Join Our Crew

Overview

North Star Marketing works extensively with schools, colleges, and universities to drive enrollment through our core services and proprietary marketing solutions suite. We seek the right team member to provide leadership, creativity, and follow-through as our  Director of Marketing. 

To be successful in this role, the Director of Marketing must be humble, hungry, smart, and creative. We are looking for candidates who have several years of real-world experience in enrollment marketing. 

The Director of Marketing will be responsible for contributing to solution development, producing promotional campaigns (in collaboration with other NSM team members), tracking results, and optimizing the strategy.  

Expectations
Reporting directly to the COO, the Director of Marketing works with the agency leadership team to ensure clear alignment of business and marketing objectives, communication of all marketing programs, and analysis of marketing performance. This position is for a proven marketing leader who can steward the agency’s brand with excellence, shape marketing strategy and product development, and orchestrate the required campaigns and ramp-up projects through a blend of hands-on engagement and team coordination. The Director of Marketing also works with North Star’s clients, education marketing managers, production managers, writers, designers, developers, and marketing support team. 

This position is best suited for a highly creative candidate with advanced experience in marketing/digital marketing, product development, product marketing, public relations, or mass communications. Experience in education marketing or admissions is required. 

Excellent oral communication, written communication, project management, and online research skills are essential for success in this position. In addition to above-average technical skills, the Director of Marketing must have strong creative talents, the ability to organize teams, steward projects, and meet internal deadlines. This position requires a strong working knowledge of marketing and communication strategy, marketing planning, brand management, inbound marketing methodology, content marketing, paid media, search engine optimization, and social media. 

The Director of Marketing must have the ability to move across projects, organize and synthesize information, deliver on deadlines, and speak up if things aren’t working. Qualified candidates must have experience successfully developing and executing a cohesive marketing strategy designed to hit strategic goals. 

Director of Marketing candidates should be able to write effectively for an online audience in the education industry (i.e., content developed for specific buyer personas within this segment) and must show above-average writing proficiency for consideration in this role. 

Qualifications:

• BS/BA required
• Prior experience in an education marketing business model, with professional services and agency marketing, preferred.
• 5+ years of digital marketing management experience with a strong understanding of owned, earned, and paid media.
• Strong marketing experience, including content marketing, SEM, SEO, social media, email, list management, marketing automation, and conversion optimization
• Inbound marketing and campaign management experience, including tools and reporting
• Collaborative, confident, self-directed, and highly-motivated
• Proven ability to perform in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Strong project management skills
• HubSpot and Salesforce.com experience preferred 

We are looking for candidates who resonate with our Mission, Vision, Core Focus, and Values:

Mission
We align our God-given creative talents to provide Marketing Leadership that transforms lives through education for the common good. 

Vision
To develop the standard for enrollment marketing and make it accessible for every educational institution. 

Core Focus
Enrollment marketing that connects qualified students to valuable opportunities.

Core Values

• Commit to excellence – Do things well. Always make things better. Pursue what’s possible.
• Lead with humility – It’s not about your deal. Be comfortable with your limitations.
• Pursue growth – Personal and team development starts with optimistic curiosity.
• Push for clarity – You get what you need to do good work. You give others what they need to do good work.
• Value community – Cherish the flavor of the culture.
• Find joy in work – Discover purpose and energy in collective creativity and contribution.

Position Summary

Marketing Strategy and Implementation

• Lead development of the marketing strategy and plan for the agency
• Set and administer an annual marketing budget
• Oversee and take part in the implementation of integrated marketing activities
• Ensure the agency brand is positioned well across the inbound and traditional marketing mix
• Conduct market research studies in our target segments
• Help identify new business opportunities we should explore
• Lead and oversee new product development strategy and execution
• Create and manage a calendar of events such as webinars, conferences, and thought-leadership contributions
• Continually review changes to our current market, customer trends, and key competitors’ activities, optimizing the marketing plan as needed.
• Manage and refine the agencies social media presence
• Manage and optimize marketing automation system (HubSpot), process, and integration with CRM (Salesforce.com)
• Negotiate with agency marketing partners where required and secure agreements on the production of approved promotional materials for the firm

