Associate Director, Deliverability Strategist

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:

Associate Director, Deliverability Strategist

In email direct marketing, securing a spot in the inbox rather than the spam folder is crucial. The Associate Director, Deliverability Strategist plays a critical role in the effectiveness of EAB's marketing campaigns and is a senior subject matter expert who optimizes our email deliverability strategies in a constantly changing digital landscape.

The Associate Director, Deliverability Strategist leads initiatives that identify deliverability trends, codify strategic best practices, and establish authority as a thought leader across functional areas and the industry. The role provides a variety of stakeholders - including creative, partner services, and operations teams - with robust monitoring tools, analytical insights, proven strategies, and data-driven remediation tactics.

This hire may be based in Richmond, VA; Washington, DC; or open to remote work within the continental United States.

Primary Responsibilities:

Email Deliverability Monitoring, Analysis, and Strategy

• Develop long-term email deliverability strategy aligned with business goals and industry trends.
• Establish benchmarks and KPIs for deliverability performance, monitor deliverability trends, and lead initiatives to maximize engagement and mitigate risk for campaigns.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex deliverability issues, including blocklisting events and entrenched spam filtering.
• Lead initiatives to proactively identify and mitigate email deliverability risks resulting from internal factors like campaign design or audience selection, as well as external factors like changes in spam filtering technology.
• Confidently synthesize insights into data-informed strategic recommendations for senior executive leadership.
• Continually refine the tactical playbook to respond effectively to email deliverability challenges.
• Optimize the effectiveness of IP warming, reputation management, and list hygiene processes and ensure compliance with best practices.

Center of Excellence

• Diplomatically educate and mentor stakeholders across the company on deliverability best practices and how email campaign design and execution are key drivers of deliverability.
• Stay ahead of rapidly changing industry developments, identifying emerging threats and opportunities in email deliverability.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of global email regulations (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, CCPA, etc.) and proactively update best practice guidance.
• Build strategic relationships across the organization - consistently demonstrating poise, integrity, and judgment, and inspiring trust in stakeholders as a thought partner and source of strategy, innovation, and subject matter mastery.

Other Responsibilities

• Partner with engineering teams to manage authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI).
• Coordinate with operations and other teams to execute remediation tactics.
• Design and promote improvements to reporting and data capabilities that will enhance corporate visibility into email campaign deliverability and performance.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a business, marketing, IT, or quantitative field required
• 5 - 7+ years' experience using data analysis to generate insightful findings required
• Demonstrated understanding of email direct marketing and deliverability best practices
• Knowledge of direct marketing strategies and experience leveraging data in evaluating performance and recommending improvements
• Proven skills in stakeholder management and ability to establish a trusting, credible relationship with senior leadership in a matrixed organization
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with a focus on converting analysis into strategy
• Flexibility and attitude to thrive in a fast-paced, challenging work environment with multiple priorities
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to articulate findings and strategies clearly and effectively
• Detail oriented and well organized
• Strong work ethic, ability to work independently, and a desire to own projects from inception to presentation
• Knowledge of advanced use of standard business applications, including Excel and PowerPoint

Ideal Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business, business administration, science, or other quantitative field a strong plus
• 5+ years' experience in email direct marketing or higher education (preferred)
• Proficiency using SQL or other query tools/languages to perform data manipulation, with a working knowledge of databases
• Experience using data visualization tools like Tableau preferred
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB's mission, values, and aspiration.

If you've reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other's unique experiences. 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 $67,500 - $96,500 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
• 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.