Senior Director, Digital Marketing Strategy, Advancement

vision insurance, flexible benefit account, parental leave, 401(k), employee discount

At EAB , our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in‑class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other‑that’s why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we’ve been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

About Hybrid

Recently acquired by EAB, Hybrid is a globally recognized and award‑winning agency that operates as a full‑service marketing partner for the education sector, connecting universities with students worldwide. Powered by unrivaled insight, advanced technology, and AI‑driven enrollment strategies, our integrated marketing solutions help education brands grow. We tackle the sector’s toughest challenges head‑on and continuously strive for excellence, staying on the pulse of emerging trends. When you join our division of EAB, you become part of a tight‑knit, ambitious, supportive, and rapidly growing team. You’ll work on big ideas with talented colleagues who respect your input, challenge your thinking and push you to do your best work. Visit our website to learn more about our story.

The Role in Brief

We are seeking a Senior Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, Advancement to partner with EAB’s business development teams as the organization’s subject‑matter expert in digital fundraising and Advancement marketing. Drawing on expertise in comprehensive and capital campaigns, digital fundraising, constituent engagement, and Advancement marketing, this individual will help institutions translate fundraising priorities into differentiated digital engagement strategies.

This role will serve as a pre‑sales and strategy subject‑matter expert, partnering closely with business development, Advancement strategy, creative, analytics, and delivery teams to shape differentiated digital fundraising solutions for prospective and existing partners.

Success in this role means shaping EAB’s digital Advancement strategy, helping win complex partnerships, influencing the evolution of our solutions, and strengthening the firm’s market leadership through differentiated expertise, reusable frameworks, and thought leadership.

This hire may be based in Philadelphia, PA, Washington DC, or Richmond, VA., and requires regular in‑person presence in the office, generally at least two to three days per week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the strategic digital fundraising advisor to business development teams, shaping pursuit strategy, identifying high‑value opportunities, and developing differentiated solutions that strengthen EAB’s competitive position.
• Serve as EAB’s subject‑matter expert in digital fundraising, constituent engagement, and higher education Advancement during partner and prospect conversations.
• Translate institutional goals, capital and comprehensive campaign priorities, and audience needs into differentiated digital marketing recommendations that support business development efforts.
• Participate in discovery sessions, proposal development, and executive presentations, helping partners understand how digital engagement strategies can strengthen fundraising outcomes.
• Use market research, institutional data, audience insights, and campaign performance to develop strategic recommendations and identify opportunities for innovation.
• Collaborate with analytics, creative, and strategy teams to ensure proposed solutions are thoughtful, achievable, and aligned with partner expectations.
• Advise business development and partner teams on digital fundraising strategies that balance institutional goals, audience needs, budget, timing, and expected outcomes.
• Advise institutions on how digital marketing can support capital and comprehensive campaign objectives, including campaign awareness, donor acquisition, participation, stewardship, and milestone communications.
• Recommend integrated digital marketing approaches across paid search, paid social, display, video, landing pages, and emerging channels to support capital and comprehensive campaign communications, donor acquisition, participation, stewardship, and campaign awareness.
• Provide guidance on campaign messaging, audience segmentation, creative strategy, calls to action, and digital donor journeys.
• Develop digital engagement strategies that connect institutional stories with meaningful opportunities for alumni, donors, families, and friends to engage and give.
• Ensure strategic recommendations are clearly documented and positioned for successful implementation by delivery teams.
• Serve as the connector across business development, creative, analytics, and delivery teams to ensure proposed solutions are differentiated, feasible, and aligned with partner expectations.
• Equip sales and partner‑facing teams with the language, insights, examples, and tools needed to communicate the value of digital fundraising and engagement strategies.
• Develop training, case studies, presentation materials, and strategic frameworks that strengthen internal understanding of digital Advancement practices.
• Define and evolve EAB’s point of view on digital fundraising, capital campaign marketing, and constituent engagement, ensuring our solutions remain differentiated and aligned with emerging market needs.
• Advise senior leadership on emerging market trends, partner needs, and competitive dynamics to influence product strategy, service offerings, and go‑to‑market investments.
• Establish EAB as a recognized leader in digital Advancement strategy by representing the organization at industry events, developing executive thought leadership, and influencing conversations across the higher education fundraising community.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• At least 8‑10+ years of progressively responsible experience in digital marketing, Advancement communications, fundraising strategy, media planning, consultative sales, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of direct experience working in or advising higher education Advancement organizations, including experience supporting digital communications and engagement strategies for comprehensive and/or capital campaigns, with a strong understanding of donor acquisition, alumni engagement, and pipeline development.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior Advancement leaders and translate institutional priorities into integrated digital engagement and fundraising strategies.
• Strong knowledge of digital fundraising and paid media strategy, including paid search, social media, display, video, and emerging channels, with the ability to determine how and when these channels should support broader Advancement goals.
• Strong understanding of campaign communications and creative strategy, including audience segmentation, messaging, storytelling, calls to action, landing‑page experiences, and donor journeys.
• Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex strategies, data, and technical concepts into clear and compelling recommendations for senior leaders.
• Demonstrated thought leadership capabilities, including experience developing presentations, webinars, articles, research, strategic frameworks, or other external‑facing content.
• Proven ability to lead through influence and work effectively across business development, strategy, creative, analytics, product, and service‑delivery teams.
• Strong judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to identify emerging trends and assess their implications for higher education Advancement and fundraising.
• Willingness to travel domestically approximately 15‑20%.

Ideal Qualifications

• Advanced degree in marketing, communications, higher education, fundraising, business, or a related field.
• Experience supporting the development or growth of multi‑million‑dollar partnerships, consulting engagements, or complex institutional solutions.
• Established credibility as a speaker, writer, facilitator, or subject‑matter expert in digital engagement, Advancement, fundraising, campaign communications, or higher education marketing.
• Familiarity with higher education Advancement systems, data structures, and practices, including constituent relationship management, donor segmentation, engagement scoring, and fundraising performance measurement.
• Experience working with leadership annual giving, major gifts, alumni engagement, donor relations, or campaign teams.
• Understanding of how artificial intelligence, automation, personalization, and emerging technologies are influencing Advancement communications and digital fundraising.
• Commitment to continuous learning and to contributing to a collaborative and welcoming culture grounded in fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspirations.

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $115,000 - $142,500 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible.
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays.
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each).
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution.
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre‑tax commuter plans.
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family.
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation.
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance.
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non‑birthing parents.
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel.
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members.
• Company‑provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance.
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program.
• Access to employee resource groups, merit‑based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities.

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits .

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment‑based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to "make education smarter and our communities stronger" we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non‑disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.