Director, Digital Marketing (K-12 Group)

Worldstrides - Chicago, IL

Full-time - Director

Chicago, IL

Administrative and Support Services

About the position

WorldStrides is seeking a creative and experienced Digital Marketing Director for our K-12 Group division to enhance our digital marketing strategies. This pivotal role will oversee and manage WorldStrides' online presence across its branded websites, paid media, and social media channels. The Digital Marketing Director will be responsible for directing integrated digital marketing strategies and programs that support growth initiatives across multiple product lines within the K-12 Group. To excel in this role, the ideal candidate must possess excellent marketing skills and demonstrate strong leadership abilities. This position is critical as it requires close collaboration with various departments, including Product Marketing, Sales, IT, and Creative Services, to ensure the best possible front-end web experience while maintaining high standards of quality and performance. The role demands a strong technical background, organizational skills, and effective communication abilities, along with a passion for user-centered design and technology. The Digital Marketing Director will drive website traffic, develop and execute paid media digital marketing campaigns, monitor and interpret analytic data, direct social media strategies, and optimize the functionality of our digital infrastructure and ecosystem. This position is essential for the continued growth and success of WorldStrides' digital marketing efforts in the educational travel sector.

Responsibilities

• Manage external digital marketing agencies to implement advertising across various channels (search, social, display, programmatic, etc.) to drive qualified leads at acceptable CPA thresholds, and ultimately generate sales.
• Lead the development and implementation of the short and long-term strategic vision of the branded websites, including SEO, CRO, and web analytics strategy.
• Lead the development and implementation of the short and long-term strategic vision of WorldStrides' owned social channels, including paid promotion and target audience building across platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Implement best practices for optimal web and social media engagement across channels, conducting market research on competitors and key influencers to identify effective promotional tactics.
• Partner with product marketing and creative teams to define digital marketing strategies and requirements to support business goals.
• Evaluate, recommend, and implement a scalable suite of digital platforms/tools to meet the growing needs of the business to become more digital-first in its marketing and commerce strategies.
• Evolve and optimize website and landing page performance by designing and implementing user and CRO testing strategies, evaluating test results, and recommending appropriate changes.
• Review and proofread all digital content such as blogs, social media content, advertisements, and website copy to ensure messaging and tone are on brand and consistent across channels.
• Grow reach and traffic from search engines through SEO strategies, directing and prioritizing the implementation of SEO on-page and technical optimizations.
• Develop KPIs/dashboard/metrics, working with digital agencies to communicate metrics to leadership, key stakeholders, and SMEs as needed, and create Google Looker dashboard reports for analysis and feedback with key stakeholders and executives.
• Supervise and manage a digital marketing team (front-end development, UX/UI, SEO, and social media professionals), prioritizing and assigning work on a daily and weekly basis to ensure quality work is delivered on schedule.
• Ensure development of robust project plans, including budgets, timelines, content development, distribution, and effectiveness/ROI measurement.
• Audit and plan digital enhancements and upgrades, leveraging data to make recommendations on content governance and site design.
• Maintain focus on the customer in all plans, programs, and strategies.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with cross-functional team members in a matrix environment.
• Keep abreast of the latest consumer and marketing trends and advancements in technology, recommending new approaches or tools to improve digital performance.
• Ensure compliance with legal and brand requirements, and be responsible for issue remediation and support.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years in Digital Marketing experience, specifically in management of digital paid media campaigns, web development platforms, content management tools, and social media campaign management.
• Proven experience successfully managing large-scale, cross-functional, global websites with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience with SEO, SEM & Social, working with major search engines and social platforms, and understanding best practices to drive leads and sales; experience with marketing automation tools is a plus.
• Strong leadership capabilities in leading and developing teams and measuring performance.
• Ability to leverage the latest software such as Google Analytics, Sprout Social, etc., to measure the success and ROI delivered by digital campaigns.
• Creativity for developing new and existing ways to engage with target audiences through digital media/marketing techniques.
• Experience in identifying target audiences and devising strategic campaigns that engage with those audiences.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, with a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a multi-department, multi-stakeholder environment where priorities and participation shift.
• Strong analytical and planning abilities, ensuring attention to detail.
• Adaptable, versatile, and able to keep up to date with consumer and marketing trends and advancements in technology.
• Experience prioritizing and supervising the implementation of multiple projects comprising short and long development cycles with minimal supervision.
• Understanding of at least one or more Content Management Systems (WordPress, Sitecore, HubSpot, etc.).

Nice-to-haves

• eCommerce experience is a plus.
• Experience with marketing automation tools.

Benefits

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Life, accidental death and dismemberment, accident, critical illness, and disability insurance.
• FSA healthcare, FSA dependent care, HAS with employer contribution, and generous 401k match.
• 10 paid floating corporate holidays, 1 paid volunteer day & 25 PTO days to start (accrue up to 28 over 3 years), 4 mental health days, and 5 bereavement days.
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 annually or $1,000 towards professional certification annually.
• Opportunities for paid and discounted travel.
• Flexible work schedule providing on-site, remote, and virtual office opportunities.
• Encouraged participation in Employee Resource Groups and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion council.
• Fitness Center and cafe onsite at select locations.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Paid Parental, Caregiver, and Disability leave.
• Team Member Discount Program.