Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Digital Learning - UTK

University of Tennessee; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Tennessee seeks a Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Head of Growth, to lead marketing, communications, brand management, enrollment growth, and audience engagement for the university's fully online programs.

Reporting to the Vice Dean of Digital Learning, this executive will collaborate with colleges, enrollment management, university communications, and partners to accelerate awareness, enrollment, and revenue.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree
• Seven (7) or more years of leadership experience in marketing, communications, enrollment growth, or related functions
• Significant leadership experience in higher education navigating shared governance
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and enterprise-level initiatives
• Demonstrated success developing data-informed marketing and growth strategies

Responsibilities

• Lead Digital Learning's enterprise growth strategy for online programs and Vols Online
• Direct brand positioning, messaging, and integrated campaigns across digital channels
• Oversee strategic communications for enrollment campaigns and stakeholder engagement
• Manage budgets, vendors, and agency partners; align martech with data-driven processes
• Analyze enrollment and market trends to guide investments and resource allocation

Skills

Leadership

Marketing strategy

Enrollment growth

Cross-functional teams

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

The Chief Marketing & Communications Officer (CMCO), Head of Growth provides strategic leadership for marketing, communications, brand management, enrollment growth, and audience engagement for the University of Tennessee's fully online programs. Reporting to the Vice Dean of Digital Learning, this position serves as the lead marketing and communications executive for online programs and collaborates closely with academic colleges, enrollment management, university communications and marketing, and university partners to accelerate awareness, reputation, enrollment, and revenue growth for online and professional education offerings.

The CMCO, Head of Growth establishes the enterprise growth strategy for Digital Learning (DL) and ensures the effective execution of integrated marketing, communications, and enrollment initiatives through organizational leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and measurable performance outcomes.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Growth Leadership

The CMCO will lead and continuously refine Digital Learning's enterprise growth strategy for online programs, aligning expansion decisions with institutional priorities, capacity, market demand, and long-term financial sustainability. The incumbent is expected to build an executive performance framework that integrates marketing, enrollment, student success, and financial KPIs-translating data into actionable recommendations for leadership decisions and resource allocation. Additionally, the CMCO will identify new market and partnership opportunities, learner segments, and program growth areas, and collaborate with academic and university leaders to ensure strategic alignment.

Marketing and Brand Strategy

Serving as chief marketing officer for Vols Online, the CMCO will lead brand positioning, messaging, and market differentiation while setting strategy for integrated campaigns across digital, social, email, web, paid media, content, and emerging channels. The role will leverage AEO/AIO/SEO and analytics to drive awareness and growth, evaluate marketing performance to ensure investments deliver measurable enrollment and learner-success outcomes, and partner with the University Office of Communications and Marketing and academic colleges to maintain UT brand consistency and alignment.

Communications

The CMCO will lead strategic communications for Digital Learning and Vols Online, overseeing conversion, yield, and retention messaging for prospective and current students and partners. The role is expected to develop communications plans for program launches, enrollment campaigns, major initiatives, internal and executive communications, and collaborate with university marketing and communications teams to maximize visibility. The CMCO is responsible for advising leadership on communications strategy, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement.

Leadership and Team Development

Serving as executive leadership of the marketing and communications organization, the CMCO will set strategic priorities, performance expectations, and accountability through subordinate leaders, and foster a collaborative, innovative, continuous-improvement culture. The CMCO oversees budgets, vendors, and agency partners; partners with technology leadership to align marketing technology investments with integrated processes, data-driven decisions, and measurable institutional value; and translates complex information into clear priorities and recommendations. The CMCO will ensure responsible resource stewardship by evaluating marketing spend against outcomes and reallocating as needed, while building trusted relationships across Digital Learning, colleges, faculty, and university leadership through transparency and collaboration.

Enrollment and Market Analysis

The incoming CMCO will analyze enrollment, market, financial, and learner performance trends to inform strategy and investment priorities. The position is expected to lead forecasting and performance reporting for growth initiatives, set performance expectations, and evaluate results to recommend where resources should be expanded, reallocated, or discontinued. The CMCO will partner with other Digital Learning leaders to keep strategies aligned with changing learner needs, market conditions, and institutional objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's Degree
• Seven (7) or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in marketing, communications, enrollment growth, business development, or related functions.
• Significant leadership experience within higher education, including demonstrated success navigating shared governance, building consensus among diverse stakeholders, and advancing strategic initiatives through influence rather than direct authority.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and enterprise-level strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing data-informed marketing and growth strategies.
• Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities: Strong und