Assistant Director, Digital Strategy

Carnegie | A Career That Helps Higher Education Thrive

We partner with colleges and universities to create lasting impact—for institutions, students, and the world they’ll shape. At Carnegie, your work contributes to something bigger: advancing opportunity through higher education. We invest in people, not just positions, and build careers that grow with you.

Carnegie Life | Our People & Culture | Benefits

Job Purpose:

The Assistant Director of Digital Strategy is responsible for leading the planning and strategic execution of large, complex client accounts, overseeing paid search, display, streaming, and paid social campaigns that are measurable, effective, and aligned with each client’s goals. Work closely with our entire Digital Marketing team on strategic oversight and relationship management of Carnegie’s higher education clients.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Campaign Oversight

• Maintain strategic oversight of a portfolio of complex higher education client accounts, owning the development, implementation, and optimization of digital strategy and paid media budgets across all channels, typically with annual budgets of $300k+.
• Architect comprehensive digital strategies driven by clients’ marketing goals and objectives.
• Oversee and verify that ongoing account maintenance and optimization activities align with campaign goals across all channels.

Client Interaction

• Foster strong client–agency relationships through recurring strategy calls, acting as an expert partner who advises on best practices and strategic direction.
• Play a supervisory role by overseeing Digital Strategists’ work on key clients, including participation in client calls.

Reporting and Analysis

• Conduct research, analyze performance data, and translate findings into actionable insights and strategic recommendations—including budget adjustments and optimization strategies.
• Provide in-depth monthly and ad-hoc reporting using tools such as Google Analytics, Looker Studio, custom ROI dashboards, and platform reporting interfaces.
• Ensure that all reporting clearly communicates campaign goals and effectively articulates key takeaways, recommendations, and next steps.
• Continually evaluate the effectiveness and client experience of reporting and analysis to ensure they meet evolving client needs.

Team Management and Supervisory Responsibilities

• Support leadership of the Digital Strategy team, with potential responsibility for directly managing 1-2 team members.
• Lead onboarding, training, and ongoing mentoring of direct reports, and contribute to the professional growth of team members across the department.

Internal Teams

• Collaborate with client account teams to manage relationships and ensure client success.
• Stay current on digital marketing trends, emerging platforms, and industry developments.
• Demonstrate thought leadership through contributions to team meetings, process improvements, and opportunities for service expansion.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to confidently present campaign performance to clients and internal teams.
• Proven problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently, use available resources effectively, and escalate issues when appropriate.
• Effective communication and time management skills, particularly in a remote environment; ability to learn and switch between multiple technology platforms.
• Physical requirement: Must be able to work at a computer for prolonged periods

Credentials and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Marketing/Advertising major or concentration preferred
• 3–5 years of experience with digital media planning and/or execution of digital marketing campaigns
• Direct experience with Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and/or Google Display & Video 360 or other DSP required
• Google Ads and/or Google Analytics certifications a plus
• Experience with Asana or other project management software tools a plus