Director Search Marketing

About Core Education

Join a purpose-driven team transforming the future of higher education.

Core Education is a high-growth public benefit corporation committed to strengthening institutions through business model transformation, shared services, data, and digital innovation. We partner with institutions to power their growth, and re-imagining student acquisition is central to that mission.

About The Role

We are hiring a Director Search Marketing to own and scale our paid media engine—from search to social—across a portfolio of partner institutions. This is a high-strategy, high-ownership role for someone who blends channel expertise with sharp instincts, strong execution, and a relentless focus on results.

You will report to the Senior Vice President Marketing and work cross-functionally with Core’s digital, design, enrollment, and technology teams. You will also collaborate with institutional stakeholders and own campaign performance from brief to pipeline and reshape how institutions compete and grow in today’s market.

This role is built for a performance marketer who knows the mechanics—search, paid social, funnels, attribution — and is ready to push boundaries with data, automation, and emerging AI tools. If you are energized by the idea of reaching prospective students through high-impact campaigns—and transforming how institutions grow—you will thrive here.

What You'll Do

Performance Strategy and Execution (Paid Search + Paid Social)

• Lead campaign planning, execution, and continuous optimization across:
• Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube, Performance Max)
• Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram: Lead Ads, Reels, Stories)
• LinkedIn Ads (Sponsored Content, Messaging, Carousel, Video)
• Microsoft Ads (Bing) where applicable
• Design and manage full-funnel strategies, including keyword strategy, bidding optimization, negative keyword logic, segment audiences, manage budgets, and drive CAC and ROAS targets.
• Collaborate with designers and content creators to build, test, and refine creative assets.
• Oversee campaign structures, conversion tracking, and attribution models by utilizing such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and platform-specific dashboards.
• Collaborate with IT and CRM teams to ensure seamless flow of lead data and accurate integration into marketing systems.
• Write or QA ad copy and ensure platform-specific best practices.
• Leverage advanced targeting capabilities such as custom audiences, lookalike audiences, interest targeting, and retargeting.

Optimization and Analytics

• Build campaign structures, test bidding strategies, manage UTM tracking, and monitor attribution.
• Use GA4, Google Tag Manager, and CRM integrations to ensure accurate tracking and flow of lead data.
• A/B test everything: audiences, creatives, CTAs, channels—and optimize based on performance.

Campaign Ownership

• Own campaign setup and platform permissions in partnership with partner institutions.
• Monitor performance daily and provide insight-rich reports weekly and monthly.
• Translate marketing performance into clear recommendations for internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in training and experience in marketing, business, communications, or a related field.
• 4–6+ years of experience in digital/performance marketing; agency andr multi-client experience preferred.
• Proven expertise managing six-figure budgets and optimizing performance across:
• Google Ads (Search, Display, YouTube, Performance Max)
• Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Ads
• LinkedIn Ads
• Microsoft Advertising (Bing)
• Strong command of Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and UTM strategy.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills to interpret data and translate into actionable insights – ability to spot signal from noise.
• Excellent project management abilities: ability to lead multiple campaigns, prioritize work, and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to work cross-functionally with internal teams and external college partners.
• Experience (or strong interest) in higher education or purpose-driven marketing.
• Experience with AI tools for campaign optimization, creative testing, or media planning.
• Familiarity with platforms like HubSpot, Segment, Salesforce, or similar.
• Understanding of lead scoring, funnel velocity, and performance diagnostics.