Analytics and Reporting

• Manage and measure marketing campaign costs
• Work with digital marketing and paid media manager to implement marketing reports showing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns using predetermined KPIs
• Leverage data for use in all marketing campaigns, mining the agencies databases and external data available
• Prepare and present marketing updates to Leadership Team and company that explain the company’s current and future marketing activities

Project Management

• Manage all marketing, brand, design and communications projects for the firm
• Guide the day-to-day activities of production team members working on deliverables for the agencies marketing
• Act as a primary point of contact with outsourcing partners for all marketing, design, and communications related projects for the agency 

Sales and Promotion Support

• Support agency team members with all aspects of speaking events, planning, writing, editing, promoting, repurposing, and reporting
• Represent North Star at industry events through attendance, networking, and content creation
• Provide the needed tools and resources that support our sales efforts effectively

This position will require some domestic travel (currently, all travel is on hold due to COVID-19).

Summary of Approximate Time Allocation

Overview

North Star Marketing works extensively with schools across the country (private, independent, faith-based, and charter/public), helping them shape winning marketing and enrollment strategies. We develop comprehensive brand identity packages, websites, print collateral packets, online marketing campaigns, and traditional advertising programs for schools of all sizes. 

The Education Marketing Manager (EMM) consults with Marketing and Admissions Directors, Heads of School, and Advancement/Development Directors to shape marketing strategy. He/she then orchestrates the required ramp-up projects and online/traditional campaign implementation through a blend of hands-on engagement and team coordination. This role’s core purpose is to strengthen, retain, and grow our school client-base by providing marketing leadership, strategic execution and oversight, and quantifiable success towards stated client outcomes. 

Besides stewarding our clients in education, the EMM collaborates daily with North Star’s production managers, copywriters, designers, programmers, and marketing support team.

This position is best suited for a candidate with advanced studies in marketing, public relations, mass communications, or online marketing. Experience in school marketing, admissions, or development is essential for this position. 

Hear from one of our own:

“After working in admissions for two years with a private Christian school, I developed a passion for marketing the school and helping parents evaluate the benefits of a private school education. When I transitioned to my role at North Star Marketing as Education Marketing Manager, I was surprised at how both positions had a very similar mission and how seamlessly I could transition from one to the other.

With experience in running marketing campaigns, giving campus tours,  planning events, and walking through several enrollment seasons, I had a firm understanding of the many hats that marketing and admissions directors wear on a daily basis. As the Education Marketing Manager at NSM,  I have the opportunity to partner with our school clients and take on some of the hats my clients are juggling. Although I am no longer on a school campus, I am very active in managing online marketing campaigns and working toward meeting marketing and enrollment goals.

I help clients develop and implement strategic plans that strengthen Google visibility, improve messaging, generate more leads, and create loyalty with existing families. It is a true joy to work alongside the phenomenal team at North Star Marketing each day and know that my mission is the same as it was as an admissions director: to partner with schools and strengthen their marketing and enrollment.“

– Kaleen Goodeill, Education Marketing Manager at North Star

Roles and Responsibilities
Account Health and Growth

• Purpose: Grow portfolio of education clients by developing strong relationships, trust, and providing strong leadership
  • Making recommendations valuable for the client related to current or potential work
  • Timely communication and regular touchpoints
  • Provide leadership and communicate the value of agency offerings and team approach
  • Keeping clients accountable to the plan
  • Building and nurturing positive relationships with clients
  • Leveraging internal resources at the appropriate times
  • Growing in knowledge of the education industry and market segment
  • Creating a growth plan for the account
  • Proposal development
  • Capturing new opportunities in Salesforce.com CRM

Marketing Strategy & Services Execution

• Purpose: To provide marketing leadership and execution to define, plan,  and achieve the client’s strategic goals and objectives.
  • Client onboarding
  • Organizing, planning, and leading client meetings
  • Create a strategy and game plan
  • Own results and ensure the strategy is implemented correctly by the team
  • Reviewing analytics, tracking software, KPIs
  • Product/service/audience discovery and research
  • Client meetings to develop and refine strategy
  • Inbound marketing and growth-driven development services implementation
  • Strategic updates or recommendations to client backlog
  • Continuing education; staying up-to-date with current trends
  • Facilitate/lead internal client strategy teams

