Assistant Director, Email Strategy, Alumni Engagement Advancement

Boston University Advancement

Boston University Advancement is at a pivotal moment guided by new leadership and a clear strategic framework for growth and impact. Our work centers on three core priorities: securing $500 million in philanthropy annually; deepening relationships with a strategically defined segment of alumni and donors; and strengthening the organizational foundation while launching focused priority areas across the University.

Advancement is evolving into a highly collaborative matrixed model that integrates new University leadership regional engagement and the distinctive strengths of BUs schools and colleges. With more than 250 advancement professionals the organization is building the capacity partnerships and culture required to deliver sustained philanthropic momentum and institutional impact.

Assistant Director Email Strategy

The Assistant Director Email Strategy is responsible for implementing an email marketing engagement strategy for Boston University Advancement. This highly independent role manages the departments email marketing system and operations provides best practices using engagement analytics and designs dynamic email content to support Advancement year-round and in a campaign environment. The Assistant Director is responsible for project managing and deploying the thousands of emails distributed to our 440000 alumni worldwide each year. This position works with the Director of Digital Marketing & Engagement and other Advancement staff members as well as campus partners to ensure optimal engagement of our email and online strategies.

Position Responsibilities

Email and Digital Context Strategy (30%)

• Develop and execute strategic goals concepts and content for email campaigns and related website components in collaboration with Advancement and University partners.
• Develop and oversee the content strategy forAlumni Digest the Universitys all-alumni newsletter.
• Identify new opportunities to increase alumni engagement through targeted relevant and timely digital communications.
• Partner with colleagues to develop and implement audience segmentation and content strategies informed by alumni data.
• Create and execute constituent journeys tailored to factors such as alumni interests life stages and career stages.
• Oversee the design development and production of assigned email and digital projects.

Project Management (25%)

• Manage the planning coordination and execution of a high volume of email communications distributed to more than 440000 alumni throughout the year.
• Develop and maintain project timelines schedules and workflows to ensure timely and effective execution.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments University partners and University External Affairs to gather content establish priorities and manage approvals.
• Partner closely with the Communications Coordinator and other colleagues to ensure seamless project execution from concept through deployment.

Email Marketing Strategy & Technical Leadership (15%)

• Lead a weekly email marketing meeting with Advancement colleagues responsible for developing and deploying email communications.
• Establish and maintain email marketing best practices standards and workflows across Advancement.
• Monitor campaign performance and use analytics and audience insights to refine strategies and improve engagement.
• Stay current on emerging email marketing trends technologies and best practices and share relevant insights with colleagues.
• Provide training guidance and technical support to colleagues using the broadcast email system.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and resource for colleagues developing and deploying their own email communications.

Major Initiatives & Event Communications (15%)

• Partner with the Director to develop and execute email strategies supporting major Advancement and alumni initiatives including Global Days of Service Alumni Weekend the Alumni Starter Kit and other large-scale campaigns.
• Develop integrated communication plans and timelines to support key initiatives and maximize alumni engagement.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments University partners and University External Affairs to align messaging timing audiences and execution.
• Provide strategic recommendations for leveraging email communications to support organizational priorities and initiative goals.

Student Employee Management and Development (10%)

• Supervise train and mentor a student employee supporting email marketing and communications activities.
• Assign and oversee project work provide ongoing feedback and coaching and ensure work meets established quality standards.
• Support the student employees professional development by providing opportunities to build skills and gain experience in digital communications and marketing.

Quality Assurance (5%)

• Oversee quality assurance processes for email communications including proofreading copyediting link validation rendering and testing.
• Ensure communications are accurate consistent accessible and aligned with University and Advancement brand standards.
• Establish and maintain quality control practices that minimize errors and ensure a consistent experience across email communications.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in marketing communications journalism digital media business or a related field.
• 35 years of professional experience in email marketing digital communications marketing or a related field including experience managing email campaigns from strategy through deployment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing email marketing strategies that support engagement communications fundraising or other organizational goals.
• Experience managing high-volume complex email campaigns and projects including coordinating multiple stakeholders timelines approvals and deliverables.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret email performance data and engagement metrics and use insights to inform and refine strategy.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills including demonstrated ability to develop edit and proofread engaging content for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously while meeting deadlines and maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
• Experience working independently and exercising sound judgment in managing projects resolving issues and making recommendations as well as experience collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams and internal and external partners.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud or another enterprise-level email marketing or marketing automation platform.
• Experience developing audience segmentation and personalized or dynamic email content based on constituent or customer data.
• Experience using marketing analytics and reporting tools to evaluate campaign performance and make data-informed recommendations.
• Experience working in a higher education nonprofit membership fundraising or similarly complex organization.
• Masters degree in marketing communications digital media business or a related field.

But thats not all were looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork transparency and mutual respect because we value every members contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity equity inclusion and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

To apply and learn more about Advancement at Boston University and other job opportunities please stop by the Advancement Talent website: recognize that no candidate brings every experience or qualification to a role. If youre excited about this opportunity and believe your skills and experiences could contribute to our team we encourage you to apply even if your background doesnt align perfectly with every qualification listed. We value diverse perspectives experiences and ways of thinking and were committed to building a team where everyone can thrive.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color natural protective or culturally significant hairstyle religion sex age national origin physical or mental disability sexual orientation gender identity genetic information military service pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition or marital parental or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at .