The University of Virginia Darden School Foundation is seeking a data-driven Associate Director, Digital Advertising to join its growing Executive Education & Lifelong Learning (EELL) 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 open enrollment and custom solutions for 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 Communication & Marketing (C&M) and EELL teams and external vendors to create and coordinate advertising campaigns across channels that 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.

Primary duties and responsibilities include:

• Working in collaboration with the EELL and C&M marketing leaders and external media placement and creative agencies to build the 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 (A/B testing, 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.
• Participate in strategy/planning meetings with Darden marketing leaders.
• Partner with web team and EELL team to maintain website and implement ecommerce strategy to improve website performance.
• Other duties as assigned.

Successful candidates will have a proven track record that includes:

• Bachelor of Arts degree, Master’s degree in data or business analytics appreciated
• 3+ years’ experience creating and implementing digital advertising strategies in-house or at an agency
• Experience to include paid search and paid social management and a background in B2C digital acquisition strategy
• 3+ years of demonstrated experience managing paid search efforts (Google Ads, Bing Ads), paid social management (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) and programmatic display advertising
• Strong working knowledge of Google Analytics or another 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 and search engine optimization tactics
• Experience with Salesforce and Advanced Pardot
• Graphic design experience and/or photoshop knowledge a plus
• Experience managing a budget a plus

This role may require travel and occasional work on weekends.

Please attach a cover letter and résumé when applying for this position. 

The Darden School Foundation is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity or expression), national or ethnic origin, race, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, or genetic information. We participate in E-verify.

About Darden, the Darden School Foundation and Charlottesville, VA:

UVA’s Darden Graduate School of Business delivers Degree Programs and Executive Education in its Charlottesville and Washington D.C. locations, as well as at client sites around the world. The Darden School Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation established in 1952 with the mission of supporting and advancing the Darden School in its academic mission. The Darden School Foundation provides this support through promoting philanthropic support, managing endowment funds and other assets for the School’s exclusive benefit, running Darden’s top ranked Executive Education and Lifelong Learning programs, and operating the Inn at Darden, Darden Sands Family Grounds in Rosslyn, and Abbott Center in Charlottesville. An elected Board of Trustees oversees the Foundation’s strategy and provides a critical link between the Foundation, School, and business communities.

The Darden School has been ranked the number one MBA education experience in the world by The Economist magazine for eight consecutive years, number one for campus environment and faculty by Princeton Review, and number one for alumni satisfaction with their MBA education by Forbes.

 Nestled amid the foothills of the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains and about a hundred miles South of Washington, D.C., the greater Charlottesville region offers a thriving community and vanguard of arts and culture that’s both boldly innovative and grounded in rich tradition. Charlottesville consistently ranks as one of the top places in the country for quality of life and was recently named America’s happiest city. A wonderful place to raise a family, Charlottesville and Albemarle County have schools that are consistently ranked top in Virginia.