Associate director of marketing cloud

The University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc (UTFI) invites applications and nominations to fill the position of Associate Director of Marketing Cloud at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Supporting the Division of Advancement’s email marketing strategy and execution, the Associate Director of Marketing Cloud provides technical leadership, platform expertise, and strategic direction for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Reporting to the Senior Director of Direct Marketing, this role leads the technical implementation, optimization, quality assurance, and deliverability of email communications within UTK’s Marketing Cloud Business Unit, while ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and requirements.

Serving as a platform subject matter expert, the Associate Director of Marketing Cloud provides strategic guidance and technical support to email builders and UTK Advancement partners on email development, audience segmentation, personalization, journeys, automations, testing, and deployment. This position leads efforts that monitor UTK sender reputation, optimizes email performance and deliverability, maintains platform processes and documentation, and identifies opportunities to improve operational efficiency.

The role works closely with UTFI’s Digital Strategy and Innovation (DSI) and Business Intelligence teams on platform integrations, data, and technical dependencies. The position also partners with the division of Advancement’s Marketing and Communications team, division partners, and college and unit partners coordinating the execution of Advancement email communications across the UT Knoxville campus.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Marketing Cloud Operations & Oversight: Oversees the daily operation and strategic use of the UT Knoxville Salesforce Marketing Cloud Business Unit, ensuring a scalable, organized, secure, and compliant environment aligned with enterprise standards.
• Deliverability & Quality Assurance: Leads email deliverability, testing, troubleshooting, and operational standards for UTK’s Marketing Cloud Business Unit while monitoring IP reputation, list hygiene, and compliance to support strong sender reputation and effective email performance.
• Journey & Personalization Strategy: Leads the design, development, implementation, and optimization of complex customer journeys and automated campaigns using Journey Builder, Automation Studio, dynamic content, AMPscript, and other Marketing Cloud capabilities to create personalized constituent experiences.
• Campaign & Process Management: Establishes and manages processes for email intake, planning, calendaring, development, testing, deployment, and distribution, ensuring consistency and efficiency across distributed email operations.
• Cross-Functional Partnership & Training: Serves as a strategic Marketing Cloud partner to Advancement, Communications, DSI, Business Intelligence, and IT teams, translating audience and campaign strategies into effective Marketing Cloud solutions and providing guidance, training, and knowledge sharing.
• Systems Optimization & Continuous Improvement: Develops and advances the UT Knoxville Marketing Cloud utilization roadmap, identifying opportunities to expand platform capabilities, improve adoption, enhance operational efficiency, and optimize constituent engagement.
• Analytics & Testing: Leads analysis of email and journey performance, including engagement, conversion, deliverability, sender reputation, and subscriber trends; develops testing strategies and translates data into actionable recommendations for campaign and communications improvement.
• Documentation & Management: Develops and maintains standard operating procedures for UTK’s Marketing Cloud Business Unit, process documentation, platform configurations, and naming conventions while serving as a subject matter expert on Salesforce Marketing Cloud capabilities, releases, and industry best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Education and Experience

The candidate who fills the Associate Director, Marketing Cloud position is required to have:

• Bachelor's degree in communication, PR, business, marketing, computer science, IT, or related fields.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in higher education or nonprofit advancement, including experience in fundraising, alumni engagement, donor communications, constituent relations, or a related area.
• Experience building communications and creating content within a robust marketing platform, with knowledge of digital communications, digital strategy, or related fields.

A valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record is required due to travel responsibilities of the position. UTFI reserves the right to consider all appropriate circumstances. In general, any significant driving offense less than 12 months old will eliminate the application from consideration for the position.

Note - Candidates holding a graduate degree must have at least 2 years of experience.

Preferred Education and Experience

In addition to meeting the required qualifications, the preferred candidate will have:

• Masters's degree in communication, PR, business, marketing, computer science, IT, or related fields.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in higher education or nonprofit advancement, including experience in fundraising, alumni engagement, donor communications, constituent relations, or a related area.
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud certifications.

Application Process:

Priority will be given to applications received on or before October 7th, via our DASH application system. Applications must include a completed candidate profile, cover letter, and resume. Candidates selected to move forward in the evaluation process will be asked to provide contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without explicit permission of the candidate.

When determining minimum qualifications, only information entered into the candidate profile can be considered. Please ensure your candidate profile is completed in its entirety as it relates to qualifying education/work experience.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment visa status.

Questions about the search may be directed to hr@utfi.org.

Target Start Date:

Fall 2026

Benefits:

The Foundation’s greatest asset is our team. Foundation employees are eligible for a comprehensive suite of benefits that includes:

• Generous paid leave, accruing up to 24 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave annually, plus 14 paid holidays and administrative closing days
• Flexible work arrangements, offering one optional remote day per week after a six month introductory period
• Education benefits for employees and their dependents at UT System campuses
• Retirement and deferred compensation plans, including 401(k), 403(b), etc.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Employee discounts to attractions, services, and goods

The Foundation:

The University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that serves as the preferred channel for private contributions benefiting students and faculty within the UT System. With a vision of being one of the top-performing advancement organizations in higher education, UTFI is committed to enhancing the educational landscape across the University of Tennessee campuses.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been advancing knowledge and enriching lives since its founding in 1794. Tennessee’s flagship public research university, UT Knoxville is a diverse community whose shared commitment to discovery, creativity, and education combines with a tradition of service and engagement to carry the Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. UT’s campus—home to more than 36,000 students and 9,000 faculty and staff members—is part of the vibrant city of Knoxville, located on the Tennessee River with the Great Smoky Mountains nearby.

The UT System: The University of Tennessee System is comprised of campuses at Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin and the Health Science Center at Memphis; the Institute of Agriculture; and the Institute for Public Service.

The University of Tennessee Foundation, Inc. is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law.