Assistant Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Brand Strategy

Naropa University•Boulder, CO

14d•$145,000 - $170,000•Remote

About The Position

Naropa University seeks a dynamic, strategic, and mission-driven Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Enrollment Marketing and Brand Strategy to lead innovative and data-informed marketing initiatives that grow and diversify student enrollment across all programs—on campus, online, and hybrid. This newly created role will play a critical part in advancing Naropa’s vision of contemplative education by expanding awareness of its distinctive academic offerings, strengthening its brand presence, and cultivating deeper engagement with prospective students nationally and internationally. The AVP for Enrollment Marketing will oversee the development and execution of multi-channel marketing strategies designed to attract, convert, and enroll students who align with Naropa’s unique values of mindfulness, compassion, and social transformation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, or related field.
10 or more years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, preferably within higher education or mission-driven organizations.
Demonstrated success in developing and implementing enrollment marketing campaigns that resulted in measurable growth.
Strong understanding of digital marketing tools, analytics, and CRM/marketing automation systems.
Exceptional leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.
All job candidates must demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding of and appreciation for the values of Naropa University and the capacity to demonstrate an integration and embodiment of these values as evidenced in work, communication, collaboration styles, and other general workplace behaviors.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in marketing, higher education administration, or related discipline.
Experience marketing for online or hybrid academic programs.
Familiarity with Naropa University’s mission and values, and a personal commitment to contemplative practice, social justice, and transformative education.
Demonstrated expertise in data visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio).
Experience maintaining system integrations via APIs, ETL processes, or third-party middleware.
Knowledge of SEO analytics, demand forecasting, audience segmentation, and funnel analysis.
Ability to manage marketing KPIs tied to revenue goals in tuition-dependent institutions.
Understanding of data privacy standards and ethical use of behavioral data.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement an integrated, multi-year enrollment marketing strategy that supports institutional growth goals across undergraduate, graduate, and online programs.
Partner closely with Admissions, Academic Affairs, Development/Fundraising, Alumni Relations, and Student Success to align messaging, outreach, and campaigns with institutional priorities.
Provide strategic oversight for brand positioning, ensuring Naropa’s contemplative mission is clearly and compellingly represented in all marketing efforts.
Use data analytics, market research, and segmentation strategies to identify new and emerging markets, particularly for online and low-residency programs.
Serve as the chief strategist for University brand development, ensuring consistent and compelling representation across enrollment, advancement, academic, and community engagement initiatives.
Advance Naropa’s national reputation through thought leadership, media strategy, and strategic partnerships that elevate awareness among mission-aligned audiences.
Lead the creation and management of comprehensive marketing campaigns across digital, social, print, and video platforms to generate awareness and qualified leads.
Work with the Assistant Vice President for Admissions to consistently review the university’s enrollment marketing funnel—from awareness through conversion—and collaborate on lead nurturing and communication flows.
Supervise the development of engaging content (stories, videos, email, web, social) that highlights student experiences, academic excellence, and Naropa’s contemplative approach to education.
Manage and grow paid advertising strategies (Google Ads, YouTube, social media, streaming platforms) with a focus on return on investment and lead quality.
Work with Naropa’s web developer and ad agency to stay ahead of advances in GSO (Generative Search Optimization) and monitor Naropa’s presence in AI search results.
Establish clear performance metrics and dashboards for campaign tracking, lead generation, and enrollment impact.
Monitor and report on key performance indicators, including cost per lead, conversion rates, and overall enrollment trends.
Leverage CRM and marketing automation systems (currently using Ellucian Recruit and SharpSpring) to optimize communications and personalize outreach at scale.
Translate data insights into actionable strategies, creative briefs, and workflow improvements that inform campaign decision-making.
Conduct brand health research and competitive positioning studies to inform long-range marketing strategy and resource allocation.
Supervise a team of six marketing professionals and multiple external vendors, fostering collaboration, creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Manage the enrollment marketing budget, ensuring resources are used effectively to achieve recruitment and yield goals.
Cultivate a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and alignment with Naropa’s contemplative values in all leadership interactions.

Benefits

Naropa recognizes the following holidays throughout the year: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Fall Break, 4th Thursday and Friday in November, Winter Break, the last two weeks in December encompassing the Christmas holiday as well as New Year’s
Naropa’s health and welfare benefits include the following: medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, an employer-sponsored pre-tax retirement savings plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching, and a variety of voluntary, employee-paid supplemental insurance plans.
A comprehensive benefits package is available to full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week.
Employees who work 20 – 29 hours each week are eligible for only the employer-paid short-term & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment, and the retirement plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.
Employees who work fewer than 20 hours per week are eligible to participate in Naropa’s retirement plan only, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.
All regular full-time and part-time faculty and staff, including student workers, accrue sick leave benefits.
Full-time and part-time staff positions accrue vacation and personal time.
All leave accrual rates vary based on the position, hours worked, and years of service.
The University recognizes the importance of including its employees in its organizational mission and values and welcomes employees into the classroom to “touch the magic.” Specifically, regular employees are provided generous tuition remission opportunities for themselves and their family members.
Naropa University participates in the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). CIC-TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free, students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions (full-time as designated by the employer/institution). Additional information can be found here: https://www.cic.edu/member-services/tuition-exchange-program.