Senior Manager, Email Marketing

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Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Email Marketing serves as the senior channel leader for all prospective student email communication. This role owns the email channel strategy, execution, and optimization to drive engagement and conversion outcomes. Acting as the subject matter expert for email marketing, this leader will design and manage integrated communication strategies across nurturing streams, campaigns, and one-off sends. This leader will inspire and develop a high-performing team of email marketing specialists, fostering collaboration, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement to achieve ambitious channel goals.

The Senior Manager will oversee and be responsible for channel performance and goals, champion data-driven decision making, and partner closely with cross-functional teams including creative, media, marketing automation, and the website team to deliver personalized, high-impact communications at scale. They will continuously test, refine, and innovate the email program to improve deliverability, engagement, and conversion, ensuring the channel effectively supports the organization's growth goals.

Responsibilities

Channel Ownership & Strategy

• Serve as the senior leader and subject matter expert for the email marketing channel, owning strategy, vision, and roadmap.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive channel strategy that aligns with organizational goals, the rest of the marketing funnel and website experience, and prospective student communication objectives.
• Lead audience segmentation, journey mapping, and personalization strategies to maximize engagement and conversion.

Campaign Planning & Execution

• Oversee the planning, development, and deployment of all email campaigns - including nurturing streams, promotional sends, and one-off communications.
• Ensure messaging consistency, brand alignment, and compliance across all email communications.
• Partner with creative, content, and automation teams to deliver high-quality, timely campaigns.

Optimization & Performance Management

• Define, monitor, and report on key performance metrics (open rates, CTR, conversion, deliverability, etc.).
• Lead ongoing A/B testing, optimization, and innovation to improve engagement and effectiveness.
• Leverage analytics and data insights to drive continuous improvement and inform strategic decisions.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of email marketing professionals to achieve channel goals and foster career growth.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, and creative problem-solving.
• Ensure the team stays current with evolving best practices, technologies, and compliance standards.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with marketing, creative, automation, analytics, and enrollment teams to ensure integrated, data-driven communication strategies.
• Advocate for the email channel across the organization, influencing strategy and prioritization.
• Collaborate with technology partners and vendors to enhance tools, capabilities, and performance.

Governance, Compliance & Innovation

• Ensure adherence to CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and other relevant privacy and compliance regulations.
• Oversee list hygiene, deliverability, and sender reputation.
• Stay informed on emerging trends to advance channel maturity.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Strategic & Technical Knowledge

• Deep understanding ofemail marketing strategy, lifecycle marketing, and customer journey development, ideally within a complex or multi-audience environment.
• Strong knowledge ofmarketing automation platforms(Marketo experience a plus) and CRM integration principles.
• Expertise inemail deliverability, list management, and compliancestandards (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL, etc.).
• Understanding ofsegmentation, dynamic content, and personalizationtechniques to deliver targeted, relevant communications.

Leadership & Management Skills

• Proven ability tolead, coach, and develop high-performing teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Strong project management and organizational skills; able to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously with attention to detail.
• Demonstrated success incross-functional collaboration partnering with creative, technical, and analytical teams to deliver aligned outcomes.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans and measurable results.

Analytical & Creative Abilities

• Ability to balance creative and analytical thinking, pairing data-driven decision making with audience insight and storytelling.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on optimization, testing, and continuous improvement.
• Solid grasp ofdata analytics and performance measurement, including interpreting metrics to optimize engagement and conversion.

Communication & Influence

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly articulate complex strategies to diverse stakeholders.
• Skilled in presenting insights, recommendations, and results to senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Ability to influence without authority, advocate for channel best practices, and drive alignment across teams.

Innovation & Agility

• Passion for staying current withemail marketing trends, tools, and emerging technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt strategies based on evolving audience behavior, platform updates, and organizational priorities.

• A Bachelor's degree in related field, Master's preferred

Experience

• 7+ years email marketing, nurturing, and CRM experience
• 3+ years of leadership experience managing people and projects
• Marketing Automation experience (Marketo preferred)

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.