Senior Director, Marketing and Communications

POSITION SUMMARY:

The American Council on Education (ACE) is the major coordinating body for the nation's colleges and universities. ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practices. With a diverse base of member institutions, ACE represents nearly 1,700 college and university presidents and executives, serving as the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions. ACE's mission includes serving 280 minority serving institutions, 25,000 higher education professionals, and 7.7 million students enrolled in colleges and universities. ACE membership extends to all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 21 other countries.

The Senior Director of Marketing and Communications reports to the Vice President of Communications and is responsible for setting overall goals for the Council's marketing and brand strategy from ideation to dissemination to reporting. This role provides leadership and coordination for ACE's marketing activities, ensuring they are aligned with overall ACE priorities. This role oversees the production of cohesive and forward-thinking campaigns for the Council designed to reach identified audiences to enhance the Council's reputation as the leader in higher education. The role provides strategic direction and advice to senior leadership on Council-wide initiatives, storytelling projects, business developments, and advancement campaigns and develops and manages the visual and editorial brand standards. The role manages and mentors a five-person team of editors, marketers, and designers.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES OR TASKS:

* Provide thought leadership and strategic direction for the Council's brand and marketing strategies, offering a creative vision that supports ACE's mission and enhances the Council's reputation as the leader in higher education.

* Manage the day-to-day activity of a five-person marketing and creative content team consisting of marketers, editors, designers, and project managers, including career and goal development and training plans.

* Work with senior leaders to brainstorm, conceptualize, and properly allocate resources towards telling ACE's story, ensuring all content is consistent and appropriate to audiences that include members, funders, sponsors, and the wider higher ed community.

* Manage the design, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated marketing plan that includes market research, competitive analysis, and assessment projects (e.g. pricing research) for potential products and services and infuses smart, creative, and measurable digital components to support ACE's mission and enhance the Council's reputation as the leader in higher education.

* Oversee the editing and layout of all external facing projects, including ACE's flagship reports like ACPS, REHE, and HERI, ensuring the projects uphold ACE brand standards in their clarity, consistency, voice, and visual impact.

* Transform complex data into compelling visual stories through strategic data visualization, ensuring easy accessibility and improved engagement for ACE's audiences

* Serve as a strategic thought partner to colleagues across the Council, advising on content strategy and product development, to drive higher audience engagement and ensure

materials are impactful and effectively communicated.

* Build relationships across the Council to understand business goals and objectives, audiences, and operational functions.

* Stay current on the latest marketing and design trends to achieve Council goals.

* Oversee the scheduling and prioritizing for all marketing and creative content projects and requests, from conception to production to final product.

* Ensure that all projects adhere to ACE standards and incorporate the look, feel and tone of the established Council brand.

* Continually review team processes and roles to ensure they're effective and helpful to the entire Council.

* Work in concert with the entire ACE communications team (Digital Strategy and Operations, Public Affairs, and Campaigns and Outreach) on the tactical implementation of ACE's marketing strategy and visual and editorial identity.

* Manage relationships and budget for external vendors and partners.

* Maintain the Marketing and Communications budgets.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS:

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience and minimum of 8 years of experience working in communications, marketing, or a related field. Graduate level degree may be considered in lieu of experience.

* Broad functional experience in areas of strategic planning and marketing, business and market development, market research.

* Strong project management, analytical and strategic planning skills.

* Strong interpersonal skills, maturity and good judgment, and ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of individuals.

* Experience managing a team to direct and guide the marketing and communications strategy, allowing them to grow professionally and help foster a culture of innovation and opportunity, and client service.

* Exceptional writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

* Good eye for visual design, usability/user experience techniques, and best practices in marketing.

* Extensive experience Adobe Creative Suite.

* Substantive experience at associations, nonprofits, or in higher education.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

This role is designed as a primarily onsite position, with an expectation of four (4) days per week in the office and one (1) telework day per week. Core onsite days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The fourth onsite day will typically occur on either Monday or Friday, with the alternate day serving as the telework day, in coordination with the team. The standard work schedule is 35 hours per week.

This onsite structure reflects the current design and expectations of the position and should be considered a core component of the role. While the organization periodically evaluates workplace flexibility, any future changes are not guaranteed. Candidates should apply with the understanding that this position will operate primarily onsite.

TARGETED SALARY RANGE: $127,000 - 132,000.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume and cover letter with your application for consideration.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Applications will be accepted through March 20, 2026, or until we receive a minimum of 300 applications, whichever comes first. We encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible, as the posting may close ahead of the listed deadline based on volume.

BENEFITS OVERVIEW:

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including:

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• 403B with matching incentive + employer contribution
• Short term disability/Long term disability/Life insurance
• Generous PTO package
• Paid Parental Leave
• 13 paid holidays + week between Christmas Eve & New Years Off
• Professional Development Opportunities
• ....and more!

For a full summary of our benefits, please reach out to the Recruiting Team.

Please Note: ACE does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. Any resumes submitted without a prior signed agreement will be considered the property of ACE, and no fees will be paid.