Senior Director of Marketing

Summary

Join the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) as a Senior Director of Marketing and lead Edutopia's growth by expanding its educator community and brand reach. Develop and execute the integrated marketing strategy, managing a budget of approximately $1-1.5 million. Build upon and expand Edutopia's Community Engagement Program, fostering loyalty and advocacy among educators. Oversee multi-channel campaigns, from brief to launch, across digital and in-person touchpoints. Lead and mentor a small in-house team, plus freelance partners and agencies. Report monthly on key performance indicators (KPIs) and leverage data to optimize marketing efforts. Manage the marketing budget and vendor contracts. This fully remote role requires occasional travel.

Requirements

• 8+ years experience with a proven track record in marketing to educators or audience development for an education-focused media brand or content-focused organization
• Experience leveraging diverse channels and tactics, managing end-to-end campaigns, and executing against a holistic strategy
• Ability to employ data-driven, digital-first strategies. Experience analyzing and optimizing campaigns to drive results and hit growth goals
• Familiarity with paid search/social ad platforms (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn) and SEO best practices
• Creative problem-solving skills with a knack for getting things done; comfortable with complexity, ambiguity, and able to think outside the box
• Strong business acumen and motivated by ambitious goals in an “all hands on deck” collaborative culture
• Highly organized and detail-oriented multitasker. Capable of managing multiple projects, relationships and complex initiatives with an eye for nuance
• Superior communication skills, diplomacy, and positivity. Can-do attitude and comfort working on a small, nimble team
• Proven experience in stakeholder management and board engagement, with ability to communicate complex marketing strategies to diverse audiences

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the integrated marketing strategy, calendar, and budget (≈ $1–1.5 M), including paid media, events, tools, and team
• Inspire breakthrough ideas and champion a test‑and‑learn mindset that pushes creative boundaries
• Create quarterly OKRs with measurable channel‑specific targets for KPIs such as educator reach, newsletter list growth, and member acquisition or retention
• Maintain tight, proactive alignment with the GM/Chief Content Officer through weekly touchpoints and team updates during the standing editorial meeting, ensuring marketing priorities advance Edutopia goals
• Ensure all marketing assets reflect and resonate with educators of all backgrounds
• Serve as senior advisor to the executive team and board on brand positioning, audience trends, and marketing performance
• Build upon and expand Edutopia’s Community Engagement Program to strengthen relationships with educators, foster loyalty, encourage lifelong engagement, and inspire them to become active advocates of Edutopia’s mission by
• Designing storytelling opportunities and other engagement initiatives that highlight educator-generated content across Edutopia’s digital and real-world touchpoints—including the website, social media, newsletters, and events
• Collaborate closely with the content and product teams to create dynamic digital experiences, advocacy campaigns, and community-centered events that extend the reach and resonance of our educator community
• Measure and report on community impact, including engagement, lifetime value, and educator satisfaction
• Measure and report on community impact, including engagement, lifetime value, and educator satisfaction
• Oversee multi‑channel paid and organic campaigns—from brief to launch—across digital platforms and in‑person touchpoints such as conferences and events; including A/B testing, attribution analysis, as resources allow, and optimization of media mix to achieve target KPIs (OR, CTOR, CPA) while maximizing educator retention and lifetime engagement
• Coordinate scheduling of social, email, and special campaigns in partnership with content and product teams to ensure consistent audience engagement
• Approve high‑impact copy, creatives, and social hooks to safeguard Edutopia's voice
• Oversee the design of branded materials, ads, landing pages, and promotional content, ensuring they reflect Edutopia's brand values
• Recruit, coach, and performance‑manage a small in‑house team plus freelance partners and agencies
• Lead by example—operating at both strategic and tactical levels and rolling up sleeves alongside the team when needed
• Foster a culture of experimentation, problem‑solving, data‑driven decision‑making, and continuous learning
• Promote cross‑functional collaboration with Editorial and Product teams
• Report monthly on channel KPIs: unique visitors, email list growth, social engagement, email open rate (OR), conversion, educator retention, and other engagement impact
• Leverage GA4, Sheets/Excel, Meta, Sprout Analytics, and SimilarWeb to derive insights and recommend course corrections
• Manage the marketing budget; allocate resources across channels to maximize ROI
• Negotiate and oversee vendor and agency contracts; ensure on‑time, on‑budget delivery

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in K‑12, EdTech, nonprofit media, or mission-driven brand
• Master's degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field

Benefits

• Three weeks of paid time off (and the workdays between Christmas Day and New Year's Day are also paid holidays)
• Comprehensive health/vision/dental insurance
• An employer match of up to 6% of salary for your retirement fund (vested immediately)
• An annual professional development stipend