Manager, Brand Governance

Position description

The Brand team leads the stewardship of the National Geographic identity across brand activations and touch points. As the National Geographic brand continues to grow in visibility through global partnerships and licensing, it serves as both a powerful asset and a critical driver of trust and impact. Our work empowers internal and external stakeholders to use the brand with clarity and confidence–through strategic education, collaborative guidance and thoughtful governance. The team also leads organization-wide vetting, ensuring potential partnerships and brand uses align with our standards and values. Across content, campaigns, products, experiences and collaborations, we ensure the brand is used authentically, consistently and in service of our mission.

The Manager, Brand Governance plays a key role in that stewardship. This position manages the day-to-day operations of the vetting process and supports the development and delivery of proactive brand education for Society staff and partners. The ideal candidate is an analytical and organized professional who can support research–heavy vetting processes, contribute to educational content and help scale brand strategy across internal teams and external collaborators, including global licensees and partners. This position reports to the Vice President, Brand.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include

Brand Vetting and Due Diligence (60%)

• Operationalize and manage the organization-wide vetting process, in accordance with the Society’s relationship philosophy, which includes vetting and due diligence for potential philanthropic or programmatic partnerships, collaborations with outside organizations, sponsorships, licensees, contractors, award recipients, cohorts of grant recipients and more.

• Conduct research using public sources and licensed databases (e.g. LexisNexis, Guidestar, Dun & Bradstreet) to evaluate potential reputational, ethical, legal and brand risks.

• Collaborate with Legal, Advancement and other divisions to gather input and flag concerns in a timely, clear and strategic manner.

• Write, edit and distribute vetting reports with clear findings and recommendations for internal review.

• Manage the agenda for the monthly vetting committee meeting, including action items following the meetings.

• Maintain a vetting tracking system and archive for completed reports, outcomes and patterns that inform long-term brand strategy.

Brand Education & Training Support (30%)

• ​Assist in developing brand education materials such as toolkits, decks, orientation materials, one-pagers and visual decks.

• Help deliver training sessions and orientations for Society staff, new hires, Explorers, partners, vendors and licensees.

• Support updates to internal brand platforms and resource hubs, ensuring staff can easily access current standards, policies and creative assets.

• Help translate brand standards into practical tools and guidance for everyday use.

Cross-Team Coordination & Strategic Support (10%)

• Collaborate with the VP, Brand on implementing the enterprise-wide brand stewardship strategy and help inform long-term improvements to our governance model.

• Coordinate with internal teams (Comms, Legal, Advancement, Campus Experiences & Operations, etc.) to ensure early brand alignment in program and partner planning.

• Track volume and type of brand requests to inform team capacity planning and reporting.

• Assist in process optimization across vetting and education workflows, including intake forms, escalation protocols and tracking systems.

Educational Background
Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, business, nonprofit management or a related field.

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

5+ years of experience in brand governance, communications, nonprofit partnerships or risk related roles within a complex organization.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent research, writing and critical analysis skills.

• Strong organizational and project management capabilities.

• Familiarity with tools like LexisNexis, Guidestar, Monday.com or other project management software.

• Comfort creating reports, educational materials and brand-aligned communications.

• Ability to work collaboratively and confidentially across multiple divisions.

• Strong interpersonal skills and professional judgement.

• A mission-driven mindset and passion for brand integrity.

• Experience in due diligence, vetting, research coordination or brand compliance.

• Ability to occasional travel (up to 10%) may be required for training delivery or internal meetings.

Supervision

No direct reports

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $80,750.00 – $85,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Hybrid – At the Society, we believe in the advantages of coming together to build community, mentor and learn from colleagues, and connect more deeply with our mission. As a result, the majority of our staff are Hybrid. Our Hybrid category requires that staff work at Base Camp two days each week: every Tuesday and Wednesday. Hybrid staff are also always welcome to come in additional days each week if preferred.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Application instructions

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