"DIRECTOR / MARKETING / INNOVATION & ONLINE"

Job Description

Position Number: S-3819

Position Summary:

The director of marketing for CMU’s Innovation and Online unit leads integrated and comprehensive marketing efforts to increase market share and drive prospective student engagement, application growth, and enrollment for CMU’s online degree programs. This role is responsible for developing, managing, and executing a strategic, data-informed marketing strategy in collaboration with university partners; in particular, University Marketing and Communications, with the ultimate goal of achieving enrollment growth targets for online programs. This individual will work in partnership with University Marketing and Communication on all aspects of the marketing lifecycle, from brand positioning and lead generation to conversion and student retention for CMU Online. The director will lead a team of marketing professionals, manage budgets, and collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure the marketing strategy aligns with the broader institutional goals, brand standards, and institutional brand positioning.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related business field.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in marketing.
• Demonstrated experience managing and optimizing a budget across multiple teams and goals.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendor relationships and working across multiple channels and audiences.
• Demonstrated understanding of funnel-based marketing and conversion-focused content strategy.
• In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with digital marketing platforms, marketing automation (e.g., CRMs like Slate), analytics tools, and web content management systems (CMS).
• Demonstrated collaborative mindset, with a proven ability to be a creative, and analytical thinker who can adapt quickly to evolving market trends.
• Familiarity with email drip campaigns, lead nurturing workflows, and campaign reporting metrics.
• Demonstrated understanding and ability to use market research, competitive analysis, and consumer trends to identify new opportunities.
• Knowledge in managing digital presence, including website content strategy, SEO/SEM, paid and organic search, social media platforms, and email marketing campaigns.
• Demonstrated understanding of integrated marketing strategies and approaches that leverage and maximize paid digital spend.
• Deep understanding of marketing analytics and campaign optimization.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in marketing, business administration, communications, or a related field.
• Seven years of progressive experience in marketing, with at least five years in a leadership role focused on enrollment or digital education marketing.
• Experience in higher education and/or the online learning industry.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful, data-driven marketing campaigns that drive enrollment or sales growth.
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and guide a team of marketing professionals.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develops and implements multi-year strategic marketing plans to increase market share and enrollment in CMU Online programs.
• Collaborates regularly with University Communications to ensure strategic alignment and brand consistency across all marketing activities.
• Guides all digital marketing efforts, including paid search (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO), paid social media campaigns, and email marketing. This includes optimizing campaign performance to maximize ROI.
• Manages media partner relationships and works to ensure strategic alignment persists through each execution.
• Serves as the main point of contact between media vendor(s) and University Communications to avoid advertisement collision, self-competition, and otherwise mitigate additional factors that could otherwise negatively affect ROI.
• Collaborates with CMU Online stakeholders to integrate marketing efforts that support student success from inquiry to graduation.
• Collaborates with key university partners to define enrollment targets, analyze market trends and identify opportunities for additional marketing.
• Designs and implements innovative marketing campaigns that target prospective online learners, ensuring a consistent and compelling brand message across various digital channels.
• Utilizes market research and data analysis to identify key audiences and develop strategies to engage via marketing, both direct and indirect.
• Utilizes analytics tools to track and measure the performance of all marketing channels and campaigns. This includes generating regular reports for executive leadership and program directors, providing actionable insights to optimize strategies and enrollment outcomes.
• Oversees the creation of high-quality, engaging, and informative content that showcases the CMU Online programs and supports the decision-making process of prospective students.
• Collaborates with academic departments, faculty, and enrollment teams to gather insights and develop program-specific marketing materials that resonate with target audiences.
• Promotes partnerships with external organizations, influencers, and industry experts to enhance the university’s credibility and visibility in the online education space.
• Collaborates with a team of marketing professionals, providing mentorship and guidance and fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Sets clear goals, manages performance, and ensures the team’s efforts are aligned with the CMU Online enrollment objectives.
• Manages the marketing budget for online enrollment, allocating resources effectively to maximize ROI and achieve enrollment targets.
• Ensures consistent messaging, brand voice, and visual identity across all online platforms and marketing materials.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervision Exercised:

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Salary
Staff Pay Level:
Pay Range: $90,000 - $116,550 per year*
Division: Academic Affairs
Department: Innovation & Online
Position Status: Regular
Position End Date:
Employment Status: Full-Time
FTE: 1.00
Position Type: 12 month
Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as needed
Location: Mount Pleasant, Traverse City, Troy, or Grand Rapids, MI
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes

Message to Applicants:

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit letters of recommendation. If you wish to include recommendation letter(s) that are not required, please utilize the Recommendation Letters upload field.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

*This position is available in Mt. Pleasant, Troy, Grand Rapids, or Traverse City. The work location is negotiable based on candidate preference; the accompanying salary offer will be determined based on candidate’s work location.