CRM Communications Specialist

Job Type:

Staff

Job Description:

The CRM Communications Specialist leads the design and execution of CRM-driven communications that guide prospective and applied students through key enrollment milestones. This role owns lifecycle journeys (email/SMS/portal/automation), builds segmentation and automation aligned to enrollment goals, and continuously improves messaging through testing and performance insights. In close partnership with Admissions, University Relations/Marketing, Financial Aid, Student Services, and IT/CRM administration, the CRM Communications Specialist ensures communications are clear, timely, personalized, and measurables support strong conversion and confident student decision-making.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Orchestration

• Lead the end-to-end design and ongoing optimization of prospective and applicant journeys by program and stage (prospect, applicant, interview, decision, admitted, deposited, onboarding-to-handoff)

• Build segmentation, automation, and message sequencing that aligns to enrollment priorities and supports consistent stage movement

• Deliver communications that clearly reinforce next steps, deadlines, requirements, and decision-point confidence

• Exercises independent judgment in the design and optimization of CRM communication strategies supporting enrollment outcomes

• Advises enrollment leadership on communication strategy based on performance analytics and student engagement trends

Yield & Late-Stage Support

• Develop targeted communications and nudges that strengthen engagement and support deposit-to-matriculation outcomes

• Partner across Enrollment, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Student Services to address common friction points and improve the admitted/deposited experience

CRM Content Development & Stewardship

• Create and maintain CRM templates, modular content blocks, and multi-step sequences across channels (email/SMS/portal)

• Maintain a CRM communications calendar aligned to the admissions operating calendar and program milestones

• Apply clarity, accessibility, and compliance-aligned standards to all student-facing communications

Governance, Quality Control & Coordination

• Establish and manage communications intake, prioritization, and review process to ensure message quality, timing alignment, and stakeholder readiness

• Coordinate with CRM/Admissions Operations on data definitions, QA, automation testing, and release management

• Document journey logic, decision rules, and template libraries to support scalability and continuity

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and report on communication performance and funnel outcomes (deliverability, engagement, conversion by stage, RSVP-to-attendance, deposit conversion, onboarding completion signals)

• Conduct A/B and multivariate tests and implement improvements based on outcomes and insights

• Provide actionable recommendations to Enrollment leadership based on performance trends and student behavior signals

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• CRM lifecycle communications expertise (journey design, automation, segmentation)

• Excellent writing/editing for high-stakes student communications

• Strong QA, governance, and template library management

• Data literacy: reporting, testing, and optimization for conversion outcomes

• Cross-functional collaboration and project management in a cycle-based environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, English, Journalism, or a related field preferred

• Strong understanding of email marketing, content creation, and user engagement strategies

• Experience working with admission CRM system; preferred experience working with Slate

• Experience in implementing and using admissions CRM technology; Slate CRM experience preferred

• Must possess the ability to work effectively and positively as part of the Admissions Team

• Must be comfortable operating in a collaborative, shared leadership environment

• Ability to interface with information technology team, business analysts, functional users, external vendors and other stakeholders

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Strong customer service skills

• Ability to create technical documentation and flowcharts preferred

• Ability to work independently on a day-to-day basis

• Excellent written and verbal skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

• Ability to anticipate needs and maintain resourcefulness

• Strong organizational and time management skills

Equal Opportunity Employer

KCU is committed to promoting an equal employment opportunity workplace. Equal opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information (GINA), physical or mental disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, ancestry, military and/or veteran status, and/or any other status protected by applicable Federal, state or local law.

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Thank you for your interest in a career at KCU!