ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MARKETING, BRAND MANAGEMENT, External Affairs

Boston University's award-winning External Affairs division seeks an Assistant Vice President, Digital Marketing and Brand Management. The individual will report to the Vice President for Integrated Communication Strategy. The Assistant Vice President, Digital Marketing and Brand Management serves as the University's enterprise leader for digital marketing, responsible for defining, advancing, and institutionalizing a modern, data-driven marketing discipline across the University. This role operates at both a strategic and systems level, establishing the frameworks, infrastructure, and practices that enable coordinated, high-performing digital marketing across a complex, decentralized environment. The AVP leads the development of an integrated digital marketing ecosystem that connects brand, content, enrollment, advancement, and reputation efforts. This includes aligning distributed marketing activities, integrating data across platforms and units, and optimizing institutional marketing investment for maximum impact. As a recognized thought leader and subject matter expert, this individual serves as a visible authority on digital marketing across campus, educating, advising, and elevating the capabilities of colleagues and leaders throughout the institution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, enterprise-level digital marketing strategy aligned with University goals in enrollment, advancement, reputation, and engagement.
• Establish a unified digital marketing framework that coordinates decentralized efforts across schools and administrative units into a cohesive, data-driven ecosystem.
• Integrate marketing data and analytics across platforms to create a holistic view of performance and audience behavior, supporting data-informed decision-making at all levels.
• Build and oversee enterprise dashboards, reporting systems, and performance models that guide strategic investment and resource optimization.
• Direct the institutions enterprise performance marketing strategy, ensuring efficient media spend, strong ROI, and measurable alignment with institutional priorities.
• Define and advance University strategy for search visibility and discoverability across web, AI-driven, and emerging digital platforms.
• Collaborate with Brand, Content, Creative, Web, and Public Affairs leaders within External Affairs to ensure integrated, consistent digital execution across all channels.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to schools and units, fostering collaboration and alignment while supporting unit-level marketing goals.
• Champion innovation and thought leadership in digital marketing, building institutional capability through training, best practices, and governance frameworks.
• Provide executive oversight of institutional agencies and vendor partners to ensure alignment with institutional strategy, brand standards, and performance expectations.

Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in digital marketing, growth marketing, or performance marketing roles.
• Demonstrated success building and leading enterprise-level digital marketing strategies in complex organizations.
• Experience integrating marketing data across systems to drive insights and performance.
• Deep expertise in paid media, analytics, SEO, and emerging digital ecosystems.
• Experience managing large-scale agency and vendor relationships.
• Proven ability to influence strategy and drive alignment across decentralized teams.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in higher education, healthcare, or similarly complex, mission-driven organizations.
• Experience building digital marketing infrastructure in a distributed environment.
• Familiarity with marketing automation, CRM integration, and advancement/enrollment data systems.
• Experience navigating and leading through organizational transformation.

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