Senior Email Strategy Lead, Alumni Engagement

Boston University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston University Advancement is seeking an Assistant Director, Email Strategy to implement a comprehensive email marketing engagement plan. This position manages the department’s email system, applies engagement analytics, and designs dynamic content for thousands of alumni annually.

The role collaborates with the Director of Digital Marketing & Engagement and campus partners to optimize engagement, segmentation, and journeys across campaigns, ensuring high-quality, on-brand communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, digital media, business, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of professional experience in email marketing, digital communications, marketing, or a related field, including experience managing email campaigns from strategy through deployment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing email marketing strategies that support engagement, fundraising, or other organizational goals.
• Experience managing high-volume, complex email campaigns and projects, including coordinating multiple stakeholders, timelines, approvals, and deliverables.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret email performance data and engagement metrics and use insights to inform and refine strategy.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including demonstrated ability to develop, edit, and proofread engaging content for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic goals, concepts, and content for email campaigns and related website components, in collaboration with Advancement and University partners.
• Develop and oversee the content strategy for Alumni Digest, the University’s all-alumni newsletter.
• Identify new opportunities to increase alumni engagement through targeted, relevant, and timely digital communications.
• Partner with colleagues to develop and implement audience segmentation and content strategies informed by alumni data.
• Create and execute constituent journeys tailored to factors such as alumni interests, life stages, and career stages.
• Oversee the design, development, and production of assigned email and digital projects.
• Manage the planning, coordination, and execution of a high volume of email communications distributed to more than 440,000 alumni throughout the year.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, schedules, and workflows to ensure timely and effective execution.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments, University partners, and University External Affairs to gather content, establish priorities, and manage approvals.
• Partner closely with the Communications Coordinator and other colleagues to ensure seamless project execution from concept through deployment.
• Lead a weekly email marketing meeting with Advancement colleagues responsible for developing and deploying email communications.
• Establish and maintain email marketing best practices, standards, and workflows across Advancement.
• Monitor campaign performance and use analytics and audience insights to refine strategies and improve engagement.
• Stay current on emerging email marketing trends, technologies, and best practices and share relevant insights with colleagues.
• Provide training, guidance, and technical support to colleagues using the broadcast email system.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and resource for colleagues developing and deploying their own email communications.
• Partner with the Director to develop and execute email strategies supporting major Advancement and alumni initiatives, including Global Days of Service, Alumni Weekend, the Alumni Starter Kit, and other large-scale campaigns.
• Develop integrated communication plans and timelines to support key initiatives and maximize alumni engagement.
• Coordinate with Advancement departments, University partners, and University External Affairs to align messaging, timing, audiences, and execution.
• Provide strategic recommendations for leveraging email communications to support organizational priorities and initiative goals.
• Supervise, train, and mentor a student employee supporting email marketing and communications activities.
• Assign and oversee project work, provide ongoing feedback and coaching, and ensure work meets established quality standards.
• Support the student employee’s professional development by providing opportunities to build skills and gain experience in digital communications and marketing.
• Oversee quality assurance processes for email communications, including proofreading, copyediting, link validation, rendering, and testing.
• Ensure communications are accurate, consistent, accessible, and aligned with University and Advancement brand standards.
• Establish and maintain quality control practices that minimize errors and ensure a consistent experience across email communications.

Skills

Email marketing

Content strategy

Analytics

Project management

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, digital media, business, or related field

Tools

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Email marketing platforms

Job description

Boston University Advancement is seeking an Assistant Director, Email Strategy to implement a comprehensive email marketing engagement plan. This position manages the department’s email system, applies engagement analytics, and designs dynamic content for thousands of alumni annually.

The role collaborates with the Director of Digital Marketing & Engagement and campus partners to optimize engagement, segmentation, and journeys across campaigns, ensuring high-quality, on-brand communications.