At the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that celebrates and values diversity. We firmly believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices, working together, increases our capacity to serve our visitors and fulfill our mission. We welcome people from all walks of life into our team and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

Job Summary:

With limited oversight, drive the content narrative for the designated area of expertise, leading a team of content creators to produce impactful, multi-platform content (including social media, video, web, email, SMS, and others) that aligns with Aquarium’s strategic priorities and brand reputation goals. Collaborate closely with internal clients to capture their business needs and priorities, and set the content direction to the team, ensuring all output adheres to Aquarium standards for style, voice, and tone, and aligns with our message framework. Partner with the other content leads, providing editorial oversight, maintaining the content calendar, ensuring deadlines are met, and coordinating seamlessly with design, earned media and paid advertising efforts. Collaborate with brand designers and film and video teams on creative concept ideation, asset creation, and project coordination, adapting the Aquarium’s voice for various platforms and channels. Create content, manage feedback loops, edit and maintain high standards for quality and consistency across all content. Perform other job duties as required. This role requires understanding our audiences and identifying opportunities to tailor our narrative into audience-centered content that enhances reach, engagement, and brand reputation across owned channels.

This Content Lead role is focused on Monterey Bay Aquarium's conservation, science, and advocacy narratives. They’ll help build a constituency for ocean conservation, activating audiences to join the Aquarium in addressing climate change and plastic pollution, advocating for a healthy global ocean, conserving wildlife like sea otters, protecting biodiverse ecosystems, and promoting sustainable seafood. This lead will manage relationships and contribute to projects in collaboration with stakeholders in the Aquarium’s Conservation & Science division, including the Global Ocean Conservation, US & California Policy, and Seafood Watch teams.

This job posting has a priority application deadline of Friday, 1/10.

Core Activities:

• Lead and refine the overarching content narrative and strategy for the designated area of expertise, ensuring alignment with the message framework and Aquarium's objectives.
• Manage and mentor a team of content creators and contractors, fostering professional growth and setting performance goals that drive content quality and impact. Conduct performance reviews, provide project-based guidance, and support career development.
• Define clear objectives and KPIs for the content team, draft detailed project briefs, and assign tasks to content creators. Ensure all content activities align with broader marketing goals and department priorities. Guide the content creators in producing engaging, consistent, and goal-aligned materials across all channels.
• Synthesize input from stakeholders, marketing leads and strategists, fellow content leads, creators and designers to deliver visually consistent, optimized content that engages audiences while remaining aligned with our strategies and objectives.
• Oversee and optimize the content calendar, accounting for cross-channel dependencies and ensuring strategic alignment, reuse, and cohesive content delivery across digital and print platforms, in partnership with other content leads.
• Offer in-depth editorial feedback across all content stages, supporting creators in honing their storytelling and messaging for polished, audience-centric outcomes. Provide final content reviews to ensure alignment with objectives, Aquarium voice, and editorial quality standards. Maintain a high bar for messaging clarity and style.
• Contribute innovative content ideas and strategic recommendations to large marketing campaigns, collaborating on project briefs and channel briefs to enhance campaign effectiveness and audience engagement.
• Analyze content effectiveness against strategic goals and intended audiences in partnership with Performance Marketing; adjust tactics and messaging based on data insights, optimizing content to drive engagement and conversions across multiple channels.
• Develop original, high-quality content as needed, ensuring messaging consistency and engaging formats across emails, social media, web, print, video, and more.
• Direct and oversee contractors, and other teams supporting content, providing clear briefs, messaging, timelines, and project context to ensure they deliver quality work that aligns with brand standards and deadlines.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Minimum of seven years of content creation or marketing professional experience
• Expert storyteller with an eye for creating compelling content and strong narratives
• Subject matter proficiency related to conservation & science or brand strategy and narrative
• Excellent written communications skills; can turn complex ideas into clear, simple language; excellent editing, copyediting and proofreading skills
• Able to take initiative and prioritize tasks; excellent time management and respect for deadlines
• Proven ability to build consensus and work effectively within cross-departmental teams
• Able to work a flexible schedule including occasional evenings and weekend
• Strong project management skills: experience managing multiple and competing priorities, proactive task setting, tracking and communication to stakeholders and marketing team
• One to three years prior supervision and management experience with creative professionals
• Ability to bring clarity to ambiguous environments and drive a team forward
• Ability to work within and maintain Monterey Bay Aquarium’s core values

Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Job Functions:

• Typical office equipment
• Constant sitting, standing, walking, bending
• Occasional unassisted lifting up to 50 lbs
• Typical office environment, main aquarium and exhibits, occasional offsite events

Annual Compensation Range:

 $91,200-$116,000 USD annually. Starting rate will vary based on previous experience and relevant skills/knowledge set.