Learner Engagement Manager - Academic Programs

At InStride, people are our purpose. 

We believe that investing in people is the most powerful way to drive success—for individuals and organizations alike. 

As a public benefit corporation, we partner with leading employers to unlock opportunities for their employees, providing access to top-tier education programs that align with their employees’ career goals and the company’s business goals. 

Our mission goes beyond skill-building; we're here to empower our partners’ employees to advance their careers, elevate their expertise, and achieve meaningful personal and professional growth.

No matter the team you’re on, our dedication to the success of our partners and their employees is what drives us. If you're passionate about making a difference and driving educational and professional advancement, InStride is the place for you. 

To get a better feel for our culture, watch more here.

Candidates must be located in one of the following states to be considered eligible for employment: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI.

What we're looking for (role overview):

InStride is seeking a Learner Engagement Manager – Academic Programs to lead learner marketing strategies that increase awareness, engagement, and enrollment across our portfolio of academic partners. You will own developing learner-centered positioning, messaging, and campaigns that help working adult learners discover and enroll in the right education opportunities. You'll use learner insights and performance data to optimize the learner journey, influence academic partner marketing strategies, and improve conversion and enrollment outcomes across our academic partner portfolio. This role reports to the Manager, Strategic Engagement Initiatives.

Skills we’d love to see you show off:

• Campaign strategy and execution: You have a keen eye for identifying and leading marketing opportunities, leveraging marketing channels and assets (emails, landing pages, community and messaging platforms, testimonials, social media, newsletters) to drive learner engagement and enrollment outcomes.
• Driving funnel conversion: You excel at identifying and removing friction points in the user journey, partnering with academic institutions to optimize funnel performance and move learners from consideration to action to enrollment.
• Positioning and Messaging: You’re a natural with developing program positioning and messaging that resonate with first-time, transferring, and re-enrolling working adult learners. 
• AI Fluency: You thoughtfully leverage AI and emerging technologies to improve marketing effectiveness, streamline workflows, uncover insights, and enhance learner and business outcomes
• Insight-driven decision making: You leverage learner research, market trends, and campaign performance data to identify opportunities, shape strategy, and confidently recommend actions that improve learner and business outcomes.
• Project leadership: You juggle competing priorities with ease, leading complex projects and multi-client initiatives across multiple teams with discernment and sound judgment. You own both strategic planning and hands-on execution when needed, ensuring successful outcomes.
• Influencing & Relationship Building: You build trusted relationships with academic partners and cross-functional stakeholders, using empathy, credibility, and clear communication to influence decisions and drive shared outcomes.

Who you are (ideal profile):

• 5+ years of experience in strategic marketing, academic marketing, or product marketing roles, with experience marketing to both B2B and B2C audiences.
• You have experience developing and executing multi-channel marketing campaigns that move learners from awareness to action, including campaign strategy, audience targeting, content development, and performance optimization.
• You have a keen eye for developing positioning and messaging that clearly communicates the value of academic programs and pathways, helping learners make informed decisions about advancing their education.
• You’re an effective communicator who excels at building relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, including senior leaders at colleges and universities.
• You’re curious about emerging technologies and enjoy experimenting with AI to improve how work gets done.
• You thrive in a dynamic environment, adapting quickly to changing priorities while maintaining a focus on delivering meaningful results.
• You use data, curiosity, and sound judgment to solve problems and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• You bring high emotional intelligence and approach your work with a collaborative, "no job too small" mindset.
• Excited by the challenge of building a world-class business that delivers not only high revenue growth and compelling return on investment, but also has a meaningful impact on society.

How you will create impact (key responsibilities):

• Increase academic partner enrollment: Improve inquiry-to-enrollment conversion rates through targeted learner engagement strategies and campaigns that help academic partners achieve their enrollment goals.Optimize the learner journey: Identify friction points and streamline the learner journey, reducing drop-off and accelerating time-to-enrollment. 
• Increase program completion rates and re-enrollment: Develop targeted campaigns and communications that keep learners engaged throughout their education, celebrate milestones, and inspire them to continue lifelong learning through additional programs.
• Influence academic partner marketing strategy: Partner with academic institutions to recommend positioning, messaging, and learner engagement strategies that improve enrollment outcomes, partner satisfaction, and Net Promoter Score.
• Serve as the academic marketing expert: Develop learner-centered positioning, messaging, and recommendations that help learners choose the right academic program while equipping cross-functional teams to prioritize and market the right programs
• Develop repeatable processes: Build scalable processes that improve consistency, accelerate execution, and reduce manual effort, leveraging AI where appropriate

Compensation

At InStride, final offer amounts are dependent on multiple factors including location, depth of experience, interview performance and equity with other team members.

We encourage you to talk with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits available for this role.

Compensation range:$100,000—$115,000 USD

We are looking for someone who is not only technically skilled, but also enthusiastic about making a meaningful impact. If this description resonates with you, we're excited about the possibility of having you on our team. As a skills-driven employer, we encourage you to apply if there is a skill-fit, even in the absence of years of experience.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At InStride, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this role!

Benefits @ InStride 

As an organization that champions investing in people, it’s critical we walk the talk. That’s why InStride employees are eligible to enroll in 2,800+ online certificate and degree programs through our Step Forward program. Unlike traditional tuition reimbursement programs, InStride covers your tuition upfront, regardless of your course of study, degree type, or school - eligible to employees starting Day 1. 

This role is also eligible for the following benefits:

• 401(k) plan with company match 
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid family leave
• Best-in-class health care benefits
• And more!

InStride Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At InStride, we foster a culture of belonging, we support authenticity and intersectionality, and we embrace and appreciate our differences. We do this by building a diverse pipeline of talent and ensuring equitable access to opportunities, information and leadership. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let your recruiter know. 

Policies & Disclosure 

InStride recommends employees have their COVID vaccinations. InStride may require employees to have COVID vaccination before entering the office or attending any InStride-related even in the future. However, we do not require this at this time.

 For questions on how we use personal information of job applicants, please refer to InStride's Job Applicant Privacy Policy.

Beware of recruiting scams. InStride does not require a financial transaction or any financial account information to be eligible for employment. If you receive a message purporting to be from InStride asking you for a financial transaction, your financial account information, or any other sensitive information, please do not respond and let us know immediately at recruiting@instride.com.

About InStride

InStride is a human capital management company that helps organizations retain talent, upskill employees, and fill critical workforce roles through education programs. By breaking down barriers to learning, fostering career growth aligned with organizational goals, and simplifying program management, InStride delivers lasting impact. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like Labcorp, Adidas, and SSM Health, InStride drives meaningful social and business outcomes by providing access to life-changing education. Visit instride.com or follow InStride on LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news.