Executive Director of Marketing and Creative Strategy

Sugar Grove, IL (Hybrid)

$120K/yr – $158K/yrDirector/ExecutiveFull time

Posted 10 days ago

Job Summary

Lead Waubonsee Community College’s marketing and creative operations, owning the development and execution of integrated strategies across brand, digital marketing, and enrollment initiatives while guiding a data-driven, high-performing team.

  • Own marketing strategy execution, budgeting, and cross-functional collaboration
  • Direct team leadership, professional development, and stakeholder advisory workstreams

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Provides strategic leadership for the college's marketing, branding, creative services, and digital marketing initiatives.
  • Leads the development and execution of integrated marketing strategies designed to increase awareness, inquiries, applications, enrollment, student engagement, and institutional reputation.
  • Leads data-informed marketing planning through the analysis of campaign performance, market research, enrollment trends, audience segmentation, consumer behavior, and return-on-investment metrics.
  • Supervises the college's marketing and creative services staff, including managers, designers, digital marketing personnel, photographers, videographers, and other assigned employees. Responsible for recruitment, professional development, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and creating a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
  • Provides strategic oversight of the college's digital marketing ecosystem, including the institutional website, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), paid digital advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, marketing automation, landing pages, online video, emerging technologies, and digital engagement strategies.
  • Develops, implements, and monitors institutional brand standards and visual identity guidelines, ensuring consistent use of the college's logo, colors, typography, messaging, photography, and graphic standards across all internal and external marketing materials.
  • Serves as a strategic advisor to the Vice President of Community Engagement and External Affairs, President's Cabinet, Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, and other institutional leadership teams regarding marketing strategy, institutional branding, enrollment marketing, and creative initiatives.
  • Develops collaborative relationships with academic divisions, administrative departments, community partners, and external organizations to identify marketing opportunities that advance institutional priorities and strengthen community awareness of Waubonsee Community College.
  • Provides strategic leadership for institutional advertising, media buying, campaign planning, promotional initiatives, sponsorship activation, and vendor management.
  • Provides marketing leadership and creative consultation for major college initiatives, signature events, institutional celebrations, capital projects, student success initiatives, and community engagement activities to maximize visibility, attendance, and institutional impact.

Requirements

  • Master's degree in Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Business Administration (MBA), Digital Marketing, Strategic Communications, Higher Education Administration, or a closely related field required.
  • Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, brand management, digital marketing, advertising, creative services, or integrated marketing in Higher Education.
  • Minimum of four (4) years of supervisory experience leading high-performing marketing, creative, or digital teams, including responsibility for coaching, performance management, and professional development.
  • Demonstrated experience developing and managing departmental budgets, marketing investments, and vendor contracts while maximizing return on investment.
  • Demonstrated experience developing comprehensive marketing strategies that support organizational growth, customer acquisition, enrollment, engagement, or revenue objectives through integrated, multi-channel campaigns.
  • Extensive knowledge of digital marketing strategies and platforms, including website management, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), paid digital advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, marketing automation, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, content management systems (CMS), and web analytics.
  • Demonstrated experience leading brand strategy and creative services, including oversight of graphic design, photography, videography, publications, advertising, and visual identity standards.
  • Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to interpret marketing data, evaluate campaign performance, measure return on investment, and make data-informed decisions that improve outcomes.
  • Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, faculty, staff, students, community partners, and external vendors.
  • Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholder groups while successfully managing multiple priorities, leading cross-functional initiatives, and fostering innovation within a fast-paced environment.

Preferred

  • Knowledge of current and emerging trends in higher education marketing, enrollment marketing, artificial intelligence, digital engagement, audience segmentation, and consumer behavior preferred.

Benefits

  • comprehensive benefits package with generous time off, low-cost medical, dental, and vision plans, and a secure pension plan through SURS
  • You'll also enjoy 14 paid holidays, including winter and Thanksgiving breaks
Waubonsee Community College logo

Waubonsee Community College

Waubonsee Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning, which has provided educational programs and services to more than 300,000 students since its founding in 1966. At Waubonsee, we are dedicated to helping you shape your own unique path to success. The college offers programs that meet your educational needs at every stage of your life. Transfer programs are available for students looking to attend a four-year college or university, while our career education programs allow students to enter the workforce quickly, putting degrees or certificates to use right away. Residents can also enroll in developmental education programs, or take classes for professional development or personal enrichment. Waubonsee makes high-quality educational programs accessible to every person in our district, offering classes at convenient times at locations close to home. Classes are available at four Waubonsee campuses—Sugar Grove, Aurora Downtown, Aurora Fox Valley and Plano—as well as online.

Founded in 1966
Sugar Grove, Illinois, USA

Salaries

Posted range

$120K/yr – $158K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all Waubonsee Community College salaries

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Executive Director of Marketing and Creative Strategy

Waubonsee Community College · Sugar Grove, IL · Hybrid