Director, Marketing Planning & Operations

District of Columbia, USA (Hybrid)

$143K/yr – $150K/yrDirector/Executive10+ years expFull time

Posted 2 days ago

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Job Summary

Own the design and execution of scalable MarCom operations across governance, data, and technology, with a focus on optimizing campaigns, resource planning, and measurable ROI.

  • Lead strategic planning cycles and marketing tech roadmap
  • Establish governance, KPIs, and data accountability with IT/Legal
  • Drive cross-channel campaigns with analytics, optimization, and emerging tech adoption

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Process Optimization and Program Management (30%)
  • - Develop and enforce project management frameworks, operational workflows, and RACI matrices across divisions to increase throughput and team-wide agility.
  • - Oversee the delivery of large-scale, cross-channel, and enterprise-level campaigns, establishing clear operational milestones and governance structures.
  • - Champion the safe adoption of emerging technologies (including GenAI and machine learning), designing governance frameworks for hybrid human-agent workflows while maintaining creative and editorial integrity.
  • - Partner with the Archives team and content creators to establish robust workflows across digital asset management (DAM/MAM) systems, ensuring strict adherence to rights management.
  • - Oversee marketing resource planning, including forecasting, capacity modeling, talent deployment, vendor utilization, and scenario-based resourcing.
  • - Standardize metrics and dashboards to track, analyze, and optimize audience growth, retention, and engagement across all owned, earned, and paid channels.
  • - Partner with the Manager, Analytics and Insights to deliver actionable pre- and post-campaign analyses, turning raw data into strategic recommendations that improve speed-to-market and effectiveness.
  • Strategic Leadership, Alignment, and Governance (40%)
  • - Lead annual and quarterly strategic planning cycles across decentralized MarCom teams, ensuring marketing activities directly map to budgets, business goals, and technological capabilities.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Marketing, Business, Communications, or Information Systems). An advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) is a plus.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in marketing operations, marketing technology (MarTech), strategic planning, or program management, with at least 3 years of experience leading teams or supervising direct reports. Experience in a complex, multi-stakeholder corporate or matrixed non-profit environment is highly preferred.
  • - Deep understanding of customer data ecosystems, including Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), CRM systems, marketing automation platforms (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud), and project management applications (e.g., Monday.com).
  • - Proven track record of designing, scaling, and training teams on operational workflows, RACI matrices, and agile methodologies.
  • - Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to build alignment and translate technical concepts to non-technical business partners across IT, Legal, Finance, and Creative departments.
  • - Strong understanding of marketing experimentation, test-and-learn methodologies, and translating analytical dashboards into business insights.
  • - Operational knowledge of global data privacy regulations

Preferred

  • Familiarity with Monday.com a plus
  • Effective at building operational systems - RACI, process flows, Roadmaps, etc.
  • Familiarity with core marketing and communications processes, tools and templates

Benefits

  • The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.
  • The salary range for this position is $142,500.00 - $150,000.00.
  • In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.); paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.
National Geographic logo

National Geographic

3.9 Glassdoor

Since its inception more than 135 years ago, the core purpose of National Geographic has been to further the knowledge and awareness of our world.We are the world’s leading multimedia destination for the best stories in science, exploration and adventure. And our unrivaled sense of purpose and mission is best evidenced by the fact that nearly 30% of our profits go to funding real scientists, explorers, and conservationists.Official LinkedIn of National Geographic

Washington, District of Columbia, USA
9K employees (2,498 in marketing)
83% recommend to a friend
98% CEO approval

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
9.6M
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$185.9K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
45.9%
Direct
42.9%
Referral
8.7%
Social
2%
Paid
0.4%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~9K

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
1,188 (13% of company)
Median Tenure
9.4 years
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
1

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