Associate Director of Product Marketing - Admissions
Hillsdale College
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Job summary
Hillsdale College seeks an Associate Director of Product Marketing (Admissions) to own marketing strategy for both undergraduate and graduate programs. You will shape positioning, build go-to-market plans, and brief Creative, Digital, and Social teams to drive awareness, applications, and engagement with prospective students and families.
You will lead parent-focused marketing and collaboration across Admissions and central Marketing, ensuring consistency and measurable outcomes across channels.
Qualifications
- Develop and own the marketing strategy for undergraduate and graduate admissions.
- Translate enrollment goals into a documented strategy and roadmap guiding Creative, Digital, and Social execution.
- Lead parent-focused marketing and communication to guide prospective parents from inquiry to alumni.
Responsibilities
- Own the marketing strategy for admissions including positioning and audience segmentation.
- Translate enrollment goals into a documented strategy and roadmap for execution by Creative, Digital, and Social teams.
- Brief and align Integrated Planning, Creative, Digital and Social teams on strategy and messaging.
- Serve as liaison between undergraduate and graduate Admissions leadership and central Marketing.
- Align marketing priorities across undergraduate and graduate initiatives for consistency and maximum reach.
- Partner with alumni marketing to plan moves from admissions parent to alumni parent.
- Lead research on enrollment trends and competitor positioning to shape campaigns.
- Partner with program leaders to plan recruitment initiatives and campus events.
- Define success metrics with Enrollment Operations and review performance data with Digital team.
- Mentor and guide product marketing staff supporting admissions.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Position Title Associate Director of Product Marketing - Admissions
The Associate Director of Product Marketing (Admissions) owns the marketing strategy for the College’s undergraduate and graduate admissions programs, including recruitment, application growth, and yield across Hillsdale’s undergraduate program and its graduate schools. The Associate Director sets positioning and messaging, builds go-to-market plans, and briefs the Creative, Digital, and Social teams so their execution builds awareness, drives application volume, and strengthens long-term engagement with prospective students, families, counselors, and graduate program applicants. The role also leads parent-focused marketing and communication, guiding parents from the first inquiry through their student’s time at Hillsdale.
- Strong foundation in marketing strategy, positioning, messaging, and go-to-market planning
- Exceptional communication and writing ability, with demonstrated success translating strategy into clear briefs that Creative, Digital, and Social teams can execute against
- Team player and strong communicator who builds trusted working relationships across Admissions, the Marketing teams, and external agencies
- Working knowledge of CRM , marketing automation, and digital campaign platforms sufficient to plan strategy and evaluate results in partnership with the Digital team
- Skilled in interpreting analytics and reporting (Google Analytics GA4, dashboards, performance tracking) to guide strategy and refine positioning
- Market research minded, with curiosity about audience behavior, enrollment trends, and competitor activity, and the habit of using what they learn to shape strategy
- Understanding of email marketing and social media channels
- Tech-savvy and adaptable, with fluency in the tools and digital trends relevant to admissions marketing, even without hands-on execution
- Develop and own the marketing strategy for undergraduate and graduate admissions, including positioning, messaging, and audience segmentation
- Translate enrollment goals into a documented strategy and roadmap that guides execution by the Creative, Digital, and Social teams
- Lead parent-focused marketing and communication, with messaging that helps parents see why Hillsdale is a good choice and guides them from prospective student parent to alumni parent
- Build go-to-market plans for admissions initiatives, program launches, and application milestones, defining audience, message, channel mix, and timing
- Brief the Integrated Planning and Performance, Creative, Digital, and Social teams on strategy and messaging so each can execute within their area of expertise
- Serve as the liaison between undergraduate and graduate Admissions leadership and central Marketing
- Align product marketing priorities across undergraduate and graduate initiatives for consistency and maximum reach
- Partner with alumni marketing so the move from admissions parent to alumni parent is planned in advance
- Lead research on enrollment trends, competitor positioning, and prospective student and family insights
- Translate findings into strategic recommendations that shape campaign direction across undergraduate and graduate audiences
- Partner with Admissions and graduate program leaders to plan and position recruitment initiatives, campus visit events, and application milestones
- Ensure program and enrollment cycle launches are backed by a clear strategy brief before Creative, Digital, and Social begin execution
- Develop dedicated positioning and messaging strategy for Hillsdale’s graduate schools, distinct from undergraduate messaging
- Partner with marketing teams to translate graduate program value propositions into campaigns
- Partner with the Digital team and Enrollment Operations to define what success looks like and how it is measured across the funnel
- Review performance data to refine strategy and inform the next planning cycle, working through Digital for hands-on reporting and execution
- Review Creative, Digital, and Social output against strategy and brand standards, providing strategic feedback rather than production work
- Ensure messaging consistency and audience resonance across all teams and channels
- Mentor and guide product marketing staff supporting undergraduate and graduate admissions
- Provide strategic direction, coaching, and professional development to maximize performance and long-term impact
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or related field.
- 5+ years of experience in marketing, with at least 3-5 years in product marketing, enrollment marketing, or admissions marketing.
Deep appreciation for Hillsdale’s commitment to classical education, Christian values, and intellectual independence; ability to embody and promote these principles to prospective undergraduate and graduate students.
Be a good representative of Hillsdale College to promote the liberal arts, the College’s original Articles of Association, and operating principles stated in the Staff Code of Commitment. The College’s Mission Statement is a consideration in all aspects of the position. The teaching of the Christian faith shall remain a conspicuous aim of the College.
Posting Number S339P
Open Date 11/02/2026
Open Until Filled Yes
- * Are you currently living in, or willing to relocate to, the Hillsdale, MI area?
- Yes
- No
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