Vice President, Marketing

Summary

Reporting to the Co-President, Business Operations in a multi-faceted, multi-location academic and administration setting, the Vice President, Marketing is responsible for the short-/long-range marketing and strategic planning that includes direct and on-line marketing for new services, programs, and communications for expansion and growth. Drives the design and implementation of a strategic marketing strategy that creates a first impression that is second to none for multiple constituencies including but not limited to prospective students, the current student body, alumni clinical partners, regulators, banking partners and graduate employers.

Facilitates client development through marketing initiatives that will drive both American Career College and West Coast University’s efforts to be a visionary leader in its emerging market and revenue goals by acquiring and developing new customers through overall marketing, direct and online marketing initiatives, measuring and communicating results, acquiring new customers to help develop and launch new products, attracting new leads, brand/image management, optimizing search engine capabilities, establishing a segmentation strategy to increase the effectiveness of the online marketing efforts. 

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

• Develop, manage and maintain marketing strategy for brand.
• Create and manage a brand framework that can be leveraged in multiple regions in the US.  This includes consistent equity measure and relevant brand guidelines.
• Lead the marketing communications content development team within the business.  This includes agency relationship management and exploration of unique content development models.
• Leverage the use of data and analytics with a clear understanding of the “full-funnel” marketing model.
• Lead thinking of the management team on evolutions in marketing and how they apply to our organization.
• Create a high performing team that is encouraged in the company and with adequate career progression and succession plans.
• Evolve and diversify the integrated marketing and channel strategy across SEO, paid search, paid social, email marketing, display, retargeting, video to acquire and retain new students.
• Implement a content marketing strategy that drives awareness, differentiation and interest.
• Strategically matches messaging and channel to the various constituents for sustainable positive brand awareness and affinity.
• Assists in implementing a marketing strategy to build the University and College visibility and enrollment as well as create brand awareness.
• Responsible for crafting a clear differentiating strategy to ensure that all marketing campaigns are fully integrated (internal/external).
• Supervises a staff and several outsourced contractors and have P&L responsibility with direct reports.
• Manages direct responsibility for the media budget that drives first-time student enrollments.
• Leads the organization’s overall marketing, branding, and advertising and work closely with communications to increase awareness and student enrollment through optimizing digital marketing and social media.
• Targets appropriate student demographics and channels while utilizing metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing programs and take on-going corrective actions as needed to reach /stretch objectives.
• Creates content that will attract potential students on new products/features and engage them in innovative ways to drive awareness via digital media and appropriate legacy media channels.
• Collaborates with Admissions, Communications, and Operations to develop and direct the implementation of marketing strategies and achieve increased market share objectives.
• Responsible for evaluating and improving ROI of all marketing campaigns through continual testing to beat standards and accountable for performance metrics. Implement controls to manage efficient COA and to generate student interest resulting in increased student admissions.
• Manages external advertising and direct response agencies to drive student enrollments, while maintaining a positive image for the University and College. Optimizing CRM systems will be critical to success.
• Serves as the primary media strategist to leverage the University and College’s existing marketing efforts in direct response advertising including Social Media, online advertising, TV, radio, direct mail, and print by creating a multi-channel integrated expansion from traditional and online media to social networking outlets.
• Establishes a marketing strategy to increase the effectiveness of the online marketing efforts. To develop and execute an online student acquisition plan designed to maximize web site traffic and enrollment demand that includes paid and natural search, social media, affiliate programs, partnership, marketing/content integration programs, email marketing acquisition and retention programs.
• Continually assesses University and College’s marketplace, the alignment of its mission and programs with market interests, and the effectiveness of its media and messages.
• Represents the Company externally to media, regulatory agencies, funding agencies, and the general public as appropriate.
• Reviews workload and analyzes staffing requirements.  Interviews, selects, trains, counsels, and evaluates staff to ensure effective support.  Reviews the efforts of staff and provides direction where needed, ensuring timely completing in accordance with objectives.
• Works closely with Corporate Management staff, attends meetings, provides reports and/or information as needed.
• Participates in professional development and organizations in order to maintain an understanding of current ideas, research and practices, attends meetings, workshops and seminars to enrich personal growth, knowledge and skill in management development.
• Maintains professional appearance for position and serves as a role model, leader and mentor to the campus community.
• Adheres to Company policies and procedures and provides leadership to all staff through guidance and example.
• Conducts job responsibilities in accordance with the standards set out in the Company’s Code of Ethical Conduct, Compliance Agreement, Sexual Harassment Policy or any of its policies and procedures, applicable federal and states laws, and applicable professional standards.
• Maintains regular and timely attendance, reports to work as scheduled and assures time worked and/or time-off is recorded properly.
• Maintains established department policies, procedures and attends in-services and other required meetings.
• Maintains confidentiality of all student, associate, and/or company information as required.
• Exercises care, proper use and maintenance of department equipment and supplies and identifies unsafe conditions and makes appropriate adjustments.
• Maintains order, cleanliness and safety at work.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Education

• Bachelor degree in sales, marketing, business, communications or a related field required.
• Master’s degree in sales, marketing, business, communications or a related field preferred.
• Experience in higher education in either a not-for-profit or for-profit organization is a plus.

Required Knowledge/Experience

• The successful candidate must have ten or more years’ experience with most recent experience in a senior level position managing the marketing department with P&L responsibility. Must have experience recruiting and managing internal staff as well as external vendors such as agencies. Must have recent experience in digital marketing.
• Previous experience in Higher Education preferred.
• Proven ability to lead various marketing functions, including content marketing, SEM, SEO, email marketing, retargeting, paid social media, mobile and display.
• Must have demonstrated experience creating successful online strategy and direct response marketing and advertising with demonstrated ability to innovate, increase lead generation and conversion, and deliver measurable bottom-line results.
• Must have excellent written, editing and oral communication skills, particularly with the ability to persuade, both verbally and in writing. Outstanding interpersonal skills, including independent judgment and the ability to relate well to administrators, board members, faculty, staff, students, and the media in multiple locations is important.
• Must be performance-driven and have exceptional analytical skills.  Strong analytics foundation with the ability to drive data-based decision making.
• Strong financial acumen with proven planning, forecasting, and budgeting skills.
• Superior leadership skills including team leadership, thought leadership, problem solving and collaboration.
• Experience leading and managing agency partners.
• Exceptional cross functional management and project management skills and experience.
• Highly organized and detail oriented with ability to maintain flexibility.
• Demonstrated ability to innovate, increase lead generation and conversion, and deliver bottom-line results.
• Knowledge of state, federal and local laws/regulations relating to programs, governmental compliance and other regulatory standards such as Title IV, ACICS, WSCUC, and other accreditation standards. 

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