The University of Houston (UH) is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research institution located in the nation’s fourth-largest city. Founded in 1927, UH serves a diverse student population of more than 48,000 students and is nationally recognized for academic excellence, innovation, and community impact. The university is deeply committed to student success, research advancement, and engagement with the Greater Houston region and beyond.

University of Houston Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big 12 Conference and sponsors 17 varsity sports programs. UH Athletics is driven by a vision to compete for championships while delivering an exceptional student-athlete experience and elevating the Houston Cougars brand nationally. As intercollegiate athletics enters a new era of revenue generation, brand monetization, and student-athlete empowerment, UH Athletics seeks bold, innovative leadership to advance its external and brand strategy.

About the Position

Reporting to the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, the Chief Brand Officer (CBO) serves as the senior executive responsible for the strategy, leadership, and execution of all brand, marketing, communications, creative, and content functions for University of Houston Athletics. This position is a key member of the Athletics Executive Leadership Team and provides vision and oversight for the department’s brand identity, storytelling, fan engagement, and revenue-driving external initiatives.

The Chief Brand Officer leads an integrated external affairs enterprise encompassing brand strategy, marketing and fan experience, communications and public relations, creative services, video and broadcast production, digital and social media strategy, licensing and merchandise. The role functions as a primary liaison to university leadership, campus marketing partners, media stakeholders, corporate sponsors, and conference and broadcast partners, while positioning UH Athletics as a nationally relevant, forward-thinking brand.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Brand Strategy, Governance & Executive Counsel

Develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term brand, marketing, and communications strategy that aligns with the University of Houston Athletics vision, mission, and strategic priorities.

Establish and enforce consistent brand standards, voice, and visual identity across all platforms, venues, and touchpoints.

Serve as a senior advisor to the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics on brand positioning, messaging, and reputation management.

Act as a department spokesperson as assigned and provide strategic counsel on media relations and public-facing communications.

Fan Experience, Engagement & Gameday Strategy

Provide executive leadership for the holistic gameday experience, from pre-arrival to post-event engagement, ensuring each touchpoint drives fan satisfaction, repeat attendance, and spending.

Partner with facilities, operations, ticketing, and concessions to redesign and elevate the in-venue experience, including music, video, pacing, activations, premium spaces, and fan flow.

Develop and lead a comprehensive fan engagement strategy, including student engagement, alumni engagement, community activation, premium fan experiences, and non-game day brand moments.

Build a fan-first culture across the department, aligning internal teams around service, responsiveness, and hospitality.

Marketing, Content, Creative & Digital Strategy

Provide executive oversight for marketing and fan experience, communications and public relations, creative and design services, video and broadcast production, digital and social media strategy, licensing and merchandise, and game presentation.

Lead the development of integrated marketing and promotional campaigns designed to drive ticket sales, attendance, donor engagement, and brand affinity.

Oversee content strategy and storytelling across digital, social, broadcast, and emerging platforms.

Guide the long-term digital roadmap for UH Athletics, emphasizing innovation, data-driven decision making, and audience growth.

Revenue Growth, Monetization & Performance Metrics

Collaborate closely with ticket sales, development, and corporate sponsorship teams to align brand and marketing initiatives with revenue objectives.

Establish and track performance metrics tied to attendance, ticket revenue, premium sales, merchandise, digital growth, and sponsor activation.

Identify and implement new opportunities for brand monetization and audience engagement.

External Partnerships & Brand Commercialization

Provide executive oversight of multi-media rights partnerships, including broadcast, radio, and digital media relationships.

Serve as a primary liaison with apparel, licensing, and merchandise partners, working in coordination with university trademarks and licensing offices to maximize revenue and brand exposure.

Support and enhance student-athlete brand development and NIL-related initiatives through strategic content, education, and platform growth.

Leadership, Operations & Campus Collaboration

Manage departmental budgets related to marketing, creative services, communications, video, broadcast, and digital platforms.

Work closely with University Marketing and Communications, Advancement, Alumni Relations, and other campus partners to ensure alignment and consistency.

Serve as sport administrator for assigned sport programs as designated by the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Compliance, Ethics & Governance

Ensure all brand, marketing, communications, and external operations comply with NCAA, Big 12 Conference, University of Houston, and applicable state and federal regulations.

Uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity, and professionalism.

Participate in rules education and compliance initiatives as required.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism, business, or related field; Master’s degree or MBA preferred..
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in intercollegiate athletics, professional sports, media, or a comparable brand-driven organization.
• Senior-level leadership experience at an Autonomy level institution or equivalent professional organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading marketing, brand, communications, creative, or content teams.
• Strong understanding of NCAA Division I athletics and external operations.
• Proven ability to represent an organization effectively with media, corporate partners, and public stakeholders.
• Data-driven marketing expertise with demonstrated success in audience growth, engagement, and revenue impact.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to lead transformational change in a dynamic environment

Application Process

The University of Houston invites letters of nomination, applications or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. For full consideration, application materials should be submitted at Parker Executive Search’s website. For additional information, please contact:

Daniel Parker, Vice President and Managing Director

DeLaina Sarden, Principal

Khristian Carr, Executive Recruiting Coordinator

dsarden@parkersearch.com | kcarr@parkersearch.com

770-804-1996 ext. 119 | 770-804-1996 ext. 134

The University of Houston is committed to a vision of freedom from discrimination for all people regardless of their race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, disability, veteran's status, or sexual orientation. This vision is a fundamental part of the University's guiding philosophies and policies.