What is VisionPoint? VisionPoint is a full-service higher education marketing agency specializing in brand, enrollment marketing, and CRM support. We partner with colleges and universities across the country to help them achieve their branding, marketing, and enrollment goals. Our portfolio features a range of award-winning campaigns and projects that we showcase at national conferences each year. While we’re headquartered in Raleigh, NC, VisionPoint operates on a remote policy with full-time VisionPointers across the country. Additionally, local Raleigh, NC employees have the flexibility to choose from in-person, hybrid, and remote work options. The Position We’re looking for an experienced higher education Enrollment Marketing Strategist to join our Strategy practice on a three-month initial service contract to author and oversee the execution of strategies that help drive positive enrollment outcomes for our client partners. While most higher ed marketing agencies focus primarily on “upper-funnel” goals like brand awareness and lead generation, VisionPoint helps clients drive enrollment outcomes at every stage of the prospect journey. As such, we value strategists who have particular experience leading marketing activities in an admissions context. While the ideal candidate will bring consultative prowess to help clients facing most any marketing challenge, the right-fit candidate for this position will bring proven experience leading or supporting college admissions teams in enrollment marketing activities that drive deep-funnel admissions outcomes like applications, deposits, yield, melt prevention, and retention. The Enrollment Marketing Strategist will consult with marketing and admissions client partners to develop and help execute strategic enrollment marketing plans that feature levers like Student Search, paid advertising, organic content marketing, direct mail, CRM communications (email and SMS), digital experiences, compelling creative, and any other tactical components essential to engaging and converting prospects and applicants into enrolled students. This role will also support the agency’s growth by contributing to the pursuit of business opportunities that grow our enrollment marketing practice and will report directly to the Director of Strategy. What You’ll Do Research Analysis and Strategy Development
Conduct research and discovery, including competitor research, focus groups, workshops, market analyses, surveys, and enrollment data analysis.
Analyze quantitative data and develop visualizations that communicate insights.
Conduct market and situational analyses to define goals, draw insights, and develop tailored brand and enrollment marketing strategies for client partners that meet their unique needs.
Build strategy briefs, reports, and other deliverables in collaboration with other in-house subject matter experts in media, SEO, creative, analytics, CRM, and web.
Present marketing strategy briefs and other key strategy deliverables to client partners.
Provide consultation to client partners in a way that shows that you understand their needs and that their challenges can be overcome by following your strategic direction.
Project Team Collaboration
Work cross-functionally with internal teams throughout the lifecycle of projects.
Partner with Client Experience and Project Management teams in preparing for major client meetings, presentations, renewals, and other state-of-the-partnership discussions.
Collaborate with other subject matter expert teams (e.g., media, creative, analytics, CRM) to develop and support the execution of integrated enrollment marketing plans and campaigns.
Draft strategic briefs to provide essential guidance in directing other teams’ tactical execution (e.g. media, creative, analytics, CRM).
Business Development Support
Provide research insights as a subject matter expert to VisionPoint’s business proposals.
On occasion, draft case studies that showcase the impact of VisionPoint’s work.
Full-time hired Strategists also represent VisionPoint at enrollment marketing conferences on occasion, contribute thought leadership to reinforce VisionPoint’s credibility as an enrollment marketing practitioner, and participate in developing and delivering new business pitches and presentations.
Strategy Team Support
Stay abreast of the higher education and enrollment marketing landscape to offer insights on the changing needs and expectations of prospective students as well as the relevance, viability, and competitive positioning of VisionPoint’s enrollment marketing offerings.
Full-time hired Strategists also contribute to the Strategy team’s efforts in strategic planning, operations, cross-team initiatives, and continuous improvement of deliverables and processes. On occasion, they also mentor and manage Strategy interns.
Who You Are Background and Skills
You have 4+ years of relevant experience in higher ed enrollment marketing, particularly in strategy and/or analysis.
NOTE: While VisionPoint enthusiastically welcomes candidates with varied professional backgrounds, for this particular role, experience with higher education enrollment marketing is an essential requirement. This enrollment marketing experience can be from work within higher ed institutions, in higher ed marketing agencies, and/or prior contract/freelance work.
The ideal candidate will have achieved proven success leading or managing enrollment marketing activities for a college admissions team.
You’re skilled at analyzing large quantities of research and information, identifying relevant insights, and conveying complex ideas into clear, actionable takeaways.
You’re a skilled writer and verbal communicator with the ability to influence and engage others.
You demonstrate excellent time and task management skills, including strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through.
You can manage multiple workstreams and projects in a dynamic, collaborative environment.
You’re a proactive, thoughtful problem solver who can navigate ambiguity and think critically.
You have a high standard of excellence and are committed to delivering high-quality work.
You’re proficient in data analysis and visualization and are eager to expand your skill set.
Your curiosity drives you to embrace a growth mindset and continuously improve your craft.
You authentically value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and demonstrate this in your work.
You’re Likely to Stand Out If
You have led an admissions team or served in an enrollment marketing function for an institution of higher education, though this leadership experience is not a requirement
You have an entrepreneurial mindset and you thrive when creating new things, facing new challenges, envisioning new solutions, and navigating ambiguity.
You have experience in a higher education agency or consulting environment.
You have experience working in a matrixed or cross-functional environment.
Contract Term – Open to Contract-to-Hire
We are looking initially to hire a strategist on a three-month contract through the summer months to serve existing enrollment marketing scopes of work. That said, we would be most excited to find a contractor interested in a potential contract-to-hire arrangement that could result in a full-time employment contract at the successful conclusion of the initial three-month term. We’ve enjoyed a number of quite successful contract-to-hire arrangements in the past and treat such arrangements with the same care as we do when onboarding a full-time member of the team!
A Quick Note
Research shows that people from underrepresented identities often hesitate to apply for job opportunities if they feel they do not fulfill all of the listed qualifications. VisionPoint Marketing is committed to building a diverse and inclusive work environment and believes that skills are cultivated through a range of experiences. Even if your past work doesn’t meet all of the preferred qualifications, we still encourage you to apply if you are enthusiastic about this opportunity!
VisionPoint Culture
At VisionPoint, we believe that a strong culture is as much a valued benefit as health insurance, PTO
and 401k. That’s why it’s important to us that future team members connect with — and contribute to — our culture (https://www.visionpointmarketing.com/about-us/culture/) . Our communication, collaboration, satisfaction, and growth are largely dependent upon how we all, as individuals, embrace and live out our values. We have a laser focus on knowing, providing solutions for, and advancing higher education because of its transformative power in the world. We believe in the work we do, we support each other, we work hard, and we like to have a bit of fun, too. When it comes right down to it, happy and fulfilled team members produce better work, and better work is what drives us every day.
VisionPoint Marketing fully subscribes to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity. It is our policy to provide employment, compensation, and other benefits related to employment based on qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.Powered by JazzHR