Marketing Planning & Operations Manager

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company,is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning.

From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.

Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

The Marketing Planning & Operations Manager serves as the operational backbone of the marketing organization - leading strategic planning, governance, resource alignment, and execution management across multiple teams and initiatives. The role is responsible for establishing scalable operating models, driving cross-functional planning processes, optimizing workflows and systems, and ensuring business priorities translate into coordinated execution.

As a key partner to senior leadership, this individual provides structure, visibility, and operational guidance that enables effective decision-making, organizational accountability, and continuous improvement. Through data-driven insights, process optimization, and stakeholder influence, this role helps maximize organizational effectiveness and drive successful delivery of marketing and business objectives.

This position will work hybrid from our Leawood, KS or Burlington, MA office. Will consider remote work for the right candidate. Up to 10% travel required.

• Design, document, and optimize GTM workflows, operating processes, and best practices to improve efficiency, clarity, and scalability. Monitor workflow implementation to identify potential risks and productivity opportunities.
• Own and evolve/optimize project management and planning tools, systems, and documentation to support execution and transparency.
• Champion continuous improvement through performance analysis, retrospectives, and experimentation.
• Analyze program and campaign performance processes to inform future planning and operational enhancements.
• Lead the development and management of integrated operating frameworks, calendars, and timelines across quarterly, annual, and long-range planning cycles.
• Partner with team leaders to develop tool dashboards and calendars that help them manage projects and workload.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions, alignment forums, and operating ceremonies to drive accountability and decision-making.
• Determine the dependencies, ceremonies, and resources needed to complete each workflow.
• Support onboarding, training, and change management related to new processes, tools, and operating models.
• Serve as a primary operational partner to internal teams (e.g., marketing, creative, media, & product marketing teams) to ensure seamless collaboration.
• Act as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders, providing structure, recommendations, and operational guidance.
• Partner with marketing functional leaders quarterly to ensure adequate resourcing for projects and facilitate prioritization.
• Provide a quarterly review of workload along with balancing…