About EAB
At EAB , our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.
At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards .
For more information, visit our Careers page.
The Role In Brief
Senior Strategic Leader, Advancement
The Senior Strategic Leader operates as the account executive for EAB Advancement Marketing Services partners (clients). This hire will work directly with assigned institutional partners – as their most critical EAB point of contact – to oversee all components of their advancement marketing partnership with EAB. Core duties include executive relationship management, campaign strategy and oversight (including product portfolio optimization), renewal and cross-selling, and team leadership. The Senior Strategic Leader is supported by account managers who support campaign execution and relationship management, as well as by a team of creative and technical team members who support campaign creation and tracking. The Senior Strategic Leader is critical to ensuring the achievement of business objectives as well as the long-term growth and success of the company via outstanding service, strong campaign results, and savvy customer retention skills.
This role reports to the Managing Director, Partner Success and is ideally based in Richmond, VA but is also open to remote employment within the continental United States.
Primary Responsibilities
Relationship Management
- Establish strong relationships with advancement, annual giving, alumni engagement, and marketing leaders, as well as senior administrators on campus
- Lead regular meetings and conference calls with partners
- Deliver outstanding service and superior guidance and counsel
- Collaborate and listen, building a customized and highly synergistic partnership
Campaign Strategy and Oversight
- Develop a deep understanding of each partner’s goals, opportunities, and weaknesses
- Advise partners on product optimization, audience segmentation, and creative execution
- Ensure internal teams map strategies to partner goals and preferences
- Systematically measure campaigns to identify opportunities and demonstrate effectiveness and ROI
- Conduct annual planning for clients
Renewal Success
- Develop thriving, successful, long-term partnerships
- Properly align products, price, and strategy pillars to institutional goals
- Drive partnership growth through consultative processes and strategy
- Develop and discuss proposals and written presentations with partners
- Meet overall renewal rate targets in support of larger business objectives
Team Leadership
- Mentor and develop account managers assigned to core team
- Serve as a dynamic liaison between campus partners and in-house resources
- Connect institutional goals and mission back to EAB’s mission
- Serve as a professional example in behavior and attitude to project teams and support team members in professional growth
Travel Expectations
- Travel up to 20% (up to 30% travel for candidates based outside of Richmond, VA)
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree
- 4+ years’ experience in consultative, strategic, leadership positions managing accounts and/or relationships with key decision makers
- Experience leading high-performing teams, coaching, and mentoring
- Experience aligning strategic insights and solutions to client or partner goals
- Ability to convey/present to clients and colleagues EAB's commitment to forward-leaning, innovative strategies that successfully achieve desired outcomes
- Proven relationship-building, collaboration/teamwork orientation, and ability to influence for win-win outcomes
- Relevant professional experience in marketing, fundraising, or higher education advancement
- Valid driver's license
Ideal Qualifications
- Graduate degree
- 7+ years’ experience in consultative, strategic, leadership positions managing accounts and/or relationships with key decision makers
- Higher education experience, particularly within higher education advancement
- EAB institutional knowledge and experience
- Direct response marketing experience
- Ability to approach situations in an entrepreneurial way and find opportunity for improvement/change
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment and to plan, organize, set, and achieve priorities
- Passion for both client success and tackling new and emerging opportunities
- Proficient with PC, Internet, and Microsoft Office products
- Commitment to valuing diversity, practicing inclusive behaviors, and contributing to an equitable working and continual learning environment in support of EAB’s DE&I Promise
If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome diversity of background and experience. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.
Compensation
The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $77,500 - $111,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.
This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance.
Benefits
Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
- 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
- Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
- 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
- Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
- Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
- Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
- Gender affirming care coverage
- Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
- Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
- Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
- Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
- Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
- Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
- Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities
Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits .
This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.
At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.
To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.
