Director of Marketing Strategy

Southern Methodist University; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SMU in Dallas seeks a Director of Marketing Strategy to translate university priorities into a focused, executable marketing portfolio. You will lead the marketing strategy team and align strategy, creative and digital efforts across units to deliver measurable outcomes in reputation, enrollment and advancement.

The role requires seven+ years in brand and marketing strategy, strong cross‑functional leadership, and proven budget, vendor and project management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred.
• 7+ years of professional experience in brand strategy, marketing strategy development and execution, project management and data-driven marketing.
• 3+ years of experience managing and coaching full-time staff.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams or complex organizational initiatives.
• Experience managing omnichannel marketing campaigns or digital advertising campaigns; vendor/contracts experience preferred; higher education experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Govern the Marketing and Communications portfolio and operating cadence for priority initiatives.
• Lead and develop the marketing strategy team and set performance expectations.
• Improve processes, tools, and infrastructure to support planning and execution.
• Serve as a key integrator across strategy, creative, digital, multimedia and communications teams.
• Lead annual and multi-year strategic initiatives, including vendor governance and KPI alignment.
• Oversee budgets and resource allocation for major initiatives with forecast accuracy.
• Ensure strong brand governance across the University and collaborations with schools and units.

Skills

Brand strategy

Marketing strategy

Cross-functional teams

Project management

Data-driven marketing

Vendor management

Budget management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Marketing/communications/business degree

Tools

Asana

Filemaker

PowerPoint

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description - Director of Marketing Strategy (DEA00000518)

Job Description

Director of Marketing Strategy - ( DEA00000518 )

Description

Salary Range:

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU’s more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University’s small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem – paired with entrepreneurial drive – creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU’s relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Department:

As SMU continues its academic ascent, Marketing and Communications plays a central role in elevating the University’s profile and advancing its institutional priorities. Working collaboratively across campus, the team leads communications, marketing, media relations, digital and reputation-building efforts that showcase academic excellence, research, the student experience and SMU’s impact.

Through integrated planning, creative marketing and communications, proactive engagement and issues management, the team builds and protects SMU’s reputation and strengthens connections with audiences locally, nationally and globally.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

The Director of Marketing Strategy translates University priorities into a clear, focused and executable marketing portfolio. The role leads the operating model for SMU marketing – ensuring that strategy, creative and digital teams align around the highest‑impact initiatives and deploy resources to achieve measurable outcomes in reputation, enrollment and advancement.

This leader serves as the central point of integration across SMU marketing. They set the intake, prioritization, capacity planning and delivery standards for major marketing initiatives; and ensure brand governance and compliance across channels.

Reporting to the Head of Marketing, this role manages staffing, hiring, evaluation and development for a team of strategic leads who guide cross‑functional teams working on projects from concept through execution. They focus on portfolio strategy and execution to prioritize, resource and deliver marketing efforts effectively.

Essential Functions:

Own the Marketing and Communications portfolio governance and operating cadence – including intake, prioritization, capacity planning and delivery standards – to ensure resources are aligned to the University’s highest‑priority initiatives and that work is delivered effectively and on schedule.

Lead and develop the marketing strategy team, setting performance expectations and building a culture of proactive, outcome‑driven execution. Coach strategic leads to manage risk, navigate tradeoffs and confidently engage senior stakeholders on scope, prioritization and timelines.

Continuously improve processes, tools and infrastructure that support planning and execution. Streamline workflows, reduce cycle times and improve quality through clear standards, templates, training and change management.

Serve as a key integrator across strategy, creative, digital, multimedia and communications teams. Ensure alignment, effective collaboration and shared accountability for results.

Lead annual and multi‑year strategic initiatives, including vendor governance and performance optimization. Ensure alignment between agency partners and internal teams on clear KPIs to achieve defined goals.

Oversee budgets and resource allocation for major initiatives, ensuring responsible financial management, accurate forecasting and alignment with institutional priorities.

Ensure strong brand governance across the University by establishing clear standards, approval processes, and partnerships with schools and units to maintain a consistent and high‑quality brand presence across physical and digital environments.

This position may require occasional evening and weekend work in order to support SMU events.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s is required. Master’s is preferred. A degree in marketing, communications, advertising or business is preferred.

A minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in brand strategy, account management, marketing strategy development and execution, project management, and data‑driven marketing is required.

A minimum of three (3) years of experience managing and coaching full‑time staff is also required.

Experience leading cross‑functional teams or complex organizational initiatives is required.

Experience managing omnichannel marketing campaigns or digital advertising campaigns is preferred. Experience managing vendors and contracts is desired. Experience in content marketing and/or higher education experience is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.

Candidate must possess strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning, and time management skills.

Demonstrated strength in strategic and systems thinking, change management, financial and budget management, as well as an ability to influence senior leaders in order to drive alignment and results is essential.

A strong working knowledge of Microsoft Suite (Word and Outlook), as well as project management software is required.

Knowledge of Asana, Filemaker, and PowerPoint preferred. Experience with and/or knowledge of portfolio reporting, dashboards, and analytic tools desired.

Candidate must have completed project management training. A PMP certification is preferred.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

• Sit for long periods of time

Deadline to Apply:

Priority consideration may be granted to applications received by October 30, 2026.

Deadline to apply is November 13, 2026.

EEO Statement

SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of healthand related benefit s. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.

SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMUand, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.