Director, Engagement (San Diego)

We’re a nationally recognized nonprofit that partners with 7,500 schools across the country and internationally to shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach, closing the opportunity gap so thatALL students are prepared for college, career, and life. And the results? Well,they speak for themselves .

AVID serves more than 2 million students annually, equipping them with the tools to think critically, collaborate, and set high expectations to confidently tackle the challenges ahead. We accomplish this by training over 85,000 educators each year through in-person and virtual professional learning that builds capacity for lasting change.

WHAT IS THE JOB?

The Director of Engagement leads the strategy and execution of integrated marketing efforts across brand, campaigns, and audience engagement. This role balances high-level planning with hands-on execution, ensuring alignment across channels and teams to drive awareness, growth, and impact.

The Director oversees a cross-functional team responsible for email marketing, digital engagement, analytics, and field marketing. The role partners closely with internal stakeholders across creative, editorial, communications, and product to develop coordinated efforts that connect meaningfully with priority audiences.

WHY WORK WITH US?

• Competitive Salary: We've done our research and pay generously to attract the best to join our team. That's why we offer all employees the midpoint right from the start. There are no negotiations and no hassle, and you can be confident that you are being valued and offered an equitable salary. See below for our offer rates based on your geography.
  
• Taking Care of You Allowance: All AVID employees (that’s right, ALL employees) receive an extra $10,000 annually to support them in the most meaningful ways: housing costs, transportation, family expenses— whatever your needs may be.
  
• Retirement Planning: AVID Center provides a10% salary contribution to a 403(b) retirement plan plus a $5,000 annual contribution to an exclusive 457(b) retirement plan, beginning after 90-days of full-time employment.*
  
• Remote work: this position requires light to moderate travel (10-15%), but when you are not travelling you work fully remote from your home office anywhere within the contiguous United States.
  
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): This position is eligible for 27 days of PTO per year, with 12 paid holidays plus a winter break in between Christmas and New Year’s Day .
  
• Continued education opportunities: All full-time employees with at least 1 year of continuous AVID Center service are eligible for $5,250 per calendar year in tuition reimbursement for qualifying coursework or certification.
  
• Company-Provided Equipment: Our home office set-up includes a laptop, dock, and extra monitor, with other amenities available on request.
  
• Health and Welfare Plans to Support Every Aspect of Your Well-Being: AVID Center offers several benefits plans through our provider, Cigna, and greatly subsidizes the cost of these plans.
  
• Connect in Person: A yearly All-Staff gathering will allow you to connect in person with the entire AVID team.

* Only director-level positions and above are eligible to participate in AVID's 457(b) retirement plan.

Pay rates for this position:

We bring in all employees at the midpoint of the salary range for your role. Knowing that not all cities share the same cost of labor, we make offers using a tiered approach based on your geographical location. While the majority reside in Zone 1 or Zone 2 areas, we acknowledge variations, even within counties, ensuring fair compensation for all based on their specific location's cost of labor.

For the Director, Engagement position, here is what we will offer:

Zone 1 (areas characterized by lower labor costs (e.g., Charleston, WV, Cleveland, OH, Phoenix, AZ, Omaha, NE, etc.)): $142,691 annually

Zone 2 (areas with moderate labor costs (e.g., Syracuse, NY, Ann Arbor, MI, Denver, CO, San Diego, CA, etc.)): $153,394 annually

Zone 3 (areas known for high labor costs (e.g., Washington, D.C., Trenton, NJ, Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA, etc.)): $164,096 annually

Zone 4 (areas with the highest labor costs (e.g., Bridgeport, CT, New York City, NY, San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, etc.)): $181,932 annually

*The cities listed above are examples only and do not represent an exhaustive list for each salary zone.

WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THIS ROLE?

• Lead the development and implementation of integrated marketing and engagement strategies across channels and audience segments.
• Manage, mentor, and support a high-performing team focused on email, digital marketing, analytics, and field engagement.
• Oversee campaign planning and execution, ensuring clear messaging, audience targeting, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Serve as a key partner to creative, editorial, and communications leads to maintain message consistency and brand alignment.
• Support content development as needed—writing briefs, reviewing copy, shaping campaign narratives, or optimizing content for performance.
• Analyze campaign performance and audience insights to inform strategy and improve outcomes.
• Guide brand stewardship across all external-facing marketing, maintaining consistency in tone, visual identity, and user experience.
• Oversee marketing calendars, project timelines, and budget allocations to ensure timely, efficient, and effective execution.
• Support the development of new processes and systems to improve team operations, collaboration, and reporting.
• Travel, as needed, to AVID Professional Learning events and conferences.
  

WHO ARE YOU?

• You are a strategic marketer who thrives at the intersection of brand, content, and audience engagement—and knows how to turn vision into action.
• You are a campaign architect who loves to build thoughtful, integrated strategies that move audiences through the engagement funnel and inspire meaningful action.
• You are a cross-channel planner who understands how to align email, digital, paid, and field strategies for maximum reach, resonance, and return.
• You are a collaborative leader who develops and mentors high-performing teams with clarity, empathy, and a focus on results.
• You are a data-driven decision maker who uses analytics and audience insights to inform, adjust, and elevate campaign performance.
• You are a skilled communicator who can write a brief, edit a message, shape a narrative, or offer creative feedback to keep content on brand and on point.
• You are a systems thinker who brings structure to complexity—organizing calendars, timelines, and workflows to keep efforts moving forward efficiently.
• You are a brand steward who ensures consistency in voice, tone, and experience across every touchpoint with your audiences.
• You are a mission-aligned leader who understands the power of education and is energized by the opportunity to help tell stories that drive impact and equity.
• You are a doer and a leader who is equally comfortable contributing to the strategic vision of the team as you are rolling up your sleeves and diving into the weeds.
• You hold 7–10 years of experience in marketing, communications, or engagement roles—including at least 2 years of team leadership—and bring a blend of strategic insight and hands-on know-how.
  

*Allowable Substitutions: Any combination of experience, training, or credential certification endorsement that provides the incumbent/applicant with the knowledge, skills, and ability required to perform the work, as determined by AVID Center. Qualifying work experience, as identified by the VP, People Operations, may substitute for the education requirement.

AVID Center is committed to complying with federal, state, and local laws on employee vaccinations, and candidates and employees should be aware that the full vaccination against COVID-19 may be required in the future. Due to some district requirements, AVID Center may not assign employees to an in-person event in schools or districts unless they are fully up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations. AVID Center is an equal opportunity employer and will provide reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law.

AVID Center prides itself on the diversity of our workplace and continuously seeks to recruit individuals who will enhance this diversity and, ultimately, the effectiveness of our organization. To demonstrate this commitment, we encourage all who are truly excited about this role to apply, even if they don’t meet every requirement. We believe that people who are passionate about what they do can succeed in this role or in other roles within our organization.

Qualifications

Experience

Required

2 years:

2 years:

Team leadership and supervisory experience.

7-10