Job Description

Job Summary

The Associate Director of Media Planning is a strategic and analytical position to drive the planning, execution, and optimization of omnichannel, full-funnel media strategies that advance Hillsdale’s mission to teach 50 million Americans by 2030, becoming the #1 most trusted teaching brand, shaping culture. Reporting to the Executive Director of Brand Management, this associate-level role collaborates with the marketing department’s functions—Market Research, Product Marketing, Digital Product, Social Media, and Creative Studios—and manages the external media buying agency partner to consolidate fragmented efforts into a unified, audience-first approach. The Associate Director will focus on the Audience Decision Journey, targeting Truth-Seeking Americans and Legacy Keepers to boost brand awareness, engagement, and fundraising, while ensuring cost-efficient donor acquisition and educational outreach.

Essential Job Functions

Media Strategy and Planning

• Develop and execute omnichannel media plans (e.g., DRTV , CTV , Linear TV, Radio, Podcasts, Influencers, Google Display, SEM , Meta, X, email/ MMS prospecting, print) aligned with Hillsdale’s brand strategy and annual plan, as directed by the Executive Director of Brand Management.
• Map media efforts to the Audience Decision Journey, addressing trigger points, awareness, exploration, consideration, decision, onboarding, success, and advocacy stages for key offerings like online courses, undergraduate programs, and donor engagement.
• Prioritize channels for Truth-Seeking Americans (e.g., broadcast TV, Facebook, email newsletters, YouTube) and Legacy Keepers, recommending innovative mixes to drive growth in brand equity and audience reach.

Agency Partnership Management

• Oversee the selected media buying agency partner, providing briefs, brand guidelines, and strategic input to ensure alignment with Hillsdale’s mission and goals, such as teaching 50 million Americans.
• Monitor agency performance on deliverables like budget allocation, campaign scheduling, and optimizations, ensuring no bidding conflicts or inefficiencies from fragmented buying.
• Collaborate with the agency to test full-funnel Audience Decision Journey models for fundraising (e.g., $1M pilot), comparing against current performance tactics and scaling successful approaches.

Omnichannel Campaign Execution

• Manage full-funnel media buying to balance awareness (e.g., brand equity building), consideration (e.g., course exploration), and conversion (e.g., donor acquisition at scale, cost per donor), optimizing for ROI and surplus in NDO’s target model.
• Partner with Product Marketing to promote offerings like online courses and K-12 programs, Digital Product for seamless user journeys, and Social Media for integrated paid-organic campaigns on Meta, X, and TikTok.
• Work with Creative Studios to align ad creatives with mission-aligned influencers and content, ensuring cultural relevance for Truth-Seeking Americans.

Performance Monitoring and Optimization

• Track and analyze media KPIs (e.g., aided/unaided awareness, sentiment, registrations, donor acquisitions, retention, cost per donor, impressions, engagement rates) using tools like Google Analytics, CRM , and agency dashboards.
• Deliver monthly consolidated reports with optimization recommendations, supporting the Executive Director in evaluating campaign impact and reallocating budgets (e.g., shifting $1–5M based on pilot results).
• Leverage Market Research insights to refine targeting and media mix, ensuring strategies drive yearly teaching audience growth from 10M to 50M.

Cross-Functional and NDO Collaboration

• Coordinate with National Donor Outreach ( NDO ) to optimize donor-centric media at deeper funnel stages, supporting $50MM fundraising with $10M surplus while nurturing progression from small (<$1K) to mid/high donors.
• Align media plans with Public Relations (Brand Building) for earned media amplification and the Executive Director of Social Media Management for influencer partnerships.
• Support institutional priorities, such as academic cycles, product launches, and fiscal year-end giving, through timely media adjustments.

Budget and Vendor Oversight

• Manage the $20M FY26 media budget (covering working advertising, agency fees, production, market research, operations), with potential scaling to $20–40M in FY27 based on performance.
• Assist in vendor evaluations and negotiations, ensuring cost efficiencies and compliance with nonprofit regulations, while tracking spend across channels and funnel stages.

Brand Alignment

• Ensure all media plans adhere to Hillsdale’s brand guidelines, reinforcing its Sage + Hero ethos and commitment to fighting tyranny through education.
• Provide input to the Executive Director on innovative media tactics to teach and engage Truth-Seeking Americans, unleashing creativity for cultural impact.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below represent the required knowledge, skill, and/or ability.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in marketing, communications, or a related field. Minimum of 3 years in media planning, media buying, or digital marketing, ideally in higher education, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations with fundraising elements.

• Proven expertise in omnichannel, full-funnel media planning with a focus on Audience Decision Journey models.
• Strong analytical skills, with experience in KPIs like cost per acquisition, donor retention, and brand awareness using tools (e.g., Google Analytics, CRM , social analytics).
• Excellent collaboration and agency management abilities to consolidate fragmented buying and drive unified strategies.
• Detail-oriented with budget management experience ($20M+ scales) and knowledge of nonprofit regulations.
• Proficiency in channels like DRTV , CTV , podcasts, influencers, Meta, X, email/ MMS , and print.

Code of Commitment

‍Be a good representative of Hillsdale College to promote the liberal arts, the College’s original Articles of Association, and operating principles stated in the Staff Code of Commitment. The Mission Statement should be considered in all aspects of the position. The teaching of Christian faith shall remain a conspicuous aim of the College.

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

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