: Head Digital Marketing

Position: Head – Digital Marketing

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Experience: 15+ Years

Industry: Higher Education / University

Reporting To: Senior Management / Vice Chancellor / Registrar / Marketing & Admissions Leadership

Position Overview

KLH University, Hyderabad, is looking for an experienced and results-oriented Head – Digital Marketing to lead the university's complete digital marketing function.

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of experience in digital marketing, preferably with significant exposure to education, higher education, EdTech, B2C, or other lead-generation-driven businesses.

The candidate will be responsible for developing and executing an integrated digital marketing strategy covering brand building, student acquisition, admissions lead generation, performance marketing, SEO, SEM, social media, content, websites, CRM, marketing automation, analytics, reputation management and digital communications.

The role requires a strong combination of strategic leadership, hands-on digital expertise, data-driven decision-making and team management.

Key Responsibilities

1. Digital Marketing Strategy

Develop and own the overall digital marketing strategy for KL University Hyderabad. Create annual, quarterly and monthly digital marketing plans aligned with university admissions and brand objectives.

Develop digital strategies for UG, PG, doctoral, executive and other academic programmes.

Identify target student segments and develop appropriate digital acquisition strategies.

Define digital marketing KPIs, budgets, targets and ROI expectations.

Stay updated with digital marketing trends, AI tools, platform changes and emerging technologies.

1. Performance Marketing & Admissions Lead Generation

Own the complete performance marketing function across: Google Ads / Google Search

YouTube advertising

Meta Ads – Facebook and Instagram

LinkedIn Ads

Display advertising

Programmatic advertising

Remarketing / retargeting

Regional and vernacular campaigns

Education portals and relevant third-party platforms

Affiliate and partner campaigns, where appropriate

Responsibilities include

Develop campaign strategies for admissions and lead generation.

Manage CPL, CPA, conversion rate, ROAS and overall acquisition cost.

Continuously optimize campaigns based on performance data.

Build lead-generation funnels from awareness to application and enrollment.

Coordinate with the admissions team to improve lead quality and conversion.

Establish attribution models to identify the actual contribution of different digital channels.

Prepare daily, weekly and monthly performance dashboards.

1. SEO & Organic Growth

Own the university's complete SEO strategy. Develop technical, on-page and off-page SEO programs.

Improve rankings for university, course, location and admission-related keywords.

Develop SEO strategies for Hyderabad and other target markets.

Manage keyword research, competitor analysis and content optimization.

Improve organic traffic, organic leads and organic applications.

Work with web developers to address technical SEO issues.

Develop strategies for Google Discover, featured snippets and AI/search visibility where relevant.

1. Website & Landing Pages

Own the digital performance of the university website and admission landing pages. Improve website UX, navigation and conversion rates.

Develop high-converting landing pages for individual programs and campaigns.

Implement and monitor CRO initiatives.

Ensure website content is accurate, current and optimized for SEO.

Work closely with IT/web development teams on website speed, mobile optimization, tracking and technical improvements.

Establish proper GA4, Google Tag Manager, Search Console and conversion tracking.

1. Social Media Management

Lead the university's social media strategy across:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

LinkedIn

X/Twitter

Other relevant emerging platforms

Responsibilities

Develop monthly and annual social media strategies.





Build the university's digital brand and reputation.

Create content calendars and campaign themes.

Increase engagement, reach and follower quality.

Develop student-centric content.

Promote campus life, academics, placements, research, faculty, achievements, events and alumni stories.

Develop reels, short-form videos, testimonials and influencer-led content.

Manage social media campaigns for admissions and brand building.

1. Content Marketing

Build a comprehensive digital content strategy. Lead blogs, articles, videos, infographics, ebooks, webinars and student stories.

Develop content around courses, careers, admissions, placements, campus life and student experiences.

Create content specifically for search and lead generation.

Work with internal academic and subject-matter experts to create authoritative content.

Use AI-assisted content tools while maintaining quality, originality and institutional credibility.

1. YouTube & Video Marketing

Develop the university's YouTube growth strategy. Plan long-form and short-form video content.

Develop faculty interviews, student testimonials, campus videos, course explainers and placement stories.

Improve YouTube SEO, CTR, watch time, retention and subscriber growth.

Run YouTube advertising campaigns.

Build a robust video content ecosystem for admissions and brand building.

1. CRM, Marketing Automation & Lead Nurturing

Own the digital lead-nurturing strategy in coordination with admissions. Integrate digital campaigns with CRM systems.

Develop automated communication journeys through:

Email

SMS

WhatsApp

Push notifications

Remarketing

Segment leads based on course, geography, engagement and stage in the admissions funnel.

Develop lead scoring and qualification models.

Improve lead-to-application and application-to-enrollment conversion rates.

Monitor the complete student acquisition funnel.

1. Analytics & Marketing Intelligence

Establish a robust digital analytics framework covering: Traffic Leads Qualified Leads Applications Admissions Enrollments

Own GA4 and marketing analytics.

Develop executive dashboards using tools such as Looker Studio, Power BI or equivalent platforms.

Track channel-level performance.

Analyze CAC, CPL, CPA, conversion rate, ROAS and enrollment contribution.

Identify high-performing geographies, programs, audiences and channels.

Develop predictive and data-driven marketing strategies.

Present actionable insights to senior management.

1. Online Reputation Management

Monitor the university's online reputation. Track Google reviews, social media sentiment and online discussions.

Develop reputation management strategies.

Coordinate with relevant university departments to address genuine student concerns.

Promote positive student, faculty, alumni and institutional stories.

Establish a crisis communication process for digital channels.

1. Influencer & Digital Partnerships

Identify relevant education influencers, creators and digital communities. Develop influencer marketing campaigns.

Build partnerships with educational platforms and digital publishers.

Measure influencer campaigns based on reach, engagement and admissions contribution.

Develop student ambassador and alumni digital advocacy programs.

1. AI & Emerging Digital Technologies

The Head – Digital Marketing should actively explore the use of AI in:

Marketing automation

Content creation

Personalization

Lead scoring

Predictive analytics

Chatbots

Student communication

SEO

Creative development

Campaign optimization

Competitive intelligence The candidate should be capable of identifying practical AI applications that improve marketing efficiency,



lead quality and enrollment conversion.

Team Leadership The candidate will build and lead a high-performance digital marketing team comprising, as required:

Performance Marketing

SEO

Social Media

Content

Graphic Design

Video Production

Website/CRO

CRM/Marketing Automation

Analytics

Digital Communications

Responsibilities include

Hiring and developing digital talent.

Setting individual and team KPIs.

Managing internal teams and agencies.

Establishing processes and SOPs.

Conducting performance reviews.

Building a culture of experimentation and data-driven decision-making.

Agency & Vendor Management

Manage digital marketing agencies and specialized vendors.

Evaluate agency performance against agreed KPIs.

Ensure efficient utilization of digital marketing budgets.

Manage negotiations, contracts and deliverables.

Bring appropriate functions in-house where strategically beneficial.

Ensure transparency in campaign reporting and media spends.

Key Performance Indicators The Head – Digital Marketing will be evaluated on measurable outcomes such as:

Qualified admissions leads

Cost per qualified lead

Applications generated

Application conversion rate

Enrollment conversion rate

Cost per acquisition

Digital marketing ROI / ROAS

Organic traffic growth

Organic lead growth

Website conversion rate

Social media engagement and reach

YouTube growth and engagement

Brand search volume

Digital share of voice

Lead quality

Marketing-attributed enrollments

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

15+ years of overall experience in digital marketing.

At least 5+ years in a senior leadership / Head / Director / VP-level digital marketing role preferred.

Technical Expertise

Strong knowledge of

Google Ads

Meta Ads

YouTube Ads

LinkedIn Ads

SEO

SEM

GA4

Google Tag Manager

Google Search Console

CRM

Marketing automation

WhatsApp marketing

Email marketing

Social media

Content marketing

CRO

Web analytics

Power BI / Looker Studio

Attribution and funnel analytics

AI marketing tools

Educational Qualification

MBA / PGDM in Marketing, Digital Marketing, Business Management or related discipline preferred.

Bachelor's degree in any relevant discipline.

Additional certifications in Google Ads, Analytics, Meta, SEO, CRM or digital marketing are desirable.

Personal Attributes The successful candidate should be:

Highly strategic but comfortable being hands-on.

Data-driven and commercially focused.

Strong in leadership and team building.

Creative and customer-centric.

Excellent at stakeholder management.

Comfortable working with senior university leadership.

Strong in communication and presentation.

Fast in decision-making and execution.

Comfortable managing multiple campaigns simultaneously.

Passionate about technology, AI and digital transformation.

First 90-Day Expectations

Within the first 90 days, the candidate should:

Conduct a complete audit of KL University's digital ecosystem.

Audit SEO, website, social media, paid media, CRM and analytics.

Review the existing admissions funnel.

Identify major leakages from lead application enrollment.

Establish a unified digital marketing dashboard.

Review agency and vendor performance.

Develop a 12-month digital marketing strategy.

Establish channel-wise budgets and KPIs.

Launch quick-win performance marketing and CRO initiatives.

Build a roadmap for AI-powered marketing automation and personalization.

Overall Mandate The Head – Digital Marketing will be accountable for making KL University Hyderabad a digitally dominant higher-education brand and for building a measurable digital acquisition engine that contributes directly to admissions, enrollment, brand equity and student engagement.

The role is therefore not limited to social media or advertising. It covers the entire digital marketing ecosystem — strategy, performance marketing, SEO, website, content, social media, video, CRM, automation, analytics, reputation management, AI, agencies, technology and admissions conversion

📌 Head Digital Marketing (Hyderabad)
🏢 K L University
📍 Hyderabad