Job location: Charlottesville, VA

The Darden School of Business is seeking a data-driven Associate Director, Digital Advertising to join its growing digital enterprise marketing team. The role is responsible for setting up, optimizing and reporting on paid and social media ad campaigns intended to raise awareness of Darden and build measurable results and enrollment pipelines for its portfolio of degree and non-degree programs, including MBA formats, Master of Science in Business Analytics and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning (EELL). Driven by its mission, Darden is a Top Five business school (Bloomberg Businessweek), with the best education experience in the U.S. (The Economist, 2011-19) and the #1 faculty (Princeton Review, 2017-20, Financial Times, 2014-18).

The associate director works with the C&M, Admissions and EELL teams and external vendors to create and coordinate digital advertising campaigns across channels that build new audiences and generate conversions. The role spearheads the strategy and design of campaigns based on goals and needs, and places targeted consumer ads on search engines, social media and other digital platforms. Through continuous monitoring and analysis of performance, the role optimizes campaigns to reach target metrics.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Working in collaboration with the School’s marketing leaders and external media placement and creative agencies, build best-in-market online advertising campaigns delivered to carefully defined audiences in target geographies.

• Oversee the technical execution of the campaigns, including search engine marketing, display, social and video advertising. Channels to include Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Display Network and LinkedIn.

• Implement tracking and goal conversion setup in Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics.

• With agility and a results and data-driven orientation, monitor campaigns daily and continuously optimize performance (for example, by increasing CTR and decreasing cost per acquisition). Proactively seek new ways to test and accelerate sales and customer acquisition (A/B testing, growthhacking, etc.)

• Create conversion funnels, including effective landing pages and/or lead forms and inbound and content marketing.

• Lead audience targeting research with key stakeholders and find keywords in a crowded space.

• Coordinate creation and delivery of appropriate creative/artwork from Darden creative teams to media placement agency.

• Deliver weekly campaign performance reporting and analysis to key stakeholders and provide strategic recommendations for campaign improvements and channel expansion opportunities.

• Participate in strategy/planning meetings with Darden marketing leaders.

Professional experience and education:

• Bachelors degree required, master’s degree in data or business analytics appreciated

• 5+ years experience creating and implementing digital advertising strategies in-house or at an agency is required

• Experience to include paid search and paid social management and a background in B2C digital acquisition strategy

• 3+ year(s) of demonstrated experience managing paid search efforts (Google Ads, Bing Ads), paid social management (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) and display advertising

• Strong working knowledge of Google Analytics or other web analytics platform

• Direct experience working with keyword research, Google AdWords

• Organic social media experience a plus

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects at once in a fast-paced environment

• Exceptional problem solving, quantitative and analytical skills, with practical experience

• Knowledge of SEO, including keyword planning, link building and SEO for ecommerce, and mobile audiences.

• Experience managing a budget a plus

• Experience working in Power BI, Tableau or another data visualization tool a plus

May require travel and occasional work on weekends.

Salary competitive based on experience.

This position will remain open until filled. This is an Exempt level, benefited position. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Ashley Cochran, Senior Recruiter at alc6dk@virginia.edu.

Please apply through Workday, and search for "Associate Director, Digital Advertising". Complete an application online and attach a cover letter and CV/resume all into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.