Responsibilities

• Develop and drive the overall marketing strategy for Ancora Education, encompassing brand awareness, lead generation, and student acquisition across all brands.
• Lead, develop, and manage a team of direct reports, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, professional development, and retention.
• Foster a high-performance team culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the primary internal owner of the agency of record relationship, providing strategic direction, performance accountability, and day-to-day oversight of all agency deliverables.
• Direct the agency’s execution across all marketing channels including paid search (SEM/PPC), SEO, paid social, display advertising, streaming/OTT, traditional media (broadcast/cable TV, radio, OOH), and affiliate/PPL programs.
• Own agency contract compliance, SOW management, and invoice review; ensure all fees, media spend, and deliverables align with executed agreements.
• Manage the marketing department budget, including agency fees and media spend, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and strong return on investment across all channels.
• Establish and oversee key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting dashboards to measure agency performance, campaign effectiveness, and cost efficiency; hold the agency accountable to agreed-upon benchmarks.
• Serve as the primary marketing liaison to executive leadership, providing strategic recommendations, performance reporting, and market insights.
• Lead the development of annual marketing plans tied to the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and FY goals, in partnership with the agency of record.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field from an institution accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive marketing experience, including at least 5 years in a marketing leadership capacity with demonstrated authority over strategy, budget, and vendor/agency performance.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct people management experience, including hiring, performance management, and development of direct reports.
• Demonstrated success directing integrated marketing programs across both digital and traditional channels through an agency of record or similar external partner model.
• Proven ability to exercise independent judgment and make decisions of significance related to marketing strategy, budget allocation, agency performance management, and team leadership.
• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset with experience using marketing analytics tools, dashboards, and KPI frameworks to hold partners and team members accountable.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and advise executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage large, complex budgets and agency relationships, including contract compliance and SOW oversight.
• Experience developing and executing brand strategy across multiple business units or product lines.
• Proficiency in Google Suite and marketing technology platforms (CRM, marketing automation, analytics tools).

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Marketing leadership experience in the vocational training, higher education, or for-profit education sector strongly preferred.
• Experience with enrollment-driven marketing and student acquisition strategies.