Content Marketing Senior Strategist (Thought Leadership)

As a Content Marketing Senior Strategist (Thought Leadership), you'll play a key role in shaping conversations across the retirement and financial services landscape. This is an opportunity to combine your passion for research, storytelling, and strategy to create content that influences decision-makers, elevates our brand, and helps position Principal as a trusted leader in retirement and asset management.

What You'll Do

If you're someone who enjoys transforming complex research and industry trends into compelling stories, this role offers a highly visible platform to do just that.

As part of our Thought Leadership team, you'll partner closely with thought leadership strategists, researchers, subject matter experts, executives, and marketers across the company to develop original content that sparks conversation and delivers value to our audiences.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the development of strategic thought leadership content that supports Principal's retirement and investment businesses.
• Create approximately 3-4 in-depth white papers annually, along with executive thought leadership articles, bylined content, and research-driven insights.
• Partner with subject matter experts and senior leaders to identify compelling industry trends, business challenges, and emerging opportunities.
• Conduct interviews, analyze proprietary and third-party research, review industry data, and synthesize findings into clear, differentiated perspectives.
• Develop content frameworks, story angles, and messaging that resonate with plan sponsors, financial professionals, TPAs, and other key audiences.
• Own the end-to-end content creation process, including research, writing, editing, proofreading, stakeholder reviews, and final publication.
• Translate complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly content that informs, inspires, and influences decision-makers.
• Support integrated marketing campaigns by collaborating with marketing partners to create content for activation across digital, social, email, web, and event channels.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, market dynamics, and audience insights to identify new thought leadership opportunities.
• Measure and evaluate content performance, using data and insights to improve future content strategies and outcomes.
• Build strong relationships across the organization to align diverse perspectives and gain support for strategic content initiatives.
• Provide guidance and informal leadership to peers and partners on content strategy and best practices.

You are equal parts researcher, storyteller, editor, and strategist. You love diving into complex topics, identifying the most meaningful insights, and crafting content that is both credible and engaging.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of experience in content strategy, thought leadership, content marketing, journalism, communications, public relations, or financial services marketing.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
• Proven ability to simplify technical or complex subject matter for a variety of audiences.
• Experience developing content across multiple channels, including white papers, articles, presentations, websites, email campaigns, and social media.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret research, data, and market trends and translate them into actionable insights.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to influence and collaborate across teams.
• High attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within financial services, retirement, investments, insurance, asset management, or wealth management.
• Familiarity with institutional retirement audiences, including plan sponsors, consultants, advisors, TPAs, and investment decision-makers.
• Experience developing research-based content and partnering with research teams.
• Understanding of retirement industry trends, competitive dynamics, and evolving customer needs.
• Experience supporting executive thought leadership and senior leader communications.

What Will Help You Succeed

• Curiosity and a passion for learning.
• Strong interviewing and research skills.
• The ability to find the story behind the data.
• Confidence working with executives and subject matter experts.
• A strategic mindset balanced with strong execution skills.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines and stakeholders.

 Additional Information

• Some travel required, including occasional overnight travel.
• This role may provide informal leadership and mentorship opportunities.
• You'll work alongside experienced thought leadership strategists, researchers, and marketing professionals to develop content that helps shape industry conversations.

Why Join Principal?

At Principal, you'll find a collaborative, purpose-driven culture where your ideas are valued and your work can make a meaningful impact. You'll have the opportunity to influence industry dialogue, elevate our voice in the marketplace, and help people achieve greater financial security and well-being through the power of insight and storytelling.

The following locations are examples of market-specific salary ranges across different geographies. 

• Grand Island, NE / Wichita, KS: $104,400 - $140,400 / year
• Des Moines, IA / Tampa, FL: $110,200 - $148,200 / year
• Charlotte, NC / Dallas, TX: $116,000 - $156,000/ year
• Chicago, IL / Denver, CO / Minneapolis, MN: $127,600 - $171,600 / year
• Los Angeles, CA / New York City, NY: $139,200 - $187,200 / year

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links.

Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants

Investment Code of Ethics

For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

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