Assistant Director Email Strategy Alumni Engagement Advancement

Boston University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston University Advancement is seeking an Assistant Director, Email Strategy to lead the email marketing engagement program. The role manages the department’s email system, applies best practices, and designs dynamic content to support BU Advancement year-round and in campaigns.

Collaborating with the Director of Digital Marketing & Engagement and campus partners, you’ll ensure optimal engagement across email and online channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, digital media, business, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of professional experience in email marketing, digital communications, marketing, or a related field.
• Experience managing high-volume email campaigns from strategy through deployment.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret email performance data and use insights to inform strategy.
• Excellent written and oral communication and editing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities with deadlines.
• Experience with cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic goals, concepts, and content for email campaigns and related website components.
• Develop and oversee the content strategy for Alumni Digest, the University’s all-alumni newsletter.
• Identify new opportunities to increase alumni engagement through targeted, relevant, and timely digital communications.
• Partner with colleagues to develop and implement audience segmentation and content strategies informed by alumni data.
• Create and execute constituent journeys tailored to factors such as alumni interests, life stages, and career stages.
• Oversee the design, development, and production of assigned email and digital projects.
• Manage the planning, coordination, and execution of high-volume email communications distributed to 440,000+ alumni.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, schedules, and workflows.

Skills

Analytical skills

Written and verbal communication

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, digital media, business, or a related field

Master’s degree in marketing, communications, digital media, business, or a related field

Tools

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Marketing automation platforms

Job description

Boston University Advancement

Boston University Advancement is at a pivotal moment, guided by new leadership and a clear strategic framework for growth and impact. Our work centers on three core priorities: securing $500 million in philanthropy annually; deepening relationships with a strategically defined segment of alumni and donors; and strengthening the organizational foundation while launching focused priority areas across the University.

Advancement is evolving into a highly collaborative, matrixed model that integrates new University leadership, regional engagement, and the distinctive strengths of BU’s schools and colleges. With more than 250 advancement professionals, the organization is building the capacity, partnerships, and culture required to deliver sustained philanthropic momentum and institutional impact.

Assistant Director, Email Strategy

The Assistant Director, Email Strategy is responsible for implementing an email marketing engagement strategy for Boston University Advancement. This highly independent role manages the department’s email marketing system and operations, provides best practices using engagement analytics, and designs dynamic email content to support Advancement year-round and in a campaign environment. The Assistant Director is responsible for project managing and deploying the thousands of emails distributed to our 440,000+ alumni worldwide each year. This position works with the Director of Digital Marketing & Engagement and other Advancement staff members as well as campus partners to ensure optimal engagement of our email and online strategies.

Position Responsibilities

Email and Digital Context Strategy (30%)

• Develop and execute strategic goals, concepts, and content for email campaigns and related website components, in collaboration with Advancement and University partners.
• Develop and oversee the content strategy for Alumni Digest , the University’s all-alumni newsletter.
• Identify new opportunities to increase alumni engagement through targeted, relevant, and timely digital communications.
• Partner with colleagues to develop and implement audience segmentation and content strategies informed by alumni data.
• Create and execute constituent journeys tailored to factors such as alumni interests, life stages, and career stages.
• Oversee the design, development, and production of assigned email and digital projects.

Project Management (25%)

• Manage the planning, coordination, and execution of a high volume of email communications distributed to more than 440,000 alumni throughout the year.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, schedules, and workflows to ensure timely and effective execution.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments, University partners, and University External Affairs to gather content, establish priorities, and manage approvals.
• Partner closely with the Communications Coordinator and other colleagues to ensure seamless project execution from concept through deployment.

Email Marketing Strategy & Technical Leadership (15%)

• Lead a weekly email marketing meeting with Advancement colleagues responsible for developing and deploying email communications.
• Establish and maintain email marketing best practices, standards, and workflows across Advancement.
• Monitor campaign performance and use analytics and audience insights to refine strategies and improve engagement.
• Stay current on emerging email marketing trends, technologies, and best practices and share relevant insights with colleagues.
• Provide training, guidance, and technical support to colleagues using the broadcast email system.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and resource for colleagues developing and deploying their own email communications.

Major Initiatives & Event Communications (15%)

• Partner with the Director to develop and execute email strategies supporting major Advancement and alumni initiatives, including Global Days of Service, Alumni Weekend, the Alumni Starter Kit, and other large-scale campaigns.
• Develop integrated communication plans and timelines to support key initiatives and maximize alumni engagement.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments, University partners, and University External Affairs to align messaging, timing, audiences, and execution.
• Provide strategic recommendations for leveraging email communications to support organizational priorities and initiative goals.

Student Employee Management and Development (10%)

• Supervise, train, and mentor a student employee supporting email marketing and communications activities.
• Assign and oversee project work, provide ongoing feedback and coaching, and ensure work meets established quality standards.
• Support the student employee’s professional development by providing opportunities to build skills and gain experience in digital communications and marketing.

Quality Assurance (5%)

• Oversee quality assurance processes for email communications, including proofreading, copyediting, link validation, rendering, and testing.
• Ensure communications are accurate, consistent, accessible, and aligned with University and Advancement brand standards.
• Establish and maintain quality control practices that minimize errors and ensure a consistent experience across email communications.

Required Skills

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, digital media, business, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of professional experience in email marketing, digital communications, marketing, or a related field, including experience managing email campaigns from strategy through deployment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing email marketing strategies that support engagement, communications, fundraising, or other organizational goals.
• Experience managing high-volume, complex email campaigns and projects, including coordinating multiple stakeholders, timelines, approvals, and deliverables.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret email performance data and engagement metrics and use insights to inform and refine strategy.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including demonstrated ability to develop, edit, and proofread engaging content for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously while meeting deadlines and maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
• Experience working independently and exercising sound judgment in managing projects, resolving issues, and making recommendations, as well as experience collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams and internal and external partners.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud or another enterprise-level email marketing or marketing automation platform.
• Experience developing audience segmentation and personalized or dynamic email content based on constituent or customer data.
• Experience using marketing analytics and reporting tools to evaluate campaign performance and make data-informed recommendations.
• Experience working in a higher education, nonprofit, membership, fundraising, or similarly complex organization.
• Master’s degree in marketing, communications, digital media, business, or a related field.

Values

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural, protective, or culturally significant hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.