Western Governors University · 3 hours ago
Senior Manager, Brand and Audience Marketing
United States
Full-time
Remote
Mid, Senior Level
$101K/yr - $182K/yr
7+ years expWestern Governors University (WGU) is dedicated to expanding access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs. The Senior Manager, Brand and Audience Marketing will define and drive the strategy connecting WGU's brand with key audiences, leading a team of brand marketers to deliver effective storytelling and marketing strategies that enhance brand equity and increase student applications.
Higher Education
Responsibilities
Define and drive the strategy that connects WGU’s brand positioning with the needs and motivations of key audiences
Lead, develop, and elevate a team of brand marketers—providing strategic direction, coaching, and mentorship
Ensure unified messaging, clear differentiation, and measurable growth across all priority segments and schools
Develop and execute marketing strategies that expand awareness, strengthen brand equity, and increase new student intenders and applications
Partner with senior leaders across the organization to ensure brand consistency and alignment with the One WGU brand policy and related visual identity
Manage brand health tracking (awareness, familiarity, perception, and consideration) and translate insights into actionable initiatives
Lead the strategy and execution of seasonal and hero campaigns for WGU taking overarching brand messages to market to drive Intender and Application growth
Collaborate with media, creative, and analytics teams to implement fully integrated programs across TV, OTT, radio, OOH, digital, and partner channels
Develop and execute audience-specific marketing plans for high-priority segments (e.g., Military, Community College, Hispanic learners)
Leverage deep understanding of audience behaviors, motivations, and emotional drivers to craft culturally relevant, insight-driven campaigns
Translate research into compelling creative briefs and campaign messaging that connect audience insight to WGU’s brand purpose
Serve as liaison between Marketing, Partnerships, Regional Operations, and Enrollment to ensure unified go-to-market efforts
Support field and partner marketing teams with audience insights, creative assets, and localized campaign execution
Coordinate efforts with External Communications, Government Relations, and Alumni to build consistent market presence
Hire, coach, and inspire a high-performing team of brand marketers—setting clear expectations, nurturing growth, and providing strategic mentorship in brand positioning, audience targeting, and marketing best practices
Oversee team workflows across brand strategy, audience segmentation, insights development, and cross-channel messaging to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with university priorities
Manage multimillion-dollar budgets to ensure efficiency, accountability, and measurable ROI across brand and audience programs
Champion the responsible use of AI and emerging marketing technologies to enhance personalization, insights, and efficiency—guiding the team in adopting innovative tools while maintaining strong brand governance and integrity
Qualification
Required
Ability to strategize and develop successful multi-channel marketing campaigns to grow audience, engagement and conversion
Exceptional strategic thinking, communication and stakeholder influence
Strong quantitative and qualitative skills with the ability to synthesize insights
Expertise in audience segmentation, campaign analytics, and messaging development
Adept and managing complex projects and competing priorities
Experience with AI and martech platforms to enhance performance and efficiency
Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or related field
7+ years in marketing strategy, brand management, or audience marketing
Proven success in developing integrated B2C and B2B campaigns with $5M+ annual budgets
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives and managing teams
Preferred
Multicultural marketing experience
Industry experience in higher education and/or areas relevant to WGU colleges (e.g., business, healthcare, K12 education, IT)
Master's degree in marketing, communications, or related field
Benefits
Bonuses
Medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare
Health savings account and flexible spending account
Basic and voluntary life insurance
Disability coverage
Accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages
Legal and identity theft coverage
Retirement savings plan
Wellbeing program
Discounted WGU tuition
Flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual
Flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual
11 paid holidays
Other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave
Company
Western Governors University
Western Governors University focuses on improving lives by creating pathways to opportunity for its students.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Western Governors University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (6)
2024 (4)
2023 (12)
2022 (30)
2021 (17)
2020 (37)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Kauffman Foundation
2025-05-08Grant
Leadership Team
Stephen Herzig
Vice President of Enterprise Solutions
Kacey Thorne
Senior Director, Academic Strategic Initiatives
Recent News
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2025-10-29
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2025-10-03
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