Project Management

• Purpose: To initiate, coordinate, and assess the execution of the client’s marketing plan, ensuring it’s on-time and on-budget; keep clients updated.
  • Weekly update to the client on status and progress of projects
  • Sprint planning and coordination for committed work
  • Update production manager with client schedule changes
  • Strategic gameplan, budget, and retainer management/tracking
  • Create project briefs to update internal teams on details of deliverables
  • Facilitating internal meetings/discussions
  • Scoping new project work with internal teams
  • Plan & conduct project retrospective/post-mortem
  • Event/task creation for one-off tasks
  • Internal time tracking
  • Process improvement

Experience and Education

• BS/BA required
• Must have a proven track record in education marketing
• 2+ years of digital or online marketing experience

Certification Requirements:

• HubSpot certifications preferred:
  • HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
  • Content Certification
  • Social Media Certification
  • Content Marketing Certification
  • Email Marketing Certification
  • Inbound Sales Certification
• Other certifications preferred:
  • Google Analytics IQ Certification
  • Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate

Skill Requirements

Computer & Technical Skills

• Proficiency using Google Apps Suite (Gmail, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Proven competency with social media (Facebook/Instagram), inbound marketing, and paid media strategies
• Ability to assess and report on strategic performance using analytics tools

Tools

• WordPress (required)
• BrightLocal (preferred)
• SEMRush (preferred)
• Salesforce.com (preferred)

Communication Skills

• Ability to secure clear direction and buy-in from business leadership and then maintain visibility as strategy is executed
• Able to work with teams to take high-level vision and translate down to executable actions
• Ability to foster strong professional relationships and manage expectations with clients and fellow team members
• Ability to work across multiple projects and thrive in an environment with shifting priorities and time-sensitive deadlines
• A strong sense of organization and attention to detail are required
• Strong verbal and written skills are required
• Strong ability to prioritize and balance competing requests for support
• Ability to work independently once strategy and direction are identified while maintaining strong visibility for the agency

Qualifications:

• BS/BA required
• Two (2) years of digital or online advertising experience preferred
• Education marketing experience

Summary of Approximate Time Allocation

Overview

The Senior Writer position at North Star Marketing is responsible for planning, writing, and shaping content in support of our clients’ marketing strategies. In this full-time role, the Senior Writer will collaborate with clients and teammates to develop digital and traditional media.

Ideal candidates will possess a degree in Mass Communications/Journalism, English, and/or have at least five years of copywriting, editing, and content strategy experience. A portfolio of completed projects is important to determine range, flexibility, style, and experience. Candidates who are not strong writers need not apply. 

The Senior Writer will be involved in both developing content strategy and writing compelling, engaging content in support of the strategy. The Senior Writer should understand how to write copy for search engine optimization, paid advertising, and social media. 

The Senior Writer must demonstrate excellence in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Excellent communication and research skills are essential to the success of this position. The Senior Writer must have the ability to move quickly between client and projects, efficiently organize information, and deliver on deadlines. Interviewing skills are essential. 

We are looking for candidates who:

• Find North Star’s core values compelling and engaging
• Have integrity and a high degree of personal responsibility
• Demonstrate a positive, can-do, go-the-extra-mile attitude
• Are comfortable working with faith-based clients
• Are strategic thinkers: able to process, plan, and evaluate
• Are eager and able to learn new things and stay on top of current marketing trends
• Are strong communicators and creative thinkers
• Have expert knowledge of spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules
• Have experience with Associated Press style (prefer this experience)
• Have experience with Google Docs (prefer this experience)
• Are comfortable hitting daily deadlines
• Demonstrate strong analytical skills
• Are strong writers: capable of crafting well-written messages efficiently
• Appreciate and value constructive criticism
• Are comfortable being a key player on a variety of projects
• Handle themselves in a pleasant, personable manner (in-person, phone, and email)
• Are social media, web, and tech-savvy 
• Are detail-oriented
• Enjoy working as part of a team
• Are good listeners
• Have a good sense of humor

