Associate Director of Marketing Strategy (Internal Applicants Only)

About the role

The Associate Director of Marketing Strategy is a leadership role within Rowan University's Division of Marketing & Communication responsible for leading the team that provides strategic marketing planning and consultation to academic and administrative units across the institution. Reporting to the Senior Director of Brand & Marketing Strategy, the Associate Director oversees stakeholder engagement, portfolio management, and marketing planning for colleges, schools, departments, and institutional initiatives. The position leads the team responsible for partnering with campus stakeholders to identify opportunities, define objectives, and align marketing efforts with university priorities and audience needs. The Associate Director leverages market research, audience insights, performance data, and institutional knowledge to guide marketing recommendations that support audiences throughout the engagement journey and collaborates closely with project management, creative, digital, web, social media, communications, email marketing, analytics, and research teams to support successful marketing initiatives. This position requires an experienced marketing leader with exceptional relationship-building skills, strategic thinking capabilities, and a deep understanding of higher education.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Supervision

• Lead, supervise, mentor, and evaluate the Marketing Strategy team.
• Oversee team workload, portfolio assignments, and stakeholder relationships to ensure consistent service and support across the university.
• Provide leadership related to strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, brand stewardship, and integrated marketing recommendations.
• Responsible for hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, professional development, and succession planning for assigned team members.
• Conduct performance evaluations, approve timesheets, and support employee development and training opportunities.
• Foster a collaborative, consultative, and service-oriented team culture.

Strategic Planning & Marketing Consultation

• Lead the development of integrated marketing strategies and recommendations for colleges, schools, departments, and institutional initiatives.
• Guide the creation of marketing plans aligned with university goals, audience needs, and organizational priorities.
• Translate stakeholder goals and business needs into actionable marketing recommendations informed by research, audience insights, performance data, and competitive analysis.
• Develop marketing recommendations that support audiences throughout the full engagement journey, from awareness and consideration to conversion, retention, advocacy, and other desired outcomes.
• Promote strategic thinking, brand alignment, and marketing best practices across the Division of Marketing & Communication.
• Monitor industry trends and emerging best practices and apply insights to strategic recommendations.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

• Serve as a senior point of contact for academic and administrative partners across the university.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with campus stakeholders to understand priorities, challenges, and opportunities.
• Lead strategic planning discussions and collaborate with the Marketing Project Management team during discovery and intake processes to align stakeholder goals, project scope, and execution requirements.
• Present strategic recommendations, marketing plans, and performance insights to stakeholders and leadership.

Brand Stewardship & Portfolio Management

• Serve as a champion of the Rowan University brand and ensure marketing recommendations align with established brand strategy, positioning, messaging, voice, and