Assistant Director, Digital Marketing (Temporary)

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director for Marketing Optimization & Integration, the Temporary Assistant Director, Digital Marketing is a critical member of the Office of Alumni Relations and Development (OAD) Marketing Strategy & Enablement team. This role is responsible for hands-on planning, building, and deployment of high-priority email marketing campaigns and lifecycle communications during a leave coverage period.

This position serves as the email lead for several schools and central initiatives, executing complex, data-driven email campaigns in Salesforce Marketing Cloud while coordinating closely with unit liaisons, analytics partners, and creative teams. While informed by senior-level strategy, this role is intentionally execution-heavy, focused on day-to-day delivery, troubleshooting, and campaign leadership.

Responsibilities

Email Campaign Strategy & Execution

• Act as email lead and support for fundraising and engagement campaigns across multiple schools and units, coordinating timelines, requirements, approvals, and final delivery with unit liaisons and internal partners.
• Execute complex email builds and deployments in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, including high-volume sends, like fiscal year-end, advanced dynamic content, data-driven segmentation, QA testing, and troubleshooting to ensure accuracy and performance.
• Plan and manage engagement journey communications, maintaining and updating journey content, scheduling sends, and coordinating execution during the spring and summer in partnership with Marketing Strategy & Enablement project managers.
• Implement lifecycle marketing best practices by applying audience segmentation, personalization techniques, and journey logic to support constituent engagement across key milestones and campaign phases.

Columbia Giving Day Support

• Support the planning and execution of Columbia Giving Day, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver coordinated, high-impact digital marketing efforts in support of institutional fundraising and engagement goals.

Ongoing Communications & Operations

• Support acknowledgment email and anniversary email management, including unit-specific updates, emergency pauses, and monthly reporting updates
• Maintain and monitor Salesforce Marketing Cloud operations during the transition period, ensuring continuity and stability.
• Support the UpRoar CRM implementation and March 2026 go-live, collaborating with Marketing Strategy & Enablement to ensure digital marketing readiness, operational continuity, and successful adoption.

Reporting, Testing & Best Practices

• Monitor campaign performance and contribute results to internal trackers and reports.
• Apply test-and-learn principles, including A/B testing and optimization based on performance insights.
• Uphold and apply established digital marketing and email best practices to ensure consistency and quality across campaigns.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Attend and actively participate in all Marketing Strategy & Enablement (MSE) team meetings and regular Marketing Optimization & Integration (MOI) check-ins to ensure alignment, continuity, and awareness of priorities during the leave period.
• Act as a trusted partner to the Marketing Strategy & Enablement team, unit liaisons, analytics colleagues, and creative teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Provide tactical guidance and documentation to support continuity before and after the leave period.
• Perform additional digital marketing duties and special projects as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required and or equivalent.
• Minimum of 2-4 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated experience in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Proficiency in HTML and CSS.
• The ideal candidate will also be proficient in Google G suite (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, etc.).
• Candidate will be a deadline-driven self-starter with a conscientious attention to detail, and excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively and manage a large volume of changing information and projects is critical.
• Proficiency with basic image manipulation and graphic design experience with Adobe Photoshop/Creative Suite is required.
• Must have a commitment to exceptional quality and customer service, and must be able to handle confidential information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience in higher educational institutions, or other complex organizations, is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with digital tools and resources, such as Movable Ink and Litmus, is highly desirable; interest in exploring and experimenting with new platforms; ability to learn quickly and be flexible when working in the digital space is preferred.

Columbia University offers a full range of benefits to help you and your eligible dependents stay healthy, build long-term financial security for retirement, and meet educational goals. To explore the available Health and Welfare, Tax Savings, Tuition, Well-being and Voluntary Benefits options visit: https://humanresources.columbia.edu/benefits.