Marketing Manager

Cato Institute•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Cato Institute is a leading public policy organization dedicated to advancing individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Through its education programs, Cato equips students, educators, and lifelong learners with ideas that sustain a free and open society. The organization is seeking a Marketing Manager to lead growth across its education portfolio, which includes Cato University, Cato Courses, Sphere Education Initiatives, and related initiatives. This is a strategic role focused on owning the marketing strategy for a growing portfolio of education products, with responsibility for expanding their reach, increasing engagement, and driving measurable growth. The Marketing Manager will report to the Director of Marketing. This is a hybrid position based in Washington, DC, requiring 2 days per week in the office and allowing 3 days of remote work. The salary range for this role is $80,000 - $90,000 per year, with compensation based on the successful candidate's educational background, experience, and skills. Founded in 1977, Cato conducts independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues, inspired by the principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets.

Requirements

A strong understanding of, and alignment with, libertarian or classical liberal principles.
3–5+ years of experience in marketing, ideally in an agency or mission-driven environment.
Experience driving events and course registrations, or audience development.
Experience managing multi-channel campaigns across digital platforms.
Comfort working with data, testing strategies, and performance optimization.
Ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, compelling messaging.
Strong project ownership and ability to drive work forward across teams.
Proficiency in email marketing and automation.
Experience with web analytics tools (Google Analytics, social media analytics).
Knowledge of digital advertising best practices.
Familiarity with audience segmentation.
Working knowledge of LLM AI tools.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Responsibilities

Lead marketing strategy and execution for Cato’s education portfolio, including Cato University, Cato Courses, and Sphere Education Initiatives.
Drive growth in course registrations, event attendance, and expansion of the educator network.
Increase email audience engagement, site traffic, and overall audience retention.
Develop and optimize scalable multi-channel marketing campaigns across digital platforms.
Manage external vendors and advertising partners to scale acquisition efforts.
Translate complex policy and educational content into clear, compelling marketing messages.
Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for all marketing initiatives, including reach, acquisition, engagement, and ROI.
Implement A/B testing and data-driven optimization strategies to improve campaign effectiveness.
Collaborate with internal teams (social, email, creative, program, communications, development) to ensure brand consistency and campaign success.
Build clear audience journeys and a repeatable growth engine to expand Cato’s long-term influence.
Achieve measurable growth in registrations, attendance, and audience size across all education products.
Ensure strong performance across acquisition channels, including paid and organic.
Develop clear audience segmentation and effective cross-product engagement.
Drive continuous improvement through testing, analysis, and iteration.