CUNY Online Marketing and Communications Director

About the position

CUNY Online was launched in Spring 2022 at The City University of New York as the in-house online education and digital learning solution to enable CUNY colleges to expand and enhance their online program portfolios, support services for online students and expertise in online teaching and learning. As a service unit within the University Office of Academic Affairs, CUNY Online is the primary provider of feasibility, design, development, marketing, training, and support of CUNY Online educational resources and professional development opportunities supporting CUNY colleges' undergraduate and graduate courses and degree and certificate programs across the University system. A CUNY Online Marketing and Communications Director is sought to develop and implement the long-term university-wide marketing strategy and internal and external communications to engage learners and increase awareness of and enrollment in the growing portfolio of online programs offered across CUNY's 25 colleges. This position offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of online public education in the digital education space by determining the creative and strategic direction for online enrollment marketing and utilizing and leveraging the university's website properties and multiple communications channels to promote online programs to meet recruitment and enrollment goals. Reporting to the Executive Director of CUNY Online and working in partnership with the University Office of Communications and Marketing, the director will develop an integrated marketing and communications plan and strategy, manage media advertising buying and placements, and manage the marketing budget. The director will have a direct impact on the growth and success of CUNY's online programs and services by planning, implementing, and managing the performance marketing campaigns for online education programs across all campuses and related content updates for CUNY Online website, and evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns via analytics. The director will shape marketing messaging around online program offerings, ensure CUNY brand messaging is consistent across platforms and is effectively tailored for online audiences, and will develop a plan for reaching potential students. The right candidate will feel comfortable working in a lean, performance-driven environment while maintaining a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration within the unit and across numerous offices. In addition to the CUNY Title Overview, other key duties include, but will not be limited to the following: Leads content strategy efforts for CUNY Online, including development of inbound marketing strategies and related content, e.g., website, blogs, social media, and student profile storytelling. Creates content for the online education administrative website and collaborates with the University Office of Communications and Marketing on its design. Partners with campus Online Learning Officers and marketing and communications teams to develop their online program enrollment strategies. Ensures current, accurate and persuasive recruitment details on the website and other marketing materials. Develops presentations, publications and talking points to communicate the outcomes of CUNY Online's efforts, including recruitment strategies, student outcomes and profiles, and enrollment trends. Oversees the development of creative assets needed for marketing and advertising activities, including the management of vendors or partners providing these services. Oversees market research activities related to new program development, program growth potential, and identification of target markets for both general CUNY Online promotions and discipline specific trends. Serves as liaison for internal and external news media, including cultivating relationships with the media, coordinating preparation and dissemination of press releases, and the development of stories for media and web distribution related to online education. May hire, train, manage and evaluate staff members on a marketing team.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the long-term university-wide marketing strategy and internal and external communications.
• Engage learners and increase awareness of and enrollment in online programs across CUNY's 25 colleges.
• Plan, implement, and manage performance marketing campaigns for online education programs.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns via analytics.
• Shape marketing messaging around online program offerings and ensure brand consistency across platforms.
• Develop a plan for reaching potential students.
• Lead content strategy efforts for CUNY Online, including inbound marketing strategies and related content.
• Create content for the online education administrative website and collaborate on its design.
• Partner with campus Online Learning Officers to develop online program enrollment strategies.
• Ensure accurate and persuasive recruitment details on the website and marketing materials.
• Develop presentations, publications, and talking points to communicate outcomes of CUNY Online's efforts.
• Oversee the development of creative assets for marketing and advertising activities.
• Conduct market research related to new program development and target markets.
• Serve as liaison for internal and external news media and coordinate press releases.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and eight years' related experience required.
• Advanced degree in marketing, communications, public relations, journalism, or related field preferred; may count for up to 2 years of the required experience.
• Experience executing higher education marketing/communications or admissions/enrollment campaigns for online education.
• Depth in multi-platform message development, copywriting, data analysis, content strategy, and strategic marketing and communications development.
• Knowledge of online and adult learner audiences and experience in leveraging new digital marketing technologies.
• Creative design and production experience with print materials, website management, and social media content creation.
• Expertise in branding, social media, mobile marketing, marketing analytics, CMS software, and SEO strategy.
• Experience with Google Analytics and industry standard advertising technologies.
• Strong analytical skills and experience with data visualizations and reporting tools.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for a variety of digital channels.
• Effective organizational, follow-through, and project management skills.
• Effective cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with various free and paid media marketing activities.
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite and Office 365.
• Experience with virtual meeting and collaboration tools (MS Teams, Zoom, WebEx).

Benefits

• Health plans
• Competitive retirement/pension benefits
• Savings plans
• Tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study
• Generous paid time off
• Access to academic, arts, and athletic programs on campuses
• Opportunity to participate in a diverse academic community.