Summary
Description
Job Summary
CU Boulder is seeking a visionary and strategic leader to serve as the inaugural Director of Visitor Experience within the division of Enrollment Management! Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing, Communications, and Visits, this high-impact, high-visibility role will lead the design and execution of dynamic and engaging campus visitor experiences that are welcoming to all! The Director will oversee a comprehensive portfolio of visit programs, ranging from large-scale events to personalized small-group visits, aimed at prospective students from middle school through graduate school. This position is central to shaping how future students experience CU Boulder, ensuring every visit reflects the university’s values, culture, and academic excellence.
As the architect of CU Boulder’s visitor experience strategy, this position will blend operational excellence with experiential marketing to create immersive, emotionally resonant, and brand-aligned experiences that inspire prospective students and their families. This role also includes oversight of the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) building, ensuring it functions as a welcoming, accessible, and strategically utilized space for campus visits and the university. This role will directly influence key enrollment outcomes and help shape the future of how CU Boulder is experienced—both on-campus and virtually.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Who We Are
As one of only 35 U.S. public research institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU), CU Boulder is about realizing the positive impacts of new knowledge.
From offering dozens of exciting programs in a range of academic fields, to serving as one of the world’s most dynamic research and innovation hubs, to working closely through hundreds of public outreach efforts with communities across Colorado and the world, we take pride in helping our students, faculty, staff, and partners turn new insights into productive outcomes that change lives.
Responsibilities
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
Visitor Experience Strategy & Operations
Lead the strategic vision and operational execution of CU Boulder’s visitor experience, redefining the prospective student journey through data-driven insights, innovation, and alignment with institutional goals.
- Design a Transformative Roadmap: Develop and lead a multi-year strategic roadmap to elevate the visitor experience, grounded in guest lifecycle insights, industry standard processes, and CU Boulder’s broader enrollment and marketing goals.
- Champion Innovation & Guest-Centric Culture: Lead with a guest-first approach by embedding hospitality, excellence, and continuous improvement into daily operations. Inspire and empower teams to embrace guest-centric principles, fostering innovation, and elevating the overall guest experience.
- Align with Institutional Strategy: Ensure all visitor experience initiatives are strategically aligned with CU Boulder’s institutional vision and Enrollment Management’s goals for enrollment, innovation, marketing, and student engagement.
- Experience Optimization: Proactively identify and implement new programs, technologies, and operational enhancements that meet the evolving needs of a variety of prospective student populations. Scale innovative practices that improve guest satisfaction, team performance, and operational efficiency.
- Lead the End-to-End Experience: Strategize and manage the full visitor journey—both on-campus and virtually—from initial awareness to enrollment. Ensure each touchpoint builds upon the last, creating a cohesive and differentiated experience across the prospective student journey.
- Deliver Operational Excellence: Provide strategic and operational leadership for all visit programs and events, ensuring seamless execution that reflects CU Boulder’s brand identity and values.
- Foster a Culture of Hospitality: Set the standard for excellence, consistency, and warmth in every guest interaction. Ensure all events and experiences leave a lasting, positive impression.
- Be a Visible Leader: Represent the university by leading or supporting visit programs as needed, modeling best-in-class guest engagement.
Leadership & Collaboration
Provide strategic leadership across Enrollment Management and serve as a key connector between departments, divisions, and external partners to ensure a unified, guest-centered approach to the visitor experience.
- Strategic Leadership: Serve as a leader within Enrollment Management, contributing to division-wide strategy, decision-making, and cross-functional alignment.
- Marketing Integration: Partner closely with the Director of Marketing and Communications to ensure cohesive storytelling and alignment between marketing campaigns and visit experiences.
- Recruitment Alignment: Partner closely with the Director of Recruitment to ensure campus visit experiences are strategically aligned with recruitment goals, audience segmentation, and outreach efforts. Collaborate on initiatives that support the full prospective student journey—from initial interest through enrollment—by integrating visit programming with recruitment strategies and timelines.
- Precollege Program Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the Director of Precollege Outreach and Engagement to align campus visit experiences with early outreach and pipeline initiatives. Ensure that visit programming supports the unique needs of first-generation middle and high school students and families, reinforces CU Boulder’s commitment to access and equity, and complements broader precollege engagement strategies.
- Executive Representation: Represent the Assistant Vice Chancellor as needed, using sound judgment and discretion in high-level decision-making.
- Constituent Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal partners—including Admissions, Precollege, Student Financial Services, Enrollment Business Solutions, Student Life, and Strategic Relations—as well as external partners such as CU System, school districts, and community-based organizations.
- Cross-Campus Alignment: Foster cross-campus collaboration to ensure cohesive, funnel-driven experiential marketing efforts that engage prospective students at every stage of their journey.
- Institutional Collaboration: Engage with senior leaders across the university to secure support, foster collaboration, and ensure the success of critical initiatives.
Team Development & Management
Lead and inspire a high-performing Visitor Experience team, fostering a culture of care, collaboration, and continuous improvement that reflects CU Boulder’s values and commitment to student success.
- Team Oversight: Responsible for a team of 10 full-time staff and 100+ student ambassadors, including multiple supervisory layers.
- Culture Building: Create a positive, inclusive, and student-centered team environment where every member feels valued, empowered, and accountable.
- Professional Development: Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to support individual growth and team excellence.
- Operational Clarity: Establish clear roles, priorities, and communication practices to ensure alignment and efficiency across all team functions.
- Process Improvement: Build and maintain systems, processes, and training programs that support operational excellence and balanced workloads.
- Cross-Team Collaboration: Promote collaboration with Enrollment Management units and departments to ensure a unified EM approach to supporting students and families.
