Ascent · 6 days ago
Sr. Director / VP, Brand & Strategy Marketing
San Diego,CA,US
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$140K/yr - $190K/yr
10+ years expAscent is a leading provider of innovative financial products and student support services. They are seeking a Senior Director / VP of Brand & Marketing Strategy to own brand strategy and integrate complex marketing strategies across various business lines and audiences.
FinanceFinancial ServicesFinTechLending
Responsibilities
Own and steward Ascent’s brand strategy across all channels, ensuring consistency in positioning, messaging, voice, and narrative
Pull together full-funnel marketing strategies (awareness, consideration, conversion, lifecycle, post-loan experience) into a single, coherent system
Oversee marketing strategy by business pillar — College, Graduate, and Career — ensuring each has a clear narrative that ladders to the overarching brand
Ensure that Growth, /partner, Conversion, Lifecycle, Campus, Servicing and L&D efforts reinforce rather than contradict one another
Own the brand and messaging architecture that guides execution across teams
Oversee campus engagement and student-facing brand experiences, ensuring they reinforce trust and long-term value
Partner closely with Growth leadership to ensure demand efforts align with brand and funnel strategy
Identify gaps, overlaps, or inconsistencies across marketing efforts and recommend strategic adjustments
Analyze qualitative and quantitative inputs to evolve brand and marketing strategy over time
Qualification
Required
10–15+ years of experience in brand and marketing strategy
Proven ability to integrate multiple marketing strategies across the full funnel into a cohesive whole to drive sales volume
Strong strategic judgment with the ability to see connections across audiences, channels, and business lines
Experience working with multiple stakeholders and senior leaders
Able to transfer between operating at a systems and orchestration level and as a channel owner
Experience in highly regulated or trust-based industries (education, fintech, healthcare)
Ability to think creatively and strategically to challenge fragmentation and drive clarity
Calm, confident leadership presence with the ability to influence, lead and manage
Experience owning brand strategy across multiple business lines and customer segments
A strong background in creating and overseeing integrated marketing strategy, including: PR, SEO, email, event activations, reviews/awards
Experience building personas and doing customer research
Experience hiring and managing agencies
Comfort influencing without direct execution or channel ownership
Strong written and verbal communication skills with excellent strategic judgment
Experience working in fast-paced, evolving organizations with strong seasonality
Benefits
Company Stock Options
401(k) + Company Match
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Annual HSA contribution of $1,650
Life insurance, disability, and critical illness
14 Paid Holidays! Eleven (11) + Two (2) Community Days + Your Birthday!
Snacks and drinks in the office
Tuition reimbursement program
Generous paid leave policies
$2,000 Vacation Incentive Plan after 3 years + $1,000 Sabbatical Day
Wellness, Work from Home funds, and more!
Company
Ascent
Ascent is a mission-driven, institutional funded fintech company based in San Diego, CA committed to evolving the education finance industry by providing more than just student loans to drive long-term impact in student success.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$41.24M2025-07-30Series Unknown· $10M
2022-04-14Series Unknown· $22.45M
2021-04-05Series Unknown· $8.79M
Leadership Team
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder
Mike Prosper
Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
2025-08-01
2025-06-23
2024-12-28
Company data provided by crunchbase