Vice President for Growth Marketing - Royal Oak, MI

Discover the opportunity to join Baker College, honored as one of the 2024 Best and Brightest Workplaces in West Michigan, Metro Detroit, and Nationally!

Baker College is seeking a results-oriented Vice President for Growth Marketing to drive our student acquisition and revenue growth strategies. In this high-impact leadership role, you will own the entire marketing funnel-from strategy to execution-and turn bold growth initiatives into tangible outcomes. You'll build and lead a high-performing team that blends data analysis, experimentation, and compelling storytelling to engage and convert prospective students at scale.

As a key member of the leadership team reporting directly to the President, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Baker College. This is a critical hire as we enter our next stage of expansion. If you're a strategic thinker, hands-on operator, and team builder who thrives in fast-paced, collaborative environments, we want to hear from you.

Take ownership of Baker College's end-to-end growth strategy, with a focus on driving student enrollment and delivering measurable impact.

Lead Growth Strategy That Fuels Our Mission

You will lead the development and execution of full-funnel marketing strategies that drive ambitious enrollment and revenue goals. Through multi-channel outreach-including email, direct mail, strategic partnerships, precision marketing, and emerging platforms-you'll engage prospective students where they are. With a data-driven, performance-focused mindset, you'll continuously optimize key metrics, such as acquisition cost, lifetime value, and conversion rates, to ensure scalable, efficient, and mission-aligned growth at every stage of the student journey.

Lead and Empower a High-Impact Growth Team

You'll build and lead a high-performing team across growth marketing, analytics, and digital strategy, all focused on driving enrollment and student engagement. Collaborating closely with the enrollment team, academics, technology, design, and student services, you'll help create a seamless and effective experience. By fostering a culture of operational excellence, agile execution, and shared accountability, you'll ensure the team is aligned, empowered, and delivering impactful results.

Build a Culture of Data-Driven Innovation and Experimentation

You will champion a test-and-learn culture across all acquisition efforts, using experimentation to drive smarter, more impactful marketing decisions. By deeply understanding prospective students ' motivations, challenges, and needs, you'll tailor strategies that resonate throughout their decision-making journey. Leveraging advanced marketing technology and analytics tools, you'll build real-time dashboards, track key metrics, and uncover insights that inform investment and growth strategies. Through funnel analysis, audience segmentation, and campaign attribution, you'll identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities, executing data-driven experiments that accelerate enrollment and deliver measurable outcomes.

Your Superpowers:

• Proven expertise in growth marketing, with a track record of leading successful campaigns across both digital and traditional channels at scale.
• Deep experience managing the entire acquisition funnel-from building awareness to driving high-intent conversions-within complex, high-growth environments.
• Demonstrated ability to drive enrollment and revenue growth in data-driven organizations; experience in education is a strong plus.
• Advanced analytical skills, including comfort with complex data sets, performance dashboards, and modern marketing technology platforms.
• Experience designing and executing rapid experimentation programs (A/B testing, multivariate, segmentation) to fuel continuous improvement.
• Collaborative leadership style with a strong sense of ownership, operational rigor, and a drive to deliver meaningful impact across teams.
• A first-principles thinker who approaches challenges with creativity, clarity, and a willingness to reimagine what's possible.
• A genuine passion for expanding access to education and supporting individuals on transformative life journeys.
• A curious and forward-thinking mindset around emerging technologies-especially Artificial Intelligence-and how they can be leveraged to enhance marketing strategy, student engagement, and operational efficiency.

A bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university in a related field or discipline is required, with a master's degree preferred. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of seven to ten years of progressive experience, preferably within higher education and agency settings. Strong relationship-building skills are essential, both internally and externally, along with significant strategic and visionary leadership experience in brand management, marketing, communications, and public relations.

At Baker College, we're on a mission to transform education with a Student-First philosophy. Our President's vision is dedicated to creating an environment where students, faculty, and staff flourish. Join us in cultivating a culture of belonging and engagement, where every individual is valued and appreciated.

The successful candidate will believe in and support the student-first philosophy while contributing to the overall success of Baker College, and acting as a positive role model and brand ambassador on and off campus.

The full position description is available for your review online - VP for Growth Marketing

ABOUT BAKER COLLEGE:

Founded in 1911, Baker College is committed to embracing technology, sparking innovation, and fostering a supportive learning environment where students can get the real-world knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to pursue the life and career they want. Each of our six campus locations is special, with a unique culture, collection of academic programs, and landscape.

Baker College is an independent, private, non-profit institution that grants associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on campuses across Michigan and online. Our student-first philosophy is the cornerstone of our institution-it is our compass, guiding us and keeping us on course, ensuring that our students and their success are always our main priority. Our dedication to the success of our students ensures that we will all go Further Together!

Please visit Baker College Careers Page for more information.

TITLE IX NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY:

Baker College prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination is located in the Baker College Title IX Policy.

A bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university in a related field or discipline is required, with a master's degree preferred. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of seven to ten years of progressive experience, preferably within higher education and agency settings. Strong relationship-building skills are essential, both internally and externally, along with significant strategic and visionary leadership experience in brand management, marketing, communications, and public relations.