the marketing landscape constantly shifts, the Senior Lead Writer must enjoy learning about new technologies and consistently evaluating ways to improve North Star’s service model.

Summary of Approximate Time Allocation