Director of Marketing en Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center

Description

Position Summary

The Director of Marketing is a key member of the executive leadership team responsible for driving enterprise-level marketing and enrollment strategy across all markets. This role owns brand development, demand generation, digital marketing, and enrollment conversion. The Director will lead the national marketing team, oversee CRM systems and marketing analytics, and partner closely with operations, finance, and people functions to ensure enrollment growth aligns with company targets and strategic initiatives.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing Leadership

• Develop and execute the national marketing strategy, aligned with enterprise growth objectives and market-specific needs.
• Build and protect a differentiated brand identity across all channels and markets.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive positioning, and emerging opportunities in early childhood education.

Enrollment Growth & Demand Generation

• Own the full enrollment funnel, from lead generation through tour conversion and start date.
• Partner with operations leaders to set and achieve center-level enrollment targets.
• Optimize marketing spend across digital and traditional channels (paid search, social, referral programs, etc.).

Digital & CRM Infrastructure 

• Oversee the effective use and continuous improvement of ChildCareCRM or other enrollment software platforms.
• Lead data-driven decision-making through KPIs, campaign analytics, and conversion metrics.
• Ensure pipeline reporting is accurate, timely, and actionable.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with the COO, CAO, and CFO to ensure marketing efforts align with staffing capacity, classroom readiness, and financial targets.
• Partner with Talent and HR to support employer branding and recruitment marketing as needed.
• Support new site openings and acquisitions with tailored go-to-market strategies.

Team Development & Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing marketing team, providing coaching, development, and performance management.
• Establish clear goals and accountability for field enrollment specialists and central marketing staff.

Peformance & Budget Accountability 

• Manage the marketing budget with an eye toward ROI and cost-effective growth.
• Track and report on key marketing KPIs (e.g., cost per lead, conversion rates, tour-to-start, lead volume by channel).
• Identify and address underperformance in enrollment funnel execution.

New School Due Diligence

• Evaluate Brand Reputation and Rebranding Impact
• Evaluate current CRM or Enrollment Process - plan transition to LineLeader
• Evaluate current Marketing Plans and Spend – plan transition 

KPI Management

• Number of leads during a specific time frame
• How effectively leads of converted to completed tours at the center during a specific time frame
• Number of newly enrolled/number of tours completed during a specific time frame

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience; background in education, childcare, or service-based industries a plus.
• Strong knowledge of digital marketing, brand management, and lead generation.
• Hands-on experience with Google Analytics and Google Ads, with proven ability to optimize campaigns and report on performance.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Proven track record of driving growth through strategic marketing initiatives. 
• Ability to balance big-picture strategy with hands-on execution.

The starting pay range for this position is $80,000 to $100,000 a year and is applicable for candidates who will be working in the following location[s] Minnesota. This range is subject to adjustment for other geographic work locations. In addition to geographic location, Yellow Brick Road considers education, experience, internal equity, market demands, and other qualifying criteria to determine starting wages.

In addition to compensation benefits, Yellow Brick Road offers a variety of health and welfare benefits, based on eligibility, including medical and dental insurance, life insurance, and career development.