Senior Director for University Marketing

About the role

Emporia State University is seeking a strategic, innovative, and collaborative leader to serve as the Senior Director for University Marketing. This position provides leadership for the university's marketing, branding, and creative functions, overseeing an internal marketing team and external agency partners to advance institutional priorities. Reporting directly to the Vice President for Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer, the Senior Director plays a critical role in elevating ESU's reputation, strengthening student recruitment efforts, and supporting academic schools and university initiatives through integrated marketing strategies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and steward Emporia State University's brand strategy, ensuring consistency, clarity, and differentiation across all marketing channels, campaigns, and creative assets.
• Direct, mentor, and develop the university's marketing and creative team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high performance.
• Partner with deans and university leadership to design and execute recruitment marketing strategies that support enrollment goals and showcase academic program strengths.
• Manage relationships with external agency partners, ensuring alignment with university priorities, operational efficiency, and measurable return on investment.
• Develop annual and multi-year marketing plans that advance institutional objectives, strengthen audience engagement, and support university-wide initiatives.
• Collaborate with Enrollment Management, Advancement, Academic Affairs, and other campus leaders to create integrated messaging and coordinated outreach efforts.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor campaign effectiveness, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize marketing strategies and resource allocation.
• Provide executive-level reporting, recommendations, and strategic insights to the Vice President for Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer to support informed decision-making.