Associate Director, Leasing & Marketing

POSITION: Associate Director, Leasing & Marketing

COMPENSATION: Pursuant to applicable regulations, if this job is performed in a relevant State, the salary range is $95,000-$125,000 plus bonus potential. Eligible to participate in the company benefits plan. We offer health, vision, dental, and pet insurance. We offer a 401(k) retirement plan, student loan assistance, licensing and continuing education reimbursement, parental leave, and housing allowances or gifts.

REPORTS TO: Director, Sales & Marketing

SUMMARY:

The Associate Director of Leasing and Marketing sits at the nexus of business and innovative leasing tactics for a portfolio of class A, resident experience-focused, student housing communities across the country. As an analytics expert and decision-maker, you are primarily responsible for translating data, financial and market trends from what is in the industry to what could and should be as the industry continues to evolve.

You will be supported by a team of in-market Community Sales & Marketing Managers who will give you real-time information as well as a team of dedicated multifamily Portfolio Sales & Marketing managers who can take your facts-based visions to fruition using a cutting-edge marketing platform powered by Cardinal Group Companies.

As the primary driver of Sales & Marketing performance, you will be based out of the client’s headquarters, providing in the flow of work collaboration and agility in decision-making - creating strong and consistent relationships with stakeholders in all verticals.

The successful candidate has a deep understanding of vertical-specific business cycles, seasonal marketing trends, and strategy surrounding the preparation for key leasing windows as a core competency. Exceptional communication skills and the ability to speak to market performance drivers and root cause analysis is key. The Associate Director of Sales and Marketing reports to the Director of Sales and Marketing with Cardinal Group Companies a resource to this role in actively seeking ongoing guidance, coaching, and strategic support; especially related to client relations and customized strategic support.

RESPONSIBILITIES (Including but not limited to):

• Responsible for the sales and marketing success of a portfolio of high-end, customer experience focused student housing assets - ensuring each community hits its leasing goals, stays in line with the market and performs as well or better than in the prior year.
• Creates and maintains weekly leasing and marketing summaries, outlining risks and re-calibrations with sound business reasoning to support recommendations and strategy.
• Directly manage a team of Portfolio Sales and Marketing Managers (PSMs) and Community Sales & Marketing Managers, providing coaching, data-focused strategy insight, support, and ensuring continuity across the position.
• Collaborate with PSMs for needs analysis and production of collateral development and execute/launch custom marketing campaigns as needed for strategic marketing efforts or specific market needs.
• Strategic Planning leadership for department-lead onsite sales and marketing and roadmap initiatives on a quarterly, bi-annual, and annual basis, including in preparation for both academic and calendar-year budget seasons relating to Student Housing.
• Assist in the review and approval process of all design projects that are quoted over $2,500 in addition to providing recommendations on preferred vendors, as well as assist with presenting options and approved designs to stakeholders for feedback.
• Effective time management and prioritization of critical needs to manage the expectations and ongoing shifting of priorities related to covering a typical number of communities.
• Utilize reporting dashboards, internal marketing team members, and agency partners to proactively and routinely monitor marketing tactics and property or portfolio performance; communicating key findings in a manner where insights and recommendations for improvement or lift are easily understood, attainable, executable and align with property goals/budget.
• Monitor and prioritize actions relating to 'red light' properties weekly, ensuring that the sales and marketing performance evaluations are completed by the PSMs, and recommendations are delivered to stakeholders
• Regular communication with key Operations stakeholders, building a partnership and ongoing collaborative relationship as it relates to property performance, expectations, and ensuring alignment and understanding of key areas of focus and priority projects or communities
• Effective change management oversight as it relates to the rollout of new sales & marketing programs and initiatives, marketing campaign launches, and new vendor relationships and ongoing vendor management; ultimately responsible for efforts resulting in key stakeholder adoption of important Cardinal Group Companies initiatives in which the Sales and Marketing team is a partner and champion
• Manage relationships with internal and external marketing agencies, vendors, ILS providers, lead generation, video, and other partners to build successful partnerships that result in best-in-class marketing results
• Utilize and promote the use of approved marketing resources, such as Annual Marketing Plan templates, Outreach Marketing Plan templates, social media planning tools, virtual tour platforms, and other tools needed in an ever-changing environment
• Responsible for creating customized lease-up strategic marketing plans for all incoming lease up properties, working in conjunction with development partners, investment partners, clients, assigned PSMs and Operations stakeholders
• Act as either project manager, consultant, or with direct agency oversight for projects relating to property naming, branding and identity creation, and development of brand narrative; involvement level is determined by open communication with Director of Sales and Marketing, Portfolio Manager, Director of Operations and Client partners
• Lead and inspire the Portfolio Sales & Marketing Managers through regular creative brainstorming to come up with out of the box solutions for onsite team members to market their communities and engage with current residents.
• Manage and update the PSM Redbooks and SOPs to ensure continued accuracy.
• Ability to embody the Cardinal Culture and Cardinal Core values every day

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• High proficiency in Entrata with a working knowledge of its capabilities and API integrations across many ILS providers.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Public Relations, Communications, or a related field preferred, or combined level of related years of work experience and direct capabilities and skill set
• Student housing marketing experience preferred
• Ability to quickly analyze and obtain a deep understanding of assigned markets as it relates to property locations, whether large DMA or sub-markets
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple marketing campaigns and brands simultaneously
• Strong attention to detail, highly organized and committed to perfection while being able to quickly and simply communicate the same outwardly.
• Must be creative, efficient, and willing to learn
• Exceptional writing, grammar, and proofreading skills
• Overnight travel may be required to attend company functions, training, property visits, and other situations necessary for the accomplishment of special projects that may be assigned from time to time
• Ability to travel 2-3 weeks per quarter (25%), plus additional travel during Student Housing Turn season to assist where needed

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a Team Member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Incumbents work in an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the Team Member is regularly required to use hands to finger, type, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The Team Member is frequently required to stand, walk; reach with hands and arms, and stoop, or squat. The Team Member is often required to sit. The Team Member must be able to push, pull, lift, carry, or maneuver office products and supplies of up to twenty (20) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their Team Leader.

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