Manager, Emerging Media

NU National University; California; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

National University is seeking a Manager, Emerging Media to lead paid media initiatives across PPL partnerships, emerging media, and audience testing to support enrollment goals. You will optimize campaigns, test new partners, and expand the Demand Capture media mix across channels from a remote location in the USA.

The role requires 5+ years in paid media and higher education marketing, with strong partnerships and data-driven decision making to drive lead quality and conversions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, Communications, Marketing, Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in paid media, digital marketing, performance marketing, Demand Capture, or a related area.
• Experience managing external media or lead‑generation partners, including performance‑based or PPL campaigns.
• Experience managing and optimizing paid media campaigns against lead generation and conversion goals.
• Experience testing new media opportunities, audiences, targeting approaches, or emerging digital channels.
• Experience in higher education marketing is preferred.
• Working knowledge of paid search, paid social, display, video, programmatic, and other digital media channels.

Responsibilities

• Manage assigned PPL partners and campaigns, including planning, execution, performance monitoring, optimization, and ongoing partner communication.
• Work with PPL partners to improve lead quality, conversion, efficiency, and overall campaign performance.
• Identify and test emerging channels, platforms, and partnerships that complement established Demand Capture efforts.
• Develop structured tests and pilots to evaluate new media opportunities and determine their potential for optimization and scale.
• Monitor PPL and emerging media performance, including lead volume, lead quality, conversion, and efficiency.

Skills

Paid media

Audience testing

Campaign optimization

Partner management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in advertising, Communications, Marketing, Management, or related field

Job description

Compensation Range

Annual Salary: $70,092.00 - $94,622.00

Position Summary

The Manager, Emerging Media leads paid media initiatives across PPL partnerships, emerging media, and audience testing to support National University’s enrollment goals. This role manages and optimizes PPL campaigns while identifying and testing new media partners, channels, and audience opportunities that expand National University’s ability to reach and engage prospective students. Working cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners, the Manager, Emerging Media is responsible for campaign execution, partner performance, and ongoing optimization while bringing forward new opportunities that can expand and strengthen the Demand Capture media mix.

Essential Functions

• PPL & Emerging Media
  • Manage assigned PPL partners and campaigns, including planning, execution, performance monitoring, optimization, and ongoing partner communication.
  • Work with PPL partners to improve lead quality, conversion, efficiency, and overall campaign performance.
  • Partner with PPL and other media partners to evaluate new campaign concepts, placements, products, and growth opportunities.
  • Identify and test emerging channels, platforms, and partnerships that complement established Demand Capture efforts.
  • Develop structured tests and pilots to evaluate new media opportunities and determine their potential for optimization and scale.
  • Stay informed about evolving media platforms, technologies, partner capabilities, and industry trends to identify new opportunities.
• Audience Strategy & Testing
  • Identify and test new audience segments, targeting approaches, data sources, and media capabilities to expand prospective student reach.
  • Partner with media platforms and external partners to identify new and incremental audience opportunities.
  • Analyze audience performance and apply learnings to improve lead quality, conversion, and media efficiency.
  • Recommend future audience tests and investments based on performance insights and evolving media capabilities.
• Partner & Campaign Management
  • Manage day-to-day relationships with assigned media partners, establishing clear expectations around campaign objectives, deliverables, lead quality, and performance.
  • Manage campaigns from planning through execution, including asset coordination, tracking, timelines, stakeholder communication, and optimization.
  • Collaborate with creative, web, analytics, and other team members to support effective campaign execution.
  • Proactively work with partners to surface new ideas, capabilities, and opportunities while holding partners accountable for performance.
• Performance & Growth
  • Monitor PPL and emerging media performance, including lead volume, lead quality, conversion, efficiency, and other key performance indicators.
  • Translate campaign and audience performance into actionable recommendations for marketing leadership.
  • Monitor spend and collaborate with finance and analytics teams to support budget management, forecasting, and reporting.
  • Use performance insights to recommend where investment should be optimized, scaled, shifted, or discontinued.
  • Share learnings from PPL, emerging media, and audience tests to inform broader Demand Capture strategy.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
  • This position may have supervisory responsibilities as the team evolves and may be responsible for providing guidance, coaching, and performance management to direct reports.

Requirements

• Education & Experience:
  • Bachelor’s degree in advertising, Communications, Marketing, Management, or a related field.
  • 5+ years of experience in paid media, digital marketing, performance marketing, Demand Capture, or a related area.
  • Experience managing external media or lead‑generation partners, including performance‑based or PPL campaigns.
  • Experience managing and optimizing paid media campaigns against lead generation and conversion goals.
  • Experience testing new media opportunities, audiences, targeting approaches, or emerging digital channels.
  • Working knowledge of paid search, paid social, display, video, programmatic, and other digital media channels; direct hands‑on experience across every channel is not required.
  • Experience with audience segmentation, targeting, testing, and campaign measurement.
  • Experience leading projects and working cross‑functionally.
  • Experience managing direct reports a plus.
  • Experience in higher education marketing is preferred.
• Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:
  • Strong understanding of paid media and Demand Capture principles, including lead generation, audience targeting, campaign measurement, and multi‑channel media strategy.
  • Strong understanding of performance‑based and PPL media models, including lead quality, conversion, optimization, and partner performance.
  • Curious, test‑and‑learn mindset with the ability to identify and evaluate new opportunities.
  • Ability to analyze performance and translate data into actionable recommendations.
  • Strong partner and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.
  • Ability to balance ongoing campaign performance with innovation and experimentation.
  • Strong collaboration, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite with the ability to learn and adapt to new systems and technologies.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast‑paced environment with shifting priorities.

Location

Remote, USA

Travel: Occasional

Compensation details

Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies. Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the "whole you" with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well‑being benefits for you and your family. For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part‑time benefits, please click here.

Company Culture and Commitment

National University is committed to maintaining a high‑quality workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 4,500 faculty and staff and serves over 45,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our student population, including adult learners and working professionals. National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University. National University is breaking barriers in education – and in the workplace. We're united in our mission to build a better future for our more than 4,500 employees and our 45,000+ students. National University prioritizes our employee’s well‑being and growth by offering competitive pay and benefits packages, development and advancement opportunities, remote‑first work perks, and more. We value and reward the hard work of our faculty and staff.