Columbia College
Columbia, Missouri, United States
(on-site)
Posted
1 day ago
Job Type
Full-Time
Salary
$150,000.00 - $175,000.00
Industry
Education / Teaching / Administration
Salary - Type
Yearly Salary
Job Function
Branding
Description
Chief Marketing Officer/VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy
Chief Marketing Officer/VP of Marketing and Brand Strategy
Department: Office of the President
Type: Full-time
Pay: $150,000 - $175,000
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Job Summary:
The Chief Marketing Officer/Vice President for Marketing and Brand Strategy is a senior council/cabinet-level position reporting directly to the President. The CMO serves as the institution's senior-most leader responsible for market positioning, demand generation, and brand-driven growth. This cabinet-level role drives the development and execution of an integrated marketing strategy that advances enrollment, strengthens institutional reputation, and supports long-term strategic growth across the Columbia College system.
The CMO collaborates closely with other senior council/cabinet members to ensure consistency in institutional messaging across all audiences and channels.[1] The position is responsible for the integrated marketing function and provides strategic marketing counsel to the President and cabinet.
The CMO supervises marketing staff, manages agency and vendor relationships, and oversees the marketing budget. The position has institution-wide scope and is expected to function as a senior leader across enrollment, advancement, academic, and executive communications contexts.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Brand Leadership
- Hold institutional accountability for the Columbia College brand, including brand architecture, visual identity, and market positioning across all audiences and channels.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive marketing and brand strategy aligned with institutional priorities, in coordination with the Chief Strategic Communication Officer to ensure consistency between market positioning and institutional voice.
- Own and maintain brand standards, identity systems, and guidelines that inform the work of marketing, communications, and institutional partners across all functions.
- Track brand health, market perception, and competitive positioning through research and analysis, sharing findings with the CSCO and cabinet to inform both marketing strategy and institutional communications.
- Advise the President and cabinet on the brand and market implications of strategic decisions, including new program development, naming opportunities, and institutional partnerships.
- Define brand voice and content standards that inform marketing materials and paid channels; partner with the CSCO to ensure those standards are applied consistently across institutional communications.
- Represent Columbia College in external marketing, business, and community contexts as appropriate, in coordination with the CSCO on matters involving institutional communications or public affairs.
Strategic Growth & Market Expansion
- Partner with the President, Provost, and cabinet to inform program development, pricing strategies, and new market opportunities based on market demand and competitive analysis.
- Provide market-informed guidance on strategic partnerships, new academic offerings, and geographic or modality expansion opportunities.
Enrollment Marketing
- Hold primary accountability for enrollment marketing strategy across undergraduate, graduate, adult, and online pipelines, partnering with Enrollment Management on goals, audience targeting, and campaign priorities.
- Own the institution's value proposition for prospective students, including audience segmentation, messaging frameworks, and the paid and digital campaign portfolio that supports recruitment goals.
- Collaborate with the CSCO to ensure enrollment marketing content and prospective student communications reflect a consistent institutional voice and brand standards.
- Use campaign data and market analytics to evaluate performance, inform resource allocation, and report enrollment marketing outcomes to the President and cabinet.
Digital Strategy and Marketing Technology
- Lead the institution's evolution toward an AI-enabled marketing ecosystem, including predictive analytics, personalization, and generative search optimization (AEO/GEO), ensuring Columbia College remains competitive in a rapidly shifting digital landscape
- Hold accountability for the institution's digital marketing strategy, including paid advertising, SEO/SEM, social media marketing, and the website as a marketing and conversion platform, coordinating with the CSCO on content and editorial standards.
- Own the selection, implementation, and optimization of marketing technology platforms, including the CMS, analytics tools, and personalization systems. In select functional areas (e.g., Enrollment Management, Advancement, Athletics, etc.), CRM and related platform administration and data governance remain with the respective functional VP; the CMO owns the marketing strategy, campaign logic, audience segmentation, and messaging executed within those systems.
- Collaborate with the Enrollment Management, Advancement, and Athletics leadership to ensure marketing campaign data flows effectively across platforms, supporting both marketing performance reporting and operational needs within each function's CRM.
- Own content strategy and production for paid and owned marketing channels, including digital advertising, landing pages, and campaign assets; editorial content, publications, and institutional communications remain the responsibility of the CSCO.
Market Research and Competitive Intelligence
- Own the institution's market research function, generating and applying insights on audience behavior, competitor positioning, regional trends, and program demand.
- Translate market intelligence into strategic recommendations for the President and cabinet, and share relevant findings with the CSCO to inform public-facing communications and institutional messaging.
- Use audience data and market evidence to ground institutional storytelling decisions, in partnership with the CSCO and cabinet colleagues.
Advancement and Campaign Marketing Support
- Hold accountability for advancement marketing strategy, including campaign marketing for major gift initiatives, Giving Day, and fundraising priorities, in partnership with advancement leadership.
- Provide marketing support for new facilities and naming opportunity concepts.
- Support donor communications, alumni engagement, and community partnership outreach with cohesive, on-brand messaging.
Team Leadership and Resource Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing marketing team, building a culture of creativity, accountability, data fluency, and continuous improvement.
- Establish clear performance metrics, professional development pathways, and succession planning across the marketing function.
- Develop, manage, and strategically allocate the marketing budget to maximize visibility, enrollment impact, and return on investment.
- Oversee relationships with external agency partners, vendors, and creative consultants.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or a related field; graduate degree in the preceding or adjacent fields preferred.
- Seven or more years of progressive leadership experience in marketing, with at least three years in a senior or executive marketing role preferred.
- Demonstrated success in brand strategy, enrollment marketing, and integrated digital marketing.
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams in a complex, mission-driven environment.
- Strong expertise in digital marketing, marketing analytics, CRM integration, and marketing technology platforms.
- Excellent communication skills across verbal, written, and presentation contexts.
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to work across a cabinet and diverse institutional stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in higher education marketing, with familiarity with the modern learner landscape and enrollment trends.
- Demonstrated success leading marketing during institutional change, transformation, or growth periods.
- Experience with AI-assisted marketing tools and emerging generative search optimization strategies.
- Familiarity with small private college contexts and the competitive dynamics of regional higher education markets.
- Experience supporting or collaborating on fundraising and advancement campaigns.
This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive of every duty and responsibility required by the employee in the position.
Other Requirements: Ability to satisfy, within the parameters set by the College and consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, a criminal background check as a condition of employment.
Special Requirements (if any): Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings and weekends.
Physical Requirements: The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Individuals seeking accommodation should contact the Human Resources Department without delay. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time, talk, and hear. The employee is required to use hands and fingers to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crawl. Employee must be able to type on a computer keyboard and use a computer monitor on a regular basis.
Work Conditions: The work environment conditions described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is rarely exposed to outside weather conditions; however, possible exposure to hazards and physical risks to personal safety may occur while operating certain equipment. The noise level in the work environment is usually mild.
Interested applicants may apply online at www.ccis.edu/careers. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Columbia College is an equal opportunity employer.
This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive of every duty and responsibility required by the employee in the position.
Eligibility for employee benefits and perks is determined by employment status. For more information please see https://www.ccis.edu/careers.
The offer of employment and assignment to duties is contingent upon a satisfactory criminal background check. The information may include, but is not limited to, academic, residential, achievement, performance, attendance, disciplinary, employment history, credit history, driving history, and criminal history of public record.
Columbia College is an equal opportunity employer.
Columbia College is committed to creating an inclusive employee experience for all regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability. The college maintains a safe place for open discourse and overall, fosters a sense of community that welcomes everyone.
In compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) and the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), the Department of Campus Safety for Columbia College has provided the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and crime statistics for the main campus and venues nationwide.
Columbia College is required to distribute this information to all current and prospective employees and students. Please follow the link below for the full report or contact Human Resources at 573-875-7495 for a printed copy.
[1] Role Clarification: The CMO owns market strategy, brand positioning, and demand generation. The Chief of Strategic Communication owns institutional voice, public relations, and executive communications. The two roles operate in close partnership to ensure alignment between market strategy and institutional narrative. CMO = demand, brand, growth, paid, digital, insights. CSCO = voice, reputation, PR, internal comms, storytelling.
Apply Here
PI283694451
Job ID: 83162277
