Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy

Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy

Location: Springfield, IL, US · Posted: 11/4/2026 · Reference: 1354

Summary: The Director of Marketing Brand Strategy serves as the university's chief marketing strategist and institutional brand steward, leading integrated marketing, brand positioning and audience engagement strategies that advance enrollment, strengthen reputation and elevate institutional visibility. This position provides strategic leadership for university-wide brand management, market positioning and enrollment marketing across first-year, transfer, graduate, online and adult learner audiences. The Director partners with campus leadership and key stakeholders to use market intelligence, audience insights and performance data to identify growth opportunities, strengthen UIS' competitive position and clearly communicate our value. The Director oversees an in-house marketing and creative team, directs external agency partnerships and serves as a trusted advisor to university leadership on enrollment marketing, institutional positioning, reputation and audience engagement. The Director continuously monitors emerging marketing trends, technologies and audience behaviors, identifying innovative approaches that strengthen enrollment outcomes, enhance institutional reputation and position UIS ahead of competitors. The successful candidate will bring a forward-thinking mindset and demonstrated ability to translate new marketing tools, channels and strategies into measurable organizational results. Duties Responsibilities: Enrollment and Institutional Marketing Strategy: Leads the university's enrollment marketing strategy in partnership with Enrollment and Retention Management, developing data-informed and integrated strategies to attract, convert and yield priority student populations across first-year, transfer, graduate, online and adult learner audiences. Partners with academic programs to assess market demand, competitive positioning and enrollment opportunities for existing, revised and new academic programs and develops marketing strategies that align with institutional priorities and support sustainable program growth. Executes brand-building marketing tactics to advance institutional awareness and reputation among critical audience segments. Leverages analytics and campaign performance to inform future budget allocation and strategy; analyzes yield trends, audience segmentation, web traffic and media conversion data to build evidence-based marketing plans. Uses market research, audience data, and competitor analysis to identify opportunities, refine marketing messages and guide strategies that strengthen the UIS brand and support enrollment goals. Cultivates strategic community and corporate partnerships that extend institutional visibility and brand engagement. Brand Management: Serves as the university's brand steward, ensuring consistent and effective representation of the institution across all marketing channels, partnerships and stakeholder audiences. Oversees internal and external brand management, serving as the lead strategist for executing and maintaining institutional brand rollouts, visual identity refreshes and positioning strategies Establishes and enforces institutional brand guidelines, logo architecture and messaging frameworks across all academic colleges, administrative units, and external marketing touchpoints. Maintains university brand standards. Manages logo trademarking requirements and licensing permissions. Identifies modern methods for extending the UIS brand through thought leadership, content marketing and other organic marketing opportunities. Develops brand strategies to strengthen UIS reputation and visibility among prospective students, families, alumni, employers, community leaders, policymakers and other priority stakeholders. Leadership Partnership: Manages strategic partnerships with external agencies and vendors, ensuring effective collaboration, clear expectations and high-quality, timely deliverables aligned with university goals and contractual agreements. Supervises and leads a high-performing marketing team of five full-time employees and one to two student workers by initiating clear responsibilities, performance expectations, professional development and accountability for results. Partners closely with other directors in the Department of Strategic Communications and colleagues from the Office of Admissions Recruitment to ensure all enrollment campaigns and brand initiatives are fully integrated and cross-amplified. Represents the Office of Marketing Brand Strategy on institutional committees, task forces, and strategic initiatives. Collaborates with enrollment management, advancement, athletics, academic affairs, and other university units to align marketing initiatives with institutional goals and priorities. Translates market intelligence into actionable recommendations for university leadership. Fiscal Management: Responsibly manages annual Marketing Brand Strategy budget, ensuring expenses stay within allocated funding. Tracks and demonstrates ROI for marketing investments. Other duties as assigned.