Strategic Marketing Lead, K12 Schools (Onsite or Remote)
Engage Brandcraft, Mchenry, IL, United States
Strategic Marketing Lead – K12 Schools
Exempt full‑time position offering $110,000‑$130,000 annually (bonus potential) based in McHenry, IL, hybrid schedule (Mon, Tue, Thu in office; remote for ideal candidate).
Job Overview The Strategic Marketing Lead, K12, is a forward‑thinking, collaborative marketing leader who drives retention, engagement, and growth across our market‑leading K12 school business. The role is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing strategies that strengthen our brand, support sales, and deepen relationships with K12 school customers nationwide.
Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies for K12, driving growth, engagement, and retention.
Partner with business leadership to align marketing plans to overall company goals, market trends, and customer needs.
Partner with product management to shape product roadmaps based on customer and market insights.
Lead positioning, messaging, and go‑to‑market strategy for key products, services, and brand initiatives.
Champion a unified brand identity while tailoring communications and campaigns to the unique priorities of each ICP/target persona.
Work closely with Product Management, Corporate Marketing, Demand Generation, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure cohesive storytelling and market alignment.
Serve as main point of contact for all marketing‑related inquiries.
Prepare presentations that highlight marketing plans, actions, and outcomes.
Serve as the company expert on K12 funding, competitive landscape, and customer challenges; stay current on education trends.
Use data and market research to understand customer behaviors, persona challenges, and decision‑making; continuously refine messaging and product‑market fit.
Translate insights into actionable marketing strategies and differentiated positioning.
Champion development of marketing campaigns that drive awareness, demand, and loyalty across channels such as email, web, events, social media, and PR.
Collaborate closely with demand/lead generation, creative, and communications teams to optimize campaign execution.
Lead launch plans for new products, services, and features.
Direct thought‑leadership and storytelling initiatives that reinforce our role as a trusted partner to K12 schools.
Ensure a consistent and high‑quality customer experience through all asset development.
Collaborate with Product teams to merchandize products on Titlewave and follettcontent.com and align them to campaigns.
Develop and execute integrated marketing plans focused on both retention plays and growth (grow wallet, grow market share).
Develop strategies and tactics to elevate referral business when applicable.
Establish KPIs and partner with marketing analytics resources to build dashboards for tracking marketing effectiveness and ROI.
Adopt a continuous process‑improvement mindset through testing, data analysis, and performance optimization.
Support executive communications and brand/thought‑leadership initiatives that reinforce market leadership.
Collaborate with sales leadership to align strategies, ensuring mutual visibility and accountability.
Oversee all asset creation, reviewing and approving daily projects to ensure adherence to brand standards.
Support event strategy at national and regional conferences, including planning and post‑event measurement.
Work closely with the Director of Partner Management/Publisher Relations on cooperative advertising campaigns targeting K12 buyers.
Identify future growth areas, assess revenue impact, and communicate investment needs.
Prepare and submit budgets and related reports; ensure revenue and expenses meet or exceed targets; forecast and address variances.
Evaluate freelancers and contractors as needed, including vetting, contracting, onboarding, and management.
Qualifications
10+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience, ideally in K12 education, publishing, libraries, or related sectors.
Proven success managing strategic marketing across multiple customer segments or business lines.
Strong understanding of library systems, educators, literacy trends, and book buying workflows.
Demonstrated ability to translate insights into actionable marketing strategies and measurable results.
Track record of launching new products and growing brand presence in existing markets.
Strong project‑management skills in complex, stakeholder‑rich environments.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills with influence at all levels.
Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, evolving environment and intellectual curiosity.
Strong analytical skills and use of data to develop strategies and recommendations.
Passion for reading, learning, and the library community.
Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and manage ambiguity.
Leadership skills, motivating cross‑functional teams.
Deep understanding of market trends and product lifecycles.
Negotiation tactics.
Market research and assessment experience.
Experience in eCommerce (highly desired).
Experience in product marketing (highly desired).
EEO Statement We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military or veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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Job Overview The Strategic Marketing Lead, K12, is a forward‑thinking, collaborative marketing leader who drives retention, engagement, and growth across our market‑leading K12 school business. The role is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing strategies that strengthen our brand, support sales, and deepen relationships with K12 school customers nationwide.
Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies for K12, driving growth, engagement, and retention.
Partner with business leadership to align marketing plans to overall company goals, market trends, and customer needs.
Partner with product management to shape product roadmaps based on customer and market insights.
Lead positioning, messaging, and go‑to‑market strategy for key products, services, and brand initiatives.
Champion a unified brand identity while tailoring communications and campaigns to the unique priorities of each ICP/target persona.
Work closely with Product Management, Corporate Marketing, Demand Generation, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure cohesive storytelling and market alignment.
Serve as main point of contact for all marketing‑related inquiries.
Prepare presentations that highlight marketing plans, actions, and outcomes.
Serve as the company expert on K12 funding, competitive landscape, and customer challenges; stay current on education trends.
Use data and market research to understand customer behaviors, persona challenges, and decision‑making; continuously refine messaging and product‑market fit.
Translate insights into actionable marketing strategies and differentiated positioning.
Champion development of marketing campaigns that drive awareness, demand, and loyalty across channels such as email, web, events, social media, and PR.
Collaborate closely with demand/lead generation, creative, and communications teams to optimize campaign execution.
Lead launch plans for new products, services, and features.
Direct thought‑leadership and storytelling initiatives that reinforce our role as a trusted partner to K12 schools.
Ensure a consistent and high‑quality customer experience through all asset development.
Collaborate with Product teams to merchandize products on Titlewave and follettcontent.com and align them to campaigns.
Develop and execute integrated marketing plans focused on both retention plays and growth (grow wallet, grow market share).
Develop strategies and tactics to elevate referral business when applicable.
Establish KPIs and partner with marketing analytics resources to build dashboards for tracking marketing effectiveness and ROI.
Adopt a continuous process‑improvement mindset through testing, data analysis, and performance optimization.
Support executive communications and brand/thought‑leadership initiatives that reinforce market leadership.
Collaborate with sales leadership to align strategies, ensuring mutual visibility and accountability.
Oversee all asset creation, reviewing and approving daily projects to ensure adherence to brand standards.
Support event strategy at national and regional conferences, including planning and post‑event measurement.
Work closely with the Director of Partner Management/Publisher Relations on cooperative advertising campaigns targeting K12 buyers.
Identify future growth areas, assess revenue impact, and communicate investment needs.
Prepare and submit budgets and related reports; ensure revenue and expenses meet or exceed targets; forecast and address variances.
Evaluate freelancers and contractors as needed, including vetting, contracting, onboarding, and management.
Qualifications
10+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience, ideally in K12 education, publishing, libraries, or related sectors.
Proven success managing strategic marketing across multiple customer segments or business lines.
Strong understanding of library systems, educators, literacy trends, and book buying workflows.
Demonstrated ability to translate insights into actionable marketing strategies and measurable results.
Track record of launching new products and growing brand presence in existing markets.
Strong project‑management skills in complex, stakeholder‑rich environments.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills with influence at all levels.
Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, evolving environment and intellectual curiosity.
Strong analytical skills and use of data to develop strategies and recommendations.
Passion for reading, learning, and the library community.
Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and manage ambiguity.
Leadership skills, motivating cross‑functional teams.
Deep understanding of market trends and product lifecycles.
Negotiation tactics.
Market research and assessment experience.
Experience in eCommerce (highly desired).
Experience in product marketing (highly desired).
EEO Statement We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military or veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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