Vice President of Marketing

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nDescription Summit K12 is seeking an accomplished, high-caliber EdTech marketing executive to lead the company's next phase of growth. The Vice President of Marketing will report directly to the CEO, serve as a member of Senior Staff, and own the strategy, execution, operating discipline, and measurable business impact of the Marketing organization.This is a highly visible, enterprise-level role for a leader who combines exceptional strategic judgment, intellectual curiosity, executive presence, and attention to detail with the willingness to remain close to execution. The successful candidate will elevate Summit K12's brand, accelerate demand and market expansion, strengthen product positioning and go-to-market execution, deepen relationships with influential education leaders and organizations, and build a modern marketing engine that contributes directly to ARR growth, NRR, renewal rates, and EBITDA performance.The executive will lead a team of approximately 15-20 professionals and will regularly collaborate with the Chief Academic Officer, VP of Sales, VP of Professional Development, Product leadership, Customer Support, and other members of Senior Staff. The role has the potential to grow into the Chief Marketing Officer position based on performance, organizational needs, and the continued growth of Summit K12. Key Responsibilities 1. Enterprise Marketing Strategy & Senior Leadership\nDevelop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year marketing strategy aligned with Summit K12's growth plan, customer priorities, product roadmap, and financial objectives.\nServe as a trusted strategic advisor to the CEO and a highly engaged member of Senior Staff, bringing market insight, disciplined analysis, and clear recommendations to enterprise decisions.\nTranslate company objectives into focused marketing priorities, operating plans, resource allocation decisions, and measurable quarterly and annual outcomes.\nIdentify market shifts, competitive threats, policy developments, partnership opportunities, and emerging customer needs that should shape company strategy.\n 2. Revenue Growth, Performance Management & Accountability\nBuild a marketing operating model tied to ARR growth, NRR, renewal rates above 95%, EBITDA growth, pipeline creation, product adoption, and expansion within existing customers.\nEstablish clear definitions, targets, dashboards, and executive reporting for marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced pipeline, conversion, campaign performance, customer acquisition efficiency, and return on investment.\nPartner with Sales and Customer Support to improve account-based marketing, cross-sell and upsell campaigns, renewal support, customer advocacy, and expansion strategies.\nUse data to make timely decisions, reallocate resources, discontinue low-return activities, and ensure the Marketing team is accountable for business outcomes rather than activity or vanity metrics.\n 3. Brand, Market Positioning & Corporate Communications\nStrengthen Summit K12's national brand, reputation, share of voice, and relevance with superintendents, senior district administrators, educators, state leaders, strategic partners, and the broader K-12 market.\nDevelop differentiated enterprise and product messaging that clearly communicates Summit K12's value, measurable student outcomes, customer impact, and competitive advantages.\nSet a high standard for executive-quality written communication, editorial accuracy, brand consistency, and attention to detail across every external and internal marketing asset.\nLead corporate communications, media strategy, executive messaging, major announcements, award submissions, and reputation management.\n 4. Product Marketing & Go-to-Market Leadership\nOwn product marketing across the Summit K12 portfolio, including market segmentation, buyer insights, positioning, messaging, packaging, competitive intelligence, launch strategy, and adoption campaigns.\nPartner with Product, Academic, Sales, Professional Development, and Customer Success leaders to create coordinated, high-quality go-to-market plans for new products, enhancements, market entries, and strategic initiatives.\nEnsure Sales and customer-facing teams are equipped with compelling collateral, presentations, demonstrations, case studies, competitive tools, and executive-level value narratives.\nCreate rigorous launch readiness processes, post-launch measurement, and feedback loops that improve execution and accelerate revenue realization.\n 5. Digital, Social Media & AI-Enabled Marketing\nLead an integrated digital strategy spanning website, search, email, social media, paid media, content, webinars, marketing automation, and account-based campaigns.\nEstablish Summit K12 as a sophisticated and influential voice across relevant social platforms, using content and community engagement to reach district leaders, educators, partners, and prospective employees.\nApply AI strategically and responsibly across research, content development, personalization, campaign optimization, analytics, creative workflows, and marketing operations to improve quality, speed, scale, and productivity.\nContinuously evaluate marketing technology, data quality, attribution, and automation capabilities and ensure the technology stack supports efficient growth.\n 6. Executive Visibility, Thought Leadership, Podcasts & Media\nServe as a polished, credible, and engaging public representative of Summit K12 at conferences, board meetings, customer events, panels, webinars, podcasts, media interviews, and executive forums.\nHost and facilitate podcasts, executive interviews, and high-profile conversations with superintendents, education leaders, public officials, dignitaries, association executives, and other influential stakeholders.\nPrepare the CEO and other company leaders for keynote presentations, media appearances, interviews, board discussions, and strategic customer engagements.\nBuild an annual thought-leadership platform that advances Summit K12's point of view on English learner outcomes, instructional innovation, AI in education, assessment, accountability, and other priority topics.\n 7. Education Community Relationships & Strategic Partnerships\nDevelop trusted relationships with superintendents, cabinet-level district administrators, state education leaders, and executives and board members of influential education organizations.\nRepresent Summit K12 with organizations such as NABE, TABE, CABE, ALAS, the Council of the Great City Schools, and similar national and state associations.\nIdentify, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships, sponsorships, media relationships, association programs, and co-marketing opportunities that expand market reach and business value.\nBuild a disciplined stakeholder engagement plan that connects relationship development to brand leadership, customer acquisition, renewal, expansion, and long-term strategic opportunities.\n 8. Events, Conferences & Field Marketing\nSet the strategy and standards for national conferences, regional events, executive roundtables, customer summits, webinars, and field marketing programs.\nEvaluate every major event based on strategic relevance, audience quality, pipeline contribution, customer engagement, partnership value, and measurable return on investment.\nEnsure Summit K12's presence is distinctive, professional, outcomes-oriented, and consistently executed across all event and field experiences.\nPartner closely with Sales and Professional Development to convert events and relationships into qualified opportunities, customer expansion, and stronger market influence.\n 9. Financial Stewardship, Negotiation & Marketing Operations\nOwn annual marketing planning, forecasting, and a multimillion-dollar budget with exceptional fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability.\nNegotiate effectively with agencies, event organizers, media partners, technology providers, contractors, and strategic partners to improve value, terms, quality, and risk management.\nMaintain strong controls over commitments, contracts, approvals, spend, vendor performance, and budget variance; ensure resources are concentrated on the highest-return priorities.\nBuild scalable processes, operating rhythms, project management standards, and quality controls that support reliable execution and accurate executive reporting.\n 10. Team Leadership & Organizational Development\nLead, coach, and develop a high-performing marketing organization of approximately 15-20 professionals across product marketing, communications, digital, content, creative, events, operations, and related functions.\nAssess organizational design, role clarity, capabilities, performance, and succession needs; recruit and retain exceptional talent as the company scales.\nCreate a culture of intellectual rigor, ownership, collaboration, urgency, fiscal responsibility, high standards, and continuous improvement.\nSet clear goals and performance expectations and hold leaders and team members accountable for quality, deadlines, business results, and professional conduct.\n Skills, Knowledge and Expertise REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS\nBachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Education, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.\n12+ years of progressive B2B marketing experience, including significant executive leadership responsibility in EdTech, K-12 SaaS, curriculum, assessment, instructional technology, or a closely related market.\nDemonstrated success building and leading a sophisticated marketing function in a high-growth company and managing teams comparable in size and complexity to approximately 15-20 professionals.\nProven ability to connect marketing strategy and performance to ARR growth, pipeline, NRR, customer expansion, renewal rates, and EBITDA or profitability objectives.\nExperience owning and responsibly managing a multimillion-dollar marketing budget, including forecasting, spend controls, vendor management, contract negotiation, and ROI analysis.\nExceptional written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and executive communication skills, with the ability to produce and edit clear, persuasive, accurate, board- and customer-ready materials.\nStrong executive presence and public speaking experience with senior district leaders, conference audiences, media, associations, partners, and other high-profile stakeholders.\nDemonstrated expertise in social media, digital marketing, modern demand generation, marketing analytics, automation, and AI-enabled marketing workflows.\nDeep understanding of the K-12 market, district decision-making and procurement cycles, state and national education ecosystems, and the needs of superintendent and cabinet-level buyers.\nWillingness and ability to travel approximately 50% of the time.\n HIGHLY PREFERRED EXPERIENCE\nA senior marketing leadership role at a leading EdTech company that scaled to or beyond $100 million in ARR.\nMeaningful leadership involvement in a successful strategic sale, private equity transaction, recapitalization, or other company exit.\nExperience supporting rapid national expansion, new category creation, multiple product lines, and a transition from founder-led growth to a scalable operating model.\nEstablished relationships with superintendents, senior district administrators, association executives, state leaders, and influential K-12 organizations.\nExperience hosting podcasts, moderating panels, conducting executive interviews, and facilitating conversations with high-profile education leaders, public officials, or dignitaries.\nExperience in English learner, multilingual learner, literacy, assessment, accountability, professional development, or related K-12 markets.\n LEADERSHIP PROFILE\nExceptional strategic and analytical horsepower; learns complex markets quickly and makes sound, evidence-based judgments.\nMeticulous attention to detail and an uncompromising commitment to accuracy, quality, and polished written communication.\nFinancially disciplined and commercially minded, with the confidence to challenge assumptions, prioritize rigorously, and say no to low-return spending.\nA skilled negotiator who protects company interests while building durable, high-trust relationships.\nA compelling storyteller and confident public speaker who can engage a boardroom, a conference audience, a superintendent, or a podcast guest with equal effectiveness.\nLow ego, high accountability, and highly collaborative across functions; able to influence without relying solely on authority.\nHands-on when necessary, but capable of building systems, leaders, and processes that scale.\nEnergized by ambitious growth, measurable outcomes, and the opportunity to build a market-leading company.\n \nWHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FIRST 12 MONTHSStrategy, Organization & Operating Discipline\n\nComplete a rigorous assessment of the market, brand, team, budget, technology, agencies, events, customer journey, and current marketing performance.\nDeliver and begin executing a board- and Senior Staff-ready marketing strategy with clear priorities, accountabilities, investment levels, and quarterly outcomes.\nEstablish a high-performing organizational structure, role clarity, operating cadence, quality standards, and talent plan for the Marketing team.\nImplement disciplined budget controls, vendor scorecards, contract standards, and monthly forecasting with strong budget adherence.\n Revenue & Go-to-Market Impact\nCreate reliable dashboards that connect marketing activity to qualified pipeline, ARR, conversion, customer expansion, renewal support, NRR, and ROI.\nImprove sales and marketing alignment, account-based planning, launch readiness, sales enablement, and follow-through from campaigns and events.\nIncrease marketing's measurable contribution to new ARR and expansion ARR while supporting company goals for renewal rates above 95%.\nEstablish a repeatable, cross-functional go-to-market model for priority products and market initiatives.\n Brand, Influence & Executive Engagement\nSharpen Summit K12's corporate and product positioning and increase brand visibility with district decision-makers and influential education organizations.\nLaunch an executive thought-leadership and media plan that includes speaking engagements, podcasts, interviews, customer stories, and targeted social content.\nDeepen strategic relationships with national and state associations, superintendents, district executives, partners, and other key market influencers.\nDemonstrate measurable improvement in event quality, strategic relevance, lead conversion, customer engagement, and ROI.\n Benefits At Summit K12, we are committed to pay transparency and equitable compensation practices. The posted salary range reflects the scope of the role and current market benchmarks. Final compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, your experience, skills, and qualifications. All offers are made with consideration for the individual candidate’s backgroun