Executive Director of Marketing

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the centralized Marketing & Strategy function for Columbia International University and Ben Lippen School.
• Partner with the Senior Vice-President of Alumni and Advancement, and the Vice-President of Enrollment to implement a comprehensive institutional marketing strategy that supports enrollment, advancement, brand awareness, and organizational growth.
• Translate institutional priorities into integrated marketing initiatives with clear objectives, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with executive leadership to align marketing strategies with the University’s strategic plan and annual priorities.

Marketing Strategy & Campaign Management

• Develop and oversee an integrated campaign planning process that aligns marketing efforts across departments.
• Create audience-centered marketing strategies for prospective students, current students, alumni, donors, churches, ministry partners, parents, and other key stakeholders.
• Define campaign goals, messaging, positioning, channel strategies, budgets, and performance metrics.
• Ensure campaigns effectively support:
  • Undergraduate, graduate, online, and seminary enrollment goals.
  • Advancement and fundraising initiatives.
  • Institutional reputation and brand awareness.
  • Community engagement and event promotion.
• Oversee annual marketing calendars and campaign schedules to maximize organizational effectiveness and resource utilization.
• Use analytics and market insights to continuously improve marketing effectiveness and return on investment.

Brand Management

• Partner with University Communications to steward the Columbia International University and Ben Lippen School brands.
• Ensure consistency in messaging, visual identity, and brand standards across all print, digital, social media, advertising, and public-facing communications.
• Lead efforts to strengthen institutional reputation and market positioning through strategic storytelling and compelling content.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify emerging opportunities and trends.

Digital Marketing & Audience Engagement

• Provide strategic oversight for digital marketing initiatives including:
  • Website strategy and optimization
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Search engine marketing (SEM)
  • Email marketing
  • Social media strategy
  • Paid digital advertising
• Guide customer journey mapping and lifecycle marketing strategies that improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the strategic marketing partner to:
  • Admissions (enrollment growth)
  • Advancement (fundraising and donor engagement)
  • Communications (creative execution and storytelling)
  • Executive Leadership
• Facilitate collaboration among departments to ensure marketing initiatives are aligned, coordinated, and effectively executed.
• Build strong partnerships across the University to identify communication opportunities and support institutional initiatives.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing marketing team.
• Establish clear priorities, performance expectations, and professional development opportunities.
• Foster collaboration among marketing, communications, creative services, digital media, and external partners.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage the annual marketing budget.
• Allocate resources strategically to maximize organizational impact and marketing return on investment.
• Evaluate marketing technologies, software platforms, and vendor partnerships to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Communications & Content Strategy

• Partner with the Communications team to ensure all creative assets and communications reflect institutional priorities and brand standards.
• Guide strategic content planning across print, digital, video, social media, advertising, and publications.