Associate Director, Digital Communications & Fellow Engagement

About the role

To achieve Braven's ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Digital Communications & Fellow Engagement to lead a national strategy that meaningfully engages Fellows after they complete the Accelerator and through graduation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and Own the National Post-Accelerator Fellow Engagement Strategy (60%)

• Design and own Braven's national post-Accelerator Fellow engagement strategy, setting direction and standards for how we engage Fellows through graduation using scalable, data-informed approaches

• Shift Braven's Fellow communications from primarily informational to engagement-driven, ensuring messaging and content drive participation in high-impact behaviors tied to career outcomes

• Partner closely with Career Communities Directors to ensure communications drive Fellow participation in industry-specific and pathway-specific programming, including graduate school and service year pathways

• Own the Fellow engagement strategy for the MyBraven platform, driving adoption, usage, and sustained participation while contributing insights to platform optimization decisions

• Establish and monitor engagement metrics that are explicitly connected to Fellow outcomes (e.g., internship attainment, interview readiness, strong first opportunity), ensuring strategy drives results—not just activity

• Lead cross-functional alignment and decision-making across Program Operations, Product, Systems, and Marketing to ensure engagement efforts operate as a cohesive national system

• Determine the most effective channels and formats (e.g., platform content, social media, email, text) for engaging post-Accelerator Fellows based on data and Fellow behavior

• Build feedback loops and continuous improvement mechanisms to refine engagement strategies based on performance, Fellow input, and outcomes data

• Lead Social Media as a Core Engagement and Learning Channel for Fellows (30%)

• Design and lead Braven's social media engagement strategy for post-Accelerator Fellows, positioning social platforms as a key channel for education, skill-building, and motivation—not just brand awareness

• Partner with Communications & Marketing to align Fellow-facing social content with Braven's broader brand strategy while clearly differentiating goals, audiences, and success metrics

• Define and evolve national vs. regional social media strategies to ensure consistency, relevance, and scalability across markets

• Research, test, and implement best practices from high-engagement, student-centered, and early-career social accounts to increase reach, participation, and impact

• Use social media as an extension of Braven's career education model—reinforcing key mindsets, skills, deadlines, and opportunities that support Fellows' progress toward internships and strong first opportunities

• Determine clear metrics for social engagement that connect to downstream behaviors and outcomes, and iterate strategy accordingly

• Lateral Leadership and Organizational Influence (10%)

• Lead significant cross-functional initiatives and change management efforts, influencing stakeholders without direct authority to drive adoption of new engagement strategies and systems

• Serve as a thought partner and advisor to senior leaders on post-Accelerator Fellow engagement, participation trends, and risks to outcomes

• Lead and laterally manage regional staff, contractors, and student ambassadors, contributing to Fellow engagement and social content execution

• Prepare to take on direct people management responsibilities (e.g., interns or future FTEs) as the function scales

• Represent Braven internally and externally as a leader in postsecondary student engagement and career-focused community building

Requirements

• Minimum Requirements:

• 5-7 years of progressive experience in engagement strategy, communications, or related fields, including leading complex, cross-functional workstreams

• Demonstrated experience developing digital engagement strategies that drive measurable behavior change, not just message delivery

• Strong systems-thinking skills, with the ability to design, execute, and iterate on engagement models that operate at a national scale

• Experience using data and insights to connect engagement efforts to outcomes and inform strategic decision-making

• Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing engagement strategies for postsecondary students, alumni, or early-career professionals, particularly in workforce development or higher education contexts

• Deep understanding of social media and digital engagement trends among Gen Z and emerging Gen Alpha audiences

• Experience leveraging platforms such as Salesforce, CRM tools, or digital community platforms to drive participation and learning

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across national and regional teams

• Strong analytical orientation with comfort defining success metrics, interpreting data, and making strategic tradeoffs

• Proven ability to thrive in ambiguity, lead through change, and translate complexity into clear direction

• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven's mission and prepared you to work closely with Braven's Fellow population