Copy Principal, Nordstrom Rack (Hybrid - Seattle, WA)

This role is offered as hybrid in Seattle, WA. Candidates must be available to work in office at the Nordstrom corporate headquarters a minimum of 4 days/week.

About the role

The Copy Principal owns how Rack sounds, everywhere the customer shows up. This role sets the direction for brand voice, then ensures it holds up across every campaign, channel, and platform—from a Holiday 360 to a 15-second Reel. Automation and AI handle repeatable tasks, freeing time for work that demands sharp strategy, a voice with real personality, and stories built for social and mid-funnel (MF) video. This role treats AI as leverage, not competition, and knows exactly where the line is.

Responsibilities

• Voice & Systems Leadership
  • Define, evolve, and steward the brand voice across channels and campaigns
  • Build and maintain scalable copy systems and playbooks that enable consistency at scale
  • Ensure voice is both distinctive and flexible across formats, audiences, and moments
  • Maintain fluency in Rack's established voice systems (e.g., Practical Swagger structure, brand copy bank) and evolve them as formats and platforms expand
• Messaging & Campaign Strategy
  • Lead messaging strategy and storytelling for key brand moments (e.g., Holiday, Sales, seasonal campaigns)
  • Translate business, marketing, and merchandising goals into clear, effective customer-facing copy
  • Partner cross-functionally to align messaging with broader brand and campaign strategy
• Social & Video Storytelling
  • Write and shape scripts, hooks, and captions for mid-funnel (MF) video and social-first content, adapting brand voice to platform norms (e.g., TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts)
  • Partner with Video and Social/Influencer teams from concept, not after the cut is locked, so story and copy are built together
  • Track platform storytelling trends and translate what works into brand-appropriate formats
  • Build a scalable system for social copy variations (hooks, captions, CTAs) that keeps pace with content velocity
• Creative Direction & Execution
  • Guide copy direction across core workstreams, from concept through final execution
  • Provide clear, actionable feedback to elevate clarity, craft, and creativity
  • Ensure work is both emotionally resonant and performance-driven
• Team Leadership & Influence
  • Drive alignment, set direction, and bring teams along
  • Mentor writers and editors, raising the overall standard of voice and craft
  • Foster a collaborative, high-trust creative environment
• AI & Automation Strategy
  • Lead adoption of AI and automation tools for high-volume, lower complexity copy work (variations, resizes, localization drafts)
  • Own the call on what gets automated versus what stays human, building automation into copy workflows without flattening voice
  • Reinvest the time freed by automation into higher-value work: platform storytelling, voice evolution, and mentorship
  • Build and maintain prompt libraries, playbooks, and QA systems that keep AI-assisted output sounding like the brand
  • Partner with Design, Video, Marketing, and Program Management to align the automation roadmap with production needs
• Performance & Insights
  • Use data, testing, and insights (including social/video metrics like hook retention, watch time, and scroll depth) to refine messaging and improve performance
  • Balance creative quality with measurable business outcomes

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in brand copywriting (retail, fashion, lifestyle, or agency preferred)
• Strong portfolio demonstrating voice, campaign work, and systems thinking
• Ability to learn and apply a structured brand voice system (e.g., Rack's Practical Swagger format and copy bank) quickly and consistently
• Experience writing for social and short-form video (scripts, captions, hooks), not just repurposing long-form copy for social
• Experience leading messaging strategy across multiple channels
• Proven ability to guide teams and influence cross-functional partners
• Hands-on experience integrating AI or automation into a copywriting workflow, not just familiarity with the tools
• Excellent writing, editing, and presentation skills

Pay

The pay range for this role is $93,500.00 - $155,000.00 annually. Pay offers are dependent on location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses.

Benefits

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Retirement savings plan (401k)
• Paid time off (PTO) accruals and holidays
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Merchandise discount
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) resources