Global Thought Leadership Director

About the Role

We're looking for a Global Thought Leadership Director to own the industry narrative that defines how the world thinks about Cloudbeds — and about the future of hospitality itself. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who has spent years living inside the hotel industry — as a journalist, researcher, or content strategist — and has the instincts to turn complex data, customer proof, and market dynamics into ideas worth reading and repeating. You don't manage teams. You move markets. You'll report directly to the VP of Marketing and work in close partnership with the Director of Content Marketing and executive leadership to build the intellectual infrastructure behind Cloudbeds' brand.

Responsibilities

• Own Cloudbeds' thought leadership strategy and editorial calendar, defining the ideas, narratives, and industry positions Cloudbeds takes publicly
• Lead original research programs end-to-end — designing studies, running surveys, analyzing platform data, and turning findings into content that earns coverage and builds authority
• Work directly with Cloudbeds' proprietary platform data to surface insights only we can produce, packaging them into reports, benchmarks, and editorial content competitors can't replicate
• Develop the executive viewpoints and presentations that drive Cloudbeds' industry narrative, partnering with the CEO, CGO, and COO to sharpen their public positions across keynotes, media, and LinkedIn
• Own customer story production — commissioning, interviewing, and writing stories that read like journalism and demonstrate real business impact
• Partner closely with the Director of Content Marketing to hand off narratives, findings, and angles across blog, video, social, and the broader content program, building derivative content ecosystems from every major research asset
• Stay genuinely current on hospitality economics, technology shifts, and operator challenges, translating that intelligence into editorial opportunities, and use AI tools fluently across the research and writing workflow

Requirements

You write like someone who has actually been inside a hotel. You understand what RevPAR pressure feels like for an independent GM, why fragmented technology is a daily operational problem, and how to write about hotel technology in a way that makes operators feel understood rather than sold to. That hospitality fluency is non-negotiable. Beyond that, you bring:

• Extensive experience in hospitality or hotel technology — as a journalist, trade publication editor, industry analyst, or content strategist embedded in the space
• Exceptional writing: clear, specific, and authoritative at the sentence level — your work doesn't require heavy editing and your point of view is evident from the first paragraph
• Experience leading original research end-to-end — designing studies, fielding surveys, analyzing data, and translating findings into editorial content with real reach, with a track record of turning a single research asset into a multi-channel content program
• The instinct to identify which ideas are genuinely worth owning and which are noise — and the discipline to build a content program around the former
• Comfort working directly with executives — sharpening their viewpoints, developing their presentations, and serving as a trusted editorial advisor
• Fluency with AI as a daily production and research tool — you use it to move faster, not to replace thinking
• A portfolio that demonstrates the range: research reports, long-form editorial, executive content, and customer stories

Skills

• Comfortable presenting research publicly — this role will have opportunities to represent Cloudbeds at industry events and conferences as a subject matter expert

Pay

Depending on your skills and experience, you can expect your annual compensation to be between $140,000 and $160,000 USD. Please note that we maintain flexibility, and packages above this range will be considered. (The salary is only for US-based candidates).

Benefits

• Remote First, Remote Always
• PTO in accordance with local labor requirements
• Monthly Wellness Fridays - enjoy an extra long weekend every month
• Full Paid Parental Leave
• Home office stipend based on country of residency
• Professional development courses in Cloudbeds University
• Access to professional development, including manager training, upskilling and knowledge transfer

About Us

Behind Cloudbeds' revolutionary technology is a team of redefining what's possible in hospitality. We're 650+ employees across 40+ countries, bringing together elite engineers, AI architects, world-class designers, and hospitality veterans to solve challenges others haven't dared to tackle. Our diverse team speaks 30+ languages, but we all share one language: a passion for innovation and travel. From pioneering breakthroughs in machine learning to revolutionizing how hotels operate, we're not just watching the future of hospitality unfold — we're coding it, designing it, writing it, and shipping it.

Cloudbeds has been recognized with several awards, including:

• Best All-In-One Hotel Management System | HotelTechAwards (2025)
• Overall 10 Best Places to Work | HotelTechAwards (2025)
• Most Loved Workplace® Certified (2024)
• Top 10 People’s Choice (2024)
• Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2024)