CASE Building Oversight
Ensure the CASE building operates seamlessly to advance CU Boulder’s goals for visitor experience, academic engagement, and community connection.
- Strategic Oversight: Lead the day-to-day management of the CASE building, ensuring alignment with university priorities and the needs of students, staff, and faculty.
- Collaborative Governance: Partner with the CASE Advisory Board and related committees to guide building operations, policies, and space utilization—including retail, food service, and office areas.
- Budget & Operations: Manage the CASE building budget and oversee operational systems, including room/event reservations and vendor coordination.
- Safety & Security: Develop, implement, and maintain building safety and security protocols to ensure a welcoming and secure environment.
- Engagement & Reporting: Foster regular campus community involvement in building operations and provide monthly usage and program reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor.
Analysis & Research
Use data and insights to continuously improve the visitor experience and inform strategic decision-making.
- Data Analysis: Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of visit programs and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Insight Integration: Collaborate with analytics and research teams to uncover behavioral insights, segment prospective student audiences, and evaluate how visit experiences influence key conversion outcomes.
- Strategy Activation: Translate insights into actionable strategies that enhance guest engagement, personalization, and long-term impact.
- Performance Measurement: Use a test-and-learn approach to try out new ideas for campus visits, track what works and what doesn’t, and use data and feedback to continuously improve the visitor experience. Assess potential risks—operational, reputational, or experiential—associated with new initiatives and implement mitigation strategies as needed.
- Trend Monitoring: Stay informed on industry trends and best practices to ensure CU Boulder’s visit experiences remain innovative and competitive.
Training, Compliance & Safety
Ensure all visit experiences are delivered with excellence, consistency, and in full compliance with university policies and safety standards.
- Training Strategy and Protocol Leadership: Lead the development and ongoing refinement of training protocols for staff and student ambassadors, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of campus visit programs, presentations, and guest interactions.
- Compliance Oversight: Ensure adherence to university policies, legal regulations, and operational procedures across all visit experiences.
- Safety Coordination: Collaborate with the Division of Public Safety to implement and regularly train staff on safety protocols and emergency procedures.
- Quality Assurance: Approve and certify staff readiness to lead visit experiences, ensuring alignment with CU Boulder’s standards of excellence.
Budget Management
Oversee and optimize the Visitor Experience operating budget to ensure responsible spending, strategic alignment, and measurable return on investment.
- Budget oversight: Annual Visitor Experience operating budget oversight of approximately $680,000-$780,000. Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and meet regularly with the Director of Budget to ensure effective budget management.
- Return on investment: Ensure budget is enhanced to meet the goals of EM and the university. Conduct ROI analysis to ensure funds are used wisely and delivering on objectives.
Professional Development And Other Duties
Foster a culture of continuous learning, inclusive leadership practices, and innovation through team and personal professional development, while staying informed on trends that impact CU Boulder’s unique and varied student population.
- Team professional development: Ensures team members have a professional development plan that incorporates and encourages standard processes.
- Personal professional development: Attend conferences and professional institutes to stay relevant and build a professional network that enhances the potential for innovation at CU Boulder.
- Build and sustain inclusive environments: Embody a commitment to equity and inclusion by staying current on research, policies, and trends affecting students of varied backgrounds. Apply this knowledge to create and sustain an environment where all students feel respected, supported, and empowered.
What You Should Know
- Hybrid work schedule with some nights and weekends for prospective student events.
What We Can Offer
- The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $130,000 annually.
- Bonus and relocation may be offered based on departmental guidelines.
Benefits
The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .
Be Statements
Be courageous. Be visionary. Be Boulder.
What We Require
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.
- At least five years of progressively responsible experience in areas such as campus visit programs, enrollment management, student affairs, experiential marketing, event planning, or related fields.
- Demonstrated leadership experience, including staff supervision, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic planning.
What You Will Need
- Planning and carrying out strategies in line with institutional enrollment goals.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively solve problems.
- Ability to build partnerships and work collaboratively to meet shared objectives.
- Proven ability to design and deliver impactful in-person and virtual experiences for diverse audiences.
- Skilled in clear and effective communication through both verbal and written channels, along with strong presentation capabilities.
- Experience managing complex projects with multiple partners and competing priorities.
- High level of energy, enthusiasm, and integrity.
- Skilled in collaboration and relationship building across departments and partners.
- Ability to supervise and guide staff through goal-setting, prioritization, and mentorship.
- Proven success in building and maintaining a positive team culture.
- Deep understanding of a variety of prospective student populations.
- Strong commitment to providing an extraordinary student experience.
- Exemplify excellence by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
- Gain confidence and trust through honesty, authenticity, and accountability.
- Represent the university with professionalism and enthusiasm in public-facing situations.
- Communicate key and critical information in a timely and efficient manner.
- Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Strong digital literacy including Microsoft 365 apps (SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), email tools, and web-based applications.
- Experience in data analysis and ROI to assess program effectiveness and inform decisions.
- Create innovative approaches to improve organizational success.
What We Would Like You To Have
- Master’s degree in higher education, marketing, communications, hospitality, business, or a related field.
- 10 or more years of professional experience in campus visit programs, enrollment management, student affairs, experiential marketing, event planning, or related fields.
- Experience leading teams through change and supporting leadership initiatives to improve recruiting and retention efforts across campus.
- Proven experience in developing and delivering impactful visit or event experiences for prospective students or other key audiences.
- Experience developing and implementing strategic visitor experience frameworks that align with brand identity and institutional values.
Special Instructions
To Apply, Please Submit The Following Materials
- A current resume.
- A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.
We may request references at a later time.
Please apply by August 22, 2025, for consideration.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