Position Summary

The primary aim of this role is to contribute well-written content for a wide range of marketing projects. The main activities and responsibilities of the senior writer include the following, broken out by the area of responsibility:

Writing:

• Review of project briefs and available resources
• Conduct topic research
• Develop clear and engaging copy
• Maintain proper voice, tone, and terminology
• Project collaboration and communication
• Campaign theme development

Editing:

• Proofing content for proper writing mechanics and content quality
• Reviewing and revising content
• Providing editorial feedback and recommendations
• Confirming content has been properly translated in the final deliverable

Content Strategy:

• Collaborate with team members in the development of content strategy
• Develop messaging based on identified problems, insights, and illustrations uncovered through discovery
• Research topics and themes to create solutions that align with strategic goals
• Implement SEO best practices 
• Monitor and assess data/analytics to inform strategy and changes
• Review final deliverables to verify content alignment
• Maintain continuity of voice and ethos for a client’s brand and messaging across multiple platforms
• Create recommendations for content promotional strategy
• Revise best practices and rhetorical strategies based on the effectiveness of previous campaigns and comparable messaging

The job will require writing across the following categories:

• Online marketing
  • Blog posts
  • Email campaigns
  • Webpage content
  • Paid search ads
  • Local listing content
  • Social media updates and ads
  • E-books and white papers
  • Landing pages
  • Infographics
  • Promotional video scripts
  • Newsletters

• Marketing infrastructure
  • Brand standards guides
  • Website sitemaps and content
  • Information packets
  • Brochures
• Traditional marketing
  • Print ads
  • Billboards
  • Direct mail pieces
  • Trade show displays
  • TV spots
  • Radio spots
  • Catalogs

The Senior Writer will be instrumental in producing engaging marketing deliverables for clients and growing our content development knowledge base. The Senior Writer will also support the sales team in promoting marketing offerings. This position requires a personality that is energized by change and challenges. As the marketing landscape is constantly shifting, the Senior Writer needs to enjoy learning about new technologies and consistently evaluating ways to improve North Star’s service model.

Summary of Approximate Time Allocation

Overview

North Star Marketing is looking for a WordPress Developer to join our highly motivated development team. The developer we are looking for will be responsible for developing WordPress-based themes and plugins primarily using PHP, CSS and HTML, configuring content management interfaces within WordPress, and entering complex content in Gutenberg or other page builders. The development will include off-the-shelf theme configuration and extension as well as custom theme development.

The position is best suited for a candidate that has early to mid-level experience in WordPress development and support focused on front-end development.  Candidates should have a good technical acumen to be able to learn concepts quickly and be well-suited to discuss and assist with others with strong written and verbal communication skills.

The expected compensation for this position is $45-$50K depending on experience.

Requirements

• Intermediate skills in PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and WordPress.
• At least 2-years experience of concentrated WordPress usage in theme development and configuration.
• Ability to clearly communicate with peers and clients (verbal and written) about complex ideas in simple ways.
• Experience with Git and preferably GitHub.
• The ability to set up a local environment for development and testing.
• Exceptionally creative problem-solver.

Nice to Haves

• Knowledge of CSS preprocessors and front-end build systems. We use Webpack and SCSS.
• Basic understanding of JavaScript.
• Knowledge of and experience with meeting WCAG 2.1 standards.
• Evidence of contribution to the broader web development community.
• Experience with Object-Oriented Programming and RESTful APIs.

Examples of Work

• Training a client on their new WordPress website
• Creating a video for how to add a new user in WordPress
• Troubleshooting a client’s support request
• Assisting a marketing manager with questions about a client’s site
• Adding scrolling testimonials to a current website home page
• Assist in the remediation, enhancement, and maintenance of client sites.
• Participating in development on new website at the direction of the project’s lead developer
• Create new WordPress themes and edit or configure current themes.
• Test solutions across multiple browsers and platforms in a local testing environment.
• Leverage WordPress APIs (Actions and Filters) and extend the WordPress admin experience.
• Solve client challenges with understanding and empathy.

Summary of Approximate Time Allocation