Associate Director, Advancement Digital Marketing

Associate Director, Advancement Digital Marketing

Job No: 498022
Work Type: Staff Full-Time
Location: Denver, CO
Categories: Alumni / Development / Fundraising, Marketing / Communications / Media, Business Operations / Services, Admin / Executive / Office Support, Advancement

About the University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU), a private university, is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region, with approximately 12,900 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. DU is classified as an R1: Doctoral University.

At the University of Denver, we're doing higher education our way: authentic to the Rocky Mountain Wests confident optimism and pragmatic independence. It sets us apart. We're preparing young people to be the solutions in their own stories, empowering them to face uncertainty with confidence and uncommon sense.

We're fiercely ambitious and forward-thinking, surpassing all expectations to redefine success and how to achieve it. And we're true to our mission as a top-tier private institution dedicated to making the world a better place - contributing to our communities and making positive change in the world.

About DU Advancement
The Denver Difference campaign is our most ambitious campaign yet. It marks a dramatic shift in conventional thinking about what the university experience can and should be. DU is setting the bar with our approach to higher education, developing and preparing students to be successful in life in every way. The University of Denver is building an advancement enterprise that mirrors the excellence and innovation of our great institution. Inclusive of alumni relations, development, and student and alumni career services, DU Advancement is building and fostering a culture of deep engagement and philanthropy in support of our bold vision.

The University of Denver and DU Advancement deeply value inclusive excellence, recognizing that its success depends on how well it values, engages, and includes the rich diversity of constituents. As a part of that effort, we are continuing to grow a team of inclusive, collaborative, inquisitive, innovative, ethical, and transparent advancement professionals who possess deep mutual respect for one another and for our shared profession.

About the Advancement Campaigns Team
The Campaigns Team, led by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campaigns, plays a pivotal role in driving the success of the University's comprehensive campaigns and beyond. This team is responsible for strategizing and executing all campaign-related activities, ensuring the institution's goals are advanced externally. This is accomplished through crafting experiences that increase the philanthropic commitment and engagement of the University of Denver's community, including students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends through strategic events and on-brand communications and marketing strategies.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director, Advancement Marketing and Creative, The Associate Director, Digital Marketing within DU Advancement will serve as a key partner in leading and executing digital marketing strategies that support a wide range of Advancement communications. This role encompasses the development and management of digital marketing projects across email campaigns, landing pages, website content, paid media, and social media platforms. The Associate Director will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to create and execute communication plans for events, solicitations, campaign messaging, leadership announcements, and more. Their expertise will be integral in ensuring that digital channels effectively promote The Denver Difference campaign to alumni and donor audiences, enhancing engagement and awareness while building meaningful relationships.

In addition to strategic digital marketing development and execution, the Associate Director will supervise the team's Digital Communications Coordinator, supporting professional development and ensuring priorities are clearly communicated. This role will also manage external relationships with vendors when necessary, ensuring the timely and successful delivery of services and projects. This position requires strong collaboration with various stakeholders across both Advancement and campus to maintain a cohesive, compelling and consistent digital experience for constituents, ensuring that the constituent journey is seamless across all channels.

This position will also serve as a lead in executing the Salesforce Marketing Cloud roadmap built by the Advancement team as we continue implementation of the platform. The Associate Director will be working collaboratively with campaign team leadership to identify opportunities based on organizational goals, build and test within the platform and launch initiatives by the designated date. This will include journey building, audience development, AB testing, AI tools and more.

The Associate Director will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing content marketing strategies that align with the broader goals and objectives of DU Advancement and the University. This position requires a blend of creativity, analytical thinking, and interpersonal skills to quickly adapt to changing priorities while maintaining a high standard of work. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional problem-solving abilities and demonstrate a commitment to delivering impactful digital marketing solutions that drive engagement and support Advancements mission.

Essential Functions

Leadership
•  Serve as a digital marketing lead for DU Advancement.
•  Manage and mentor digital communications coordinator in email, web, content and social media marketing including data reporting for each area.
•  Manage external vendors when needed to produce content for Advancement campaigns.
•  Support the successful promotion of content to our alumni, donor and key constituent audiences for The Denver Difference campaign.
•  Keep abreast of emerging trends in digital marketing, specifically in marketing automation, always looking to remain at the forefront of best practices.
•  Engage across DU as a creative thinker, problem solver, partner manager and collaborative partner for external communications.
•  Oversee a robust and complex communications calendar, effectively managing priorities and deadlines for the digital marketing team.
Ability to work closely with partners to ensure all projects are aligned with strategic goals and advancement objectives. Email Marketing & Marketing Automation
•  Lead the strategy, development and execution of email marketing campaigns using Salesforce Marketing Cloud to engage alumni, donors, and other key constituents, driving philanthropic and engagement goals.
•  Collaborate with Advancement and campus partners to create targeted event marketing campaigns, ensuring a seamless digital experience for event promotion, registration, and post-event follow-up.
•  Leverage Salesforce Marketing Cloud to segment audiences, analyze campaign performance, create constituent journeys and optimize digital communication strategies for maximum reach and impact.
•  Develop and manage comprehensive email marketing workflows to support strategic advancement goals and The Denver Difference campaign, including automated communications, fundraising solicitations and alumni engagement initiatives.
•  Partner with Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementation team to support the roadmap to ensure DU Advancement is able to utilize functionality available in the system at the right time based on department priorities. Social Media & Paid Media
•  Develop and execute comprehensive content marketing and storytelling strategies across social media platforms, targeting donors, alumni, and key constituents to increase engagement and support philanthropic goals.
•  Work collaboratively with our partners in University Relations to ensure social media and paid media strategies compliment each other including scheduling, branding, targeting and messaging.
•  Maintain a detailed social media calendar, ensuring timely and consistent delivery of relevant, compelling and well-crafted posts that align with organizational priorities.
•  Strategically manage paid media campaigns, including monitoring budgets and performance, optimizing ads to maximize ROI, and ensuring alignment with overall campaign objectives.
•  Serve as primary point of contact for digital marketing vendors, ensuring top-quality results in work performed for the University.
•  Oversee the creation and scheduling of social media content, ensuring all products are completed on schedule, compelling, and contribute to the achievement of engagement and fundraising objectives. Web Development
•  Oversee the maintenance, updating and optimization of Advancement's web properties, includingThe Denver Difference campaign site, ensuring alignment with the strategic goals of DU's billion-dollar fundraising campaign and regular review of analytics reports to track performance and inform improvements.
•  Serve as the Advancement lead for campus-wide web development meetings. Collaborate with various teams to ensure the strategic integration and functionality of digital assets across alumni, give and campaign sites.
•  Ensure all digital content across the alumni, give, and campaign sites is aligned with Advancement goals and objectives, effectively communicating with alumni and donor audiences to support engagement and giving click apply for full job details