Marketing Specialist III

Iowa State University; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

WorkFlex options

Health and dental benefits

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Iowa State University’s Graduate College is seeking a strategic Marketing Specialist III to lead integrated marketing efforts that advance graduate education, support enrollment goals, and strengthen the College’s visibility and reputation.

The role collaborates across Enrollment Management, University Marketing and Communications, and academic programs to create plans that recruit, engage, and retain students, translate complex research into accessible messages, and measure performance with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations, or a related field.
• 5 years of related experience.
• Experience developing and leading integrated marketing or communications strategies from planning through execution and evaluation.
• Experience creating and managing content across websites, social media, email, and other digital channels.
• Experience using analytics, audience insights, market research, or other data to inform marketing strategy and evaluate results.
• Experience building collaborative partnerships across teams or organizations to advance shared goals.
• Experience developing marketing or communications strategies that support enrollment, recruitment, engagement, or other organizational goals.

Responsibilities

• Establish and implement a unified marketing and communications vision for the Graduate College that aligns with university-wide enrollment and branding objectives.
• Develop a compelling and differentiated Graduate College brand narrative that supports Iowa State University's strategic priorities and graduate enrollment goals.
• Create integrated marketing plans that support graduate student recruitment, enrollment growth, retention, engagement, and program visibility.
• Utilize enrollment trends, audience insights, market research, and performance metrics to inform marketing strategy and decision-making.
• Build strong collaborative partnerships with Enrollment Management, academic colleges, and university marketing leaders to provide seamless and student-centered experience.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen alignment between Graduate College marketing efforts and broader university recruitment, marketing, and communication initiatives.

Skills

Marketing strategy

Communications

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytics & insights

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

## Position Title:
Marketing Specialist III

## Job Group:
Professional & Scientific

## Required Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience

Job Description:

Shape the Future of Graduate Education Marketing

The Graduate College at Iowa State University is seeking a strategic marketing and communications professional to lead marketing efforts that advance graduate education, support enrollment goals, and strengthen the College’s visibility and reputation.

Working independently under broad direction, this position develops and implements integrated marketing strategies that engage prospective and current graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external partners. The Marketing Specialist III serves as a key marketing liaison with Enrollment Management and University Marketing and Communications and collaborates across academic colleges, graduate programs, and university partners to support recruitment, student success, and institutional priorities.

The successful candidate will bring strategic thinking, strong communication and organizational skills, and the ability to translate complex academic and research topics into compelling communications for a range of audiences.

What You’ll Do

• Establish and implement a unified marketing and communications vision for the Graduate College that aligns with university-wide enrollment and branding objectives.
• Develop a compelling and differentiated Graduate College brand narrative that supports Iowa State University's strategic priorities and graduate enrollment goals.
• Create integrated marketing plans that support graduate student recruitment, enrollment growth, retention, engagement, and program visibility.
• Utilize enrollment trends, audience insights, market research, and performance metrics to inform marketing strategy and decision-making.
• Build strong collaborative partnerships with Enrollment Management, academic colleges, and university marketing leaders to provide seamless and student-centered experience.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen alignment between Graduate College marketing efforts and broader university recruitment, marketing, and communication initiatives.

Why You’ll Love This Role

This new role offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the Graduate College and help shape its marketing and communications efforts. You’ll join a close-knit team that values collaboration, strong working relationships, and supporting one another. With a lot of opportunities to build and strengthen the Graduate College’s marketing presence, you’ll have the chance to develop strategies and initiatives that support graduate enrollment, engagement, and the College’s broader goals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations, or a related field.
• Experience developing and leading integrated marketing or communications strategies from planning through execution and evaluation.
• Experience creating and managing content across websites, social media, email, and other digital channels.
• Experience using analytics, audience insights, market research, or other data to inform marketing strategy and evaluate results.
• Experience building collaborative partnerships across teams or organizations to advance shared goals.
• Experience developing marketing or communications strategies that support enrollment, recruitment, engagement, or other organizational goals.

This is a 3-year term position that may have the possibility of renewal.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Why Choose Iowa State University?

Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental, as well as:

• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program
• Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.

## Appointment Type:
Regular with Term Appointment (Fixed Term)

Proposed End Date or Length of Term:

November 8, 2029

## Number of Months Employed Per Year:
12 Month Work Period

## Time Type:
Full time

## Pay Grade:
PS810

## Original Posting Date:
October 8, 2026

## Posting Close Date:
October 18, 2026

## Job Requisition Number:
R20040

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. [phone], email [e-mail] .

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.