Vice President of Marketing *REMOTE*

POSITION: Vice President of Marketing

REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer

About