Marketing Manager

Cato Institute•Washington, DC

just now•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, it aims to equip 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 programs. This role is not a support position; the manager will own the marketing strategy for a growing portfolio of education products, focusing on expanding their reach, increasing engagement, and driving measurable growth. Founded in 1977, Cato Institute conducts independent, nonpartisan research on various policy issues, inspired by Cato's Letters, which advocated for a society free from excessive government power.

Requirements

A strong understanding of, and alignment with, libertarian or classical liberal principles is required
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

Responsibilities

Increasing course registrations and completion rates across Cato Courses – Cato’s new dynamic online learning platform that dives into key topics shaping the world today
Expanding attendance and geographic reach for Cato University in-person events – this is Cato’s premier educational event series for college and graduate students providing exclusive access to Cato scholars and industry experts
Scaling the Sphere Education Initiatives educator network - providing educators with viewpoint- diverse resources to bring conversations to the classroom and equip students to engage in civil discourse
Growing and activating email audiences to support cross-marketing across products in the education initiatives portfolio
Driving sustained increases in site traffic, engagement, and audience retention
Define the strategy, manage execution, and continuously optimize performance
Collaborate with social, email, creative, and program teams to bring campaigns to life
Manage external vendors and advertising partners to scale acquisition efforts
Translate complex policy and educational content into clear, compelling marketing messages
Establish and monitor key performance indicators for all marketing initiatives, including reach, acquisition, engagement, and ROI
Prepare detailed reports and recommendations for the leadership team
Implement A/B testing and optimization strategies to improve campaign effectiveness
Use data to test, learn, and improve campaign performance over time
Work closely with communications, development, and program teams to ensure brand consistency