Marketing Analytics & Insights Consultant
Minerva University · San Francisco, CA ·
- Work mode
- Remote
- Employment
- Contract
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- Marketing
Minerva University · San Francisco, CA ·
About Minerva University
Minerva University is a radically different kind of university, designed to prepare students to solve the world's most complex challenges. Our globally distributed model, rigorous curriculum, and emphasis on active learning create an educational experience unlike traditional higher education.
We are seeking an experienced Marketing Analytics & Insights Consultant to help Minerva identify new opportunities to increase qualified leads and applications through smarter, more effective digital marketing.
The Opportunity
Minerva is looking for a seasoned digital marketing expert, researcher, strategic analyst and implementer (A “Do-er”) who can quickly assess our current marketing approach, understand the competitive and digital landscape, identify gaps and opportunities, and translate research and data into actionable recommendations/implementation.
This is not primarily a data engineering, business intelligence, or dashboard development role. We need someone who understands how digital marketing works, knows what questions to ask, what data to examine, what research to conduct, and how to turn those findings into action.
The successful consultant will spend significant time researching markets, competitors, audiences, search behavior, acquisition channels, digital trends, and Minerva's marketing performance, then synthesize those findings into clear insights and immediate action items.
A major objective of the engagement is to identify and implement ways to generate more qualified leads and applications with limited incremental marketing investment.
Over the course of the engagement, you will help Minerva University establish a clearer understanding of:
● Where our highest-value prospective students are coming from
● Which marketing channels, campaigns, audiences, and messages are generating results
● Where we are losing prospective students throughout the funnel
● Which investments are producing meaningful incremental outcomes
● Where we have significant data, measurement, or attribution gaps
● How we can generate additional leads and applications without simply increasing spend
● What our marketing team should stop, start, continue, test, and prioritize
● What measurement infrastructure and operating rhythms are needed to sustain data-driven growth
Key Responsibilities
1. Rapid Marketing & Enrollment Diagnostic
Conduct a comprehensive but focused assessment of Minerva's marketing and enrollment funnel, including:
● Marketing strategy, channel mix, campaign performance, and audience segmentation
● Lead generation, lead quality, application conversion, and enrollment conversion
● Funnel performance from initial awareness through application and enrollment
● Historical performance and trends across markets, channels, campaigns, and student segments
● Current marketing spend and resource allocation
● Existing reporting, dashboards, KPIs, attribution methodologies, and data sources
● Gaps in data quality, tracking, attribution, and measurement
● Existing agency, vendor, technology, and martech relationships
● Rapidly identify the highest-impact opportunities and biggest sources of leakage or inefficiency.
2. Marketing Analytics & Insights
Serve as Minerva's dedicated researcher, source of external marketing intelligence and marketing implementer.
Research, analyze, implement:
● Competitor digital marketing strategies
● Competitor positioning and messaging
● Search visibility and keyword opportunities
● Search trends and prospective-student behavior
● Emerging digital marketing channels
● Audience trends
● Market and geographic opportunities
● Competitor content strategies
● SEO and AEO opportunities
● Relevant changes in digital marketing technology and practices
● Higher education and broader consumer acquisition trends
● Develop clear insights about what is changing in the market and what Minerva should consider doing differently as a result.
3. Analyze Marketing Performance
Work with Minerva's existing data and reporting to understand what is and is not working.
Analyze:
● Lead generation
● Lead quality
● Application generation
● Conversion rates
● Cost per lead and cost per application
● Channel performance
● Campaign performance
● Audience performance
● Geographic/market performance
● Website and landing-page behavior
● Search performance
● Historical trends
● Use available analytics and reporting tools to identify patterns, opportunities, and areas requiring further investigation.
The goal is not simply to report performance, but to answer:
Why is this happening? What does it mean? And what should we do about it?
4. Identify Low-Cost Growth Opportunities
A critical focus of the engagement will be identifying opportunities to increase leads and applications without simply increasing marketing spend.
Examples may include:
● Improving organic search performance
● Capturing unmet search demand
● Improving website conversion
● Developing new content opportunities
● Improving campaign targeting
● Refining audience segmentation
● Optimizing existing campaigns
● Improving messaging and positioning
● Re-engaging historical prospects
● Developing referral or partnership opportunities
● Identifying underutilized acquisition channels
● Improving the connection between Marketing, Enrollment, and Admissions
Recommendations should be practical, prioritized, and grounded in evidence.
5. Develop Strategic Insights & Recommendations
Synthesize research, data, and market intelligence into clear recommendations for Minerva leadership.
The consultant should regularly be able to answer:
● What are we seeing?
● Why does it matter?
● What are competitors doing?
● What are prospective students searching for or responding to?
● Where are we underperforming?
● Where are the opportunities?
● What should Minerva test?
● What should we stop doing?
● What should we do more of?
● What can we accomplish without significant additional spend?
Recommendations should be presented in a way that allows leadership to make clear strategic decisions.
6. Present Findings to Leadership & Take Action
Develop concise, compelling presentations and reports that turn research and analysis into actionable implementation.
The consultant will regularly present findings to relevant teams and should be comfortable explaining and taking action on:
● Key findings
● Supporting data
● Market trends
● Competitive insights
● Opportunities
● Risks and considerations
● Recommended actions
● Suggested priorities
Core Tools & Skills
The successful consultant should be highly proficient in:
● Excel / Google Sheets
● SEMrush or comparable SEO/web analytics platforms
● Web analytics and digital marketing research tools
● Presentation tools such as PowerPoint or Google Slides
● Experience with additional analytics, SEO, advertising, CRM, or marketing platforms is welcome but is not the primary focus of the role.
Qualifications
Required:
● Significant professional experience in digital marketing, growth marketing, marketing strategy, or digital marketing consulting
● Strong understanding of the digital marketing landscape and how major acquisition channels work
● Strong knowledge of SEO and emerging AEO/search strategies
● Experience evaluating digital marketing performance and identifying opportunities for improvement
● Strong market and competitive research skills
● Excellent analytical and critical-thinking abilities
● Ability to independently conduct research and turn large amounts of information into clear insights
● Strong Excel/Google Sheets proficiency
● Experience using SEMrush or a comparable SEO/web analytics platform
● Excellent written and verbal communication skills
● Strong presentation and executive communication skills
● Ability to work independently and quickly in a consulting environment
● Ability to move from research → insight → recommendation → action
Preferred:
● Experience in higher education, education technology, student recruitment, or another complex acquisition environment
● Experience marketing to prospective students or other high-consideration audiences
● Experience with international or multi-market marketing
● Experience with Google Ads, Meta Ads, Google Analytics, Search Console, or similar platforms
● Experience with conversion rate optimization
● Experience with content strategy and digital audience development
● Familiarity with AI-driven search and emerging search behavior
● Experience conducting competitive digital marketing audits
● Consulting or agency experience
What Success Looks Like
At the conclusion of the engagement, Minerva should have:
● A clear assessment of our current digital marketing strategy
● A stronger understanding of our competitive and market landscape
● Identification of the most significant gaps and opportunities across our acquisition channels
● A clear picture of where prospective students are searching, discovering, and engaging with universities like Minerva
● Specific recommendations for increasing qualified leads and applications
● Identification of opportunities that can be pursued with minimal incremental budget
● A prioritized digital marketing strategy and opportunity roadmap
● A stronger understanding of SEO, AEO, content, paid media, and other acquisition opportunities
● Based on feedback, implement approved strategies and insights
● Executive-ready market and marketing insights that can inform ongoing strategic decisions
The Ideal Consultant
● We are looking for someone who combines digital marketing expertise with the curiosity and analytical discipline of a researcher, and can take immediate action.
● You should be someone who naturally asks:
“What don't we know?”
● You enjoy digging into competitors, search behavior, market trends, websites, campaigns, audiences, and performance data to uncover opportunities that others may miss.
● You don't need to be a data engineer or build sophisticated analytics infrastructure. Instead, you need to understand what data and information we need, how to find it, how to evaluate it, and what it means for our marketing strategy.
● You should be equally comfortable spending a morning conducting competitive research and an afternoon presenting your findings to senior leadership.
● Most importantly, you should be able to turn research and analysis into clear, practical recommendations that help Minerva generate more qualified leads and applications.
Engagement Details
Engagement Type: Independent Consultant / Consulting Contract
Duration: Approximately 5–6 months
Location: Remote
Expected Start: As soon as possible
Compensation (comenserable upon experience)
Anticipated level of effort: approximately 30–35 hours per week, with the consultant responsible for managing their time and approach to achieve the agreed-upon deliverables.
This engagement is intended for a senior consultant or fractional marketing analytics leader who can hit the ground running, quickly identify the highest-value opportunities, and help Minerva turn data into measurable growth.
Minerva University is committed to building an inclusive and diverse community and encourages qualified professionals from all backgrounds to apply.