Chief Marketing Officer

Location: Midway

We are seeking a visionary, results-driven Chief Marketing Officer to lead our university's brand, communications, and marketing strategy into its next chapter of growth. This is a unique opportunity for a marketing professional with deep roots in higher education to shape how our institution connects with prospective students, current students, alumni, donors, and the broader community.

The Chief Marketing Officer will be expected to elevate institutional brand, drive enrollment and advancement marketing outcomes, and build a high-performing communications team capable of executing at the highest level.

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and collaborative leader who commands credibility. They bring the vision to elevate an institutional brand, the analytical rigor to measure and refine communications investments, and the interpersonal agility to align diverse stakeholders across a complex academic environment. They are as comfortable advising the President on a crisis response as they are coaching a junior designer or presenting a marketing dashboard to the Board.

Higher education is a uniquely relationship-driven environment. The successful candidate will understand how to navigate faculty governance, build trust across academic divisions, and translate institutional mission into marketing that genuinely resonates - with students, families, donors, and the community alike.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership & Brand

• Serve as the official media contact and spokesperson for the University, including crisis communications planning and response
• Develop and implement a comprehensive, data-driven marketing and communications plan aligned with the University's strategic plan
• Define and steward a compelling institutional brand - defining key attributes, messages, and imagery that authentically represent the University across all constituencies
• Advise the President and senior leadership on strategic communications, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement
• Present communications strategy and institutional brand performance to the President's Advisory Council and, as needed, to the Board of Trustees

Enrollment, Advancement & Audience Engagement

• Partner with Enrollment Management to develop integrated marketing strategies that support student recruitment funnels and yield goals
• Collaborate with the Advancement office to develop donor communications, fundraising campaign materials, and alumni engagement content
• Develop audience-segmented communications using CRM and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Slate, Salesforce, Hub Spot) to drive measurable engagement
• Lead paid digital advertising strategy across Google Ads, Meta, Linked In, and other relevant platforms to reach target markets effectively

Digital, Web & Technology

• Serve as Webmaster and oversee all digital properties, including the University website, portal, events calendar, academic catalog, and student handbook via Cascade CMS
• Serve as one of the Administrators for the University's SharePoint site
• Lead SEO/SEM strategy and leverage Google Analytics and similar tools to ensure data-informed content and campaign decisions
• Ensure all digital communications meet ADA/WCAG accessibility standards in compliance with applicable legal requirements
• Monitor AI and emerging technologies and evaluate their application to content strategy, marketing efficiency, and communications workflows

Team, Budget & Operations

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing marketing and communications team; conduct annual performance reviews for all direct reports
• Manage vendor relationships, agency partnerships, and media buying contracts to maximize institutional investment
• Develop and manage the annual Marketing and Communications department budget, with demonstrated accountability for ROI
• Establish and implement a framework to track, measure, and report the effectiveness of all communications efforts to senior leadership
• Oversee all photography, videography, graphic design, and creative production for University recruitment and promotional initiatives

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field
• Significant and progressive leadership experience in marketing and communications.
• Proven track record developing and executing multi-channel, data-driven marketing strategies that produced measurable results
• Expertise in institutional brand development, digital marketing, content strategy, and media relations
• Demonstrated experience with crisis communications planning and serving as an organizational spokesperson
• Proficiency with CRM and marketing automation platforms (Slate, Salesforce, Hub Spot, or comparable systems)
• Experience managing SEO/SEM, paid digital advertising (Google Ads, Meta, Linked In), and web analytics platforms
• Working knowledge of web content management systems; experience with Cascade CMS a significant plus
• Familiarity with ADA/WCAG accessibility standards as applied to web and digital communications
• Demonstrated ability to lead,…