Product Marketing Manager, Graduate Programs

Fairfield University is a co-educational, comprehensive Jesuit

university with a 200-acre campus located along the scenic

shoreline community of Fairfield, CT. The University is comprised

of approximately 3,500 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students

pursuing degrees within 5 schools: The College of Arts and

Sciences, The Charles F. Dolan School of Business, The School of

Engineering, The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health

Studies, and School of Education and Human Development. As an

expression of our Jesuit, Catholic mission and identity, Fairfield

embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging

critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering

ethical and religious values.

Job Description

Position Summary

The Product Marketing Manager, Graduate Programs plays a strategic

role within the Department of Strategic Initiatives at Fairfield

University, serving as the steward of market-facing positioning,

and program knowledge for the University’s graduate academic

portfolio. Working in close collaboration with the Director of

Online Programs and Fairfield University’s Director of Graduate

Marketing, this role ensures graduate programs are clearly

differentiated, accurately represented, and discoverable throughout

the prospective student journey. The Product Marketing Manager

translates academic offerings into compelling, audience-centered

narratives that support enrollment growth while aligning with the

University’s mission and brand.

Key Responsibilities

Program Positioning & Messaging

• Develops and maintains clear positioning, value propositions,

and key messaging that articulate graduate program strengths,

outcomes, and differentiation.

• Supports product-aligned content strategy in partnership with

the Associate Director of Graduate Marketing to support program

launches, growth, and refreshes.

Market & Audience Insight

• Works closely with the Academic Program Strategist to translate

market and competitive insights into actional program positioning

and messaging strategies.

• Leverages search behavior, SEO insights, and emerging AI-driven

discovery trends (AIO) to inform program discoverability and

prospective student intent.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partners with graduate program directors, Deans, enrollment

leadership, and admissions teams to ensure alignment between

academic priorities and enrollment goals.

• Leads monitoring, project planning, and online management of

graduate program initiatives ensuring clear ownership,

accountability, and progress toward enrollment goals.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Leverages data and reporting tools to evaluate how program

positioning impacts engagement, inquiry, and enrollment

outcomes.

• Applies performance insights to refine messaging, inform

recommendations, and support long-term graduate portfolio

strategy.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree is required in Marketing, Communications,

Business, Education or a related field.

Knowledge & Skills

• Demonstrated ability to translate market research, competitive

insights, and academic offerings into clear positioning and value

propositions.

• Experience leveraging market data, search behavior, and

performance indicators to inform strategic recommendations.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the

ability to work effectively across academic, enrollment, and

marketing stakeholders.

• Strong project planning and organizational skills, with the

ability to manage multiple initiatives across a graduate

portfolio.

• Strong understanding of the higher education landscape,

particularly graduate program models.

Experience

• Minimum of 3–5 years of relevant experience in product

marketing, program strategy, market research, enrollment strategy,

or academic program administration.

• Experience supporting academic programs in higher education

strongly preferred.

• Proven success working cross-functionally with academic

leaders, enrollment teams, and marketing partners to support

program growth and differentiation.

• Familiarity with digital discovery environments (e.g., SEO,

AI-driven search) and how prospective students evaluate

programs.

REPORTS TO: Director, Online Programs

LOCATION: Fairfield, CT

Category

President - Admin

Performs such other duties, responsibilities, and activities as

required by supervisor and as departmental/University needs

indicate.

• Disclaimer

The above information indicates the general nature and level of

work performed by employees within this classification. It is not

designed to contain and should not be interpreted as a

comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities,

activities, and/or qualifications required or expected of employees

assigned to this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may

change and new ones may be assigned at any time, with or without

notice.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a satisfactory

background check.

Fairfield University provides equal employment opportunities to all

employees and applicants for employment and prohibits

discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race,

color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status,

genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender

identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by

federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and

conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement,

promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of

absence, compensation and training.

Load a resume or CV first, then upload supporting documents

including a cover letter at the bottom of the third page under the

"My Experience" section where it says to upload a Resume/CV.

You will be able to upload up to 5 other documents in this section.

You will be unable to edit your application, so please have all

documents available before applying. Faculty Positions : If

you need to upload more than 5 documents, please either combine

them to upload or email the additional documents to the applicable

contact in the job description. Staff positions : If you

need to upload more than 5 documents, please either combine them to

upload or email them to hr@fairfield.edu