Director of Enrollment Marketing, Smeal College of Business

Penn State University • University Park, IL

1d • $91,488 - $137,280 • Hybrid

About The Position

Are you a data-driven marketing leader ready to make a tangible impact at a world-class institution? The Penn State Smeal College of Business, one of the nation's top-ranked business schools, is seeking a visionary Director of Enrollment Marketing to lead the strategy, planning, and performance of the marketing efforts that support enrollment growth across our portfolio of graduate and undergraduate programs. Smeal is entering an exciting period of strategic growth, with opportunities to reach new audiences and elevate the visibility of its dynamic academic portfolio.
This is a senior marketing leadership role for a strategic thinker with deep experience in enrollment and recruitment marketing. The ideal candidate has a proven ability to leverage digital marketing automation, and campaign optimization to develop and execute full-funnel student acquisition and conversation strategy that advances the college's enrollment goals. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this leader will oversee a team of marketing professionals and collaborate with stakeholders across the college to develop integrated marketing strategies that deliver measurable enrollment results.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business administration, communications, or related field OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in marketing, including demonstrated success in performance marketing, lead generation, or enrollment marketing
• At least 3 years of supervisory experience, with a proven track record of leading teams, managing performance, and supporting team development.
• Demonstrated success developing and leading strategic data-driven, multi-channel marketing initiatives that support measurable growth.
• Experience working with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred), marketing automation platforms (Salesforce Marketing Cloud preferred), and digital analytics tools.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate and build alignment across teams.
• Ability to translate performance data into actionable strategic recommendations that drive measurable outcomes.
• Strong organizational, project leadership, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paces environment.
• Strategic mindset, business instincts, quick learning, and a willingness to challenge conventional approaches.
• Bachelor's Degree 8+ years of relevant experience, includes 3+ years of supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
• Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Due to the financial and fiduciary responsibilities of this position, successful completion of a credit history check will be required in addition to standard background checks.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education, enrollment marketing, or another mission-driven organization serving multiple audiences or programs.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or comparable CRM and marketing automation platforms.
• Deep understanding of digital marketing disciplines such as, paid media, SEO/SEM, content strategy and campaign analytics.
• Experience working with marketing dashboard/reporting tools and data visualization platforms.
• Experience managing agencies, vendors, or external partners in support of marketing strategy and execution.

Responsibilities

• Develop annual enrollment marketing plans aligned with college enrollment priorities; establish campaign objectives, success metrics, and resource plans to achieve growth targets.
• Develop comprehensive, data-driven marketing strategies across owned, earned and paid channels for a diverse portfolio of academic programs (undergraduate, residential masters, hybrid and online programs, and executive education), optimizing for lead generation, nurturing, and conversion.
• Partner with the team's email marketing strategist to execute email marketing campaigns in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, including segmentation, automated journeys, and integration with Salesforce for lead nurturing and conversion.
• Drive content and editorial development for enrollment marketing across all channels, including production management and vendor/resource management as necessary.
• Develop, forecast, and manage the enrollment marketing budget; authorize expenditures for paid media, vendor contracts, and technology licenses, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to maximize cost-per-enrolled-student efficiency.
• Identify and implement competitive best practices, emerging trends in EdTech, digital advertising, and marketing automation to maintain our program’s advantage.
• Manage a team of marketing professionals (e.g., campaign managers, content specialists, coordinators); define roles and responsibilities to ensure coverage across all degree programs.
• Set clear individual and team goals; conduct performance reviews, provide mentorship, and identify professional development opportunities to foster a high-performance culture.
• Prioritize staff assignments and manage workflow to ensure deadlines are met across multiple simultaneous recruitment cycles.
• Collaborate with the team's data analyst to establish a robust reporting framework to track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including Cost Per Lead (CPL), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), and conversion rates by channel and program.
• Utilize analytics to continuously test and optimize campaign performance; present regular executive dashboards to leadership regarding enrollment health and marketing effectiveness.
• Analyze historical data and market trends to predict enrollment outcomes and adjust strategies proactively.
• Serve as the primary marketing liaison to Academic Program Directors and Faculty Chairs; translate their program goals into actionable marketing plans.
• Collaborate closely with Admissions leadership to ensure seamless handoffs between marketing-qualified leads and admissions counselors; align scoring models and communication timing.
• Coordinate with Penn State World Campus and central University Strategic Communications to ensure compliance with University brand standards and leverage enterprise-wide resources.

Benefits

• comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• robust retirement plans
• substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time
• 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior