Executive Director, Marketing & Communications

The University is located in Denver Colorado a city known for its dynamic blend of business innovation and world-class recreation. Denver is consistently ranked by Forbes and Kiplingers Magazine as one of the top cities for young professionals and recent college graduates. The University of Denver is a private institution founded in 1864. It serves a population of more than 5200 undergraduate and 6200 graduate students as a research-intensive institution. The beautiful campus is located approximately seven miles from downtown with easy access to public transportation.

With a long tradition of excellence and innovation the Daniels College of Business prepares students to succeed in a dynamic changing world. We are a high-achieving community of students staff and faculty that inspires one another to think in new ways perform at higher levels and transform organizations and communities. Daniels is ranked among the top business schools and is the only business school in Colorado to receive rankings and recognition from BusinessWeek the Financial Times U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. The Daniels College of Business (DCB) offers a variety of baccalaureate graduate PhD and certificate programs which are detailed at Summary

The Executive Director of College Marketing and Communications will lead a strategic collaborative marketing and communications model designed to drive graduate enrollment growth and revenue generation across multiple colleges within the university. This executive-level position requires a dynamic leader who can balance strategic vision with operational excellence building cohesive partnerships across campus while managing both college-embedded marketing leads and a centralized shared services team.

Essential Functions

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for college-based marketing and communications leads and Office of Graduate Education lead within the shared services model
• Oversee and develop a centralized shared services team executing specialized functions including web development social media email marketing paid digital campaigns graphic design content creation/blogging and SEO
• Foster a culture of collaboration innovation and continuous improvement across distributed and centralized team members
• Mentor and develop staff ensuring professional growth and high performance standards
• Relationship Building & Campus Collaboration
• Cultivate and maintain productive relationships with deans central University Relations and administrators across participating colleges and within the University of Denver
• Serve as the primary liaison between the Office of Graduate Education college leadership and the shared services marketing and communications team
• Build trust and credibility across stakeholders with competing priorities and distinct program needs
• Facilitate regular communication and collaboration to ensure alignment on enrollment goals and marketing priorities

Strategic Planning & Revenue Growth

• Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies that drive enrollment growth and revenue across all participating programs
• Identify market opportunities emerging trends and competitive positioning to inform strategic recommendations
• Create integrated marketing campaign plans that leverage economies of scale while respecting individual program uniqueness
• Establish metrics and KPIs to measure marketing effectiveness and ROI across programs and channels
• Lead university-wide graduate enrollment strategies identify partnership opportunities champion new initiatives that will benefit multiple colleges and liaise with the Office of Graduate Education to support units without dedicated marketing and communications resources

Operational Excellence & Efficiency

• Analyze current operations to identify opportunities for process improvement resource optimization and operational efficiencies
• Implement scalable systems workflows and technologies that enhance productivity and service delivery
• Develop standardized processes and best practices while maintaining flexibility for program-specific needs
• Ensure quality control and brand consistency across all marketing materials and campaigns

Budget Management & Resource Allocation

• Manage and optimize multiple marketing budgets ensuring strategic allocation of resources across colleges and programs
• Develop annual budget recommendations based on enrollment priorities strategic initiatives and market data
• Monitor expenditures forecast needs and provide regular financial reporting to stakeholders
• Maximize ROI through data-driven budget decisions and efficient resource utilization

Paid Marketing & Campaign Strategy

• Design and execute sophisticated paid marketing campaigns across digital platforms (search social display video etc.)
• Allocate paid media budgets strategically to benefit all units within the model while achieving institution-wide enrollment goals
• Analyze campaign performance data and optimize strategies for maximum enrollment impact
• Stay current on digital marketing trends platform updates and higher education marketing best practices

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Strategic vision and execution
• Collaborative leadership
• Change management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Data analytics and performance measurement
• Budget and resource management
• Digital marketing expertise
• Process improvement and operational efficiency
• Relationship building and influence
• Adaptability and problem-solving
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills with ability to influence without direct authority
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical skills and data-driven decision-making abilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for a variety of audiences

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Marketing Communications Business Administration or related field
• 10 years of progressive marketing leadership experience with at least 5 years in a senior management role
• Proven experience managing complex matrixed teams and cross-functional partnerships
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable results
• Deep expertise in digital marketing including paid advertising social media email marketing SEO and web analytics
• Strong budget management experience with demonstrated ability to optimize resources and demonstrate ROI

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in Marketing Business Administration Higher Education or related field
• Experience in higher education marketing particularly graduate and professional programs
• Knowledge of enrollment management principles and student recruitment lifecycles
• Familiarity with CRM systems marketing automation platforms and enrollment management technologies
• Understanding of higher education organizational structures and academic culture

Working Environment

• Standard office environment.
• Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
• Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

• Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus.

Work Schedule
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Application Deadline
For consideration please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) January 30 2026.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:
The salary grade for the position is 15.

Salary Range:
The salary range for this position is $120000-$130000

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate departmental budget availability internal salary equity considerations and available market information but not based on a candidates sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits including medical dental retirement paid time off tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family or parental status pregnancy or related conditions national origin disability or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color national origin ancestry age religion creed disability sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family and parental status pregnancy genetic information military enlistment or veteran status and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal state or local law regulation or ordinance in any of the Universitys educational programs and activities and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers Rights (POWR) Act; and any other federal state and local laws regulations or ordinances that prohibit discrimination harassment and/or retaliation. For more information please see the University of Denvers NonDiscriminationStatement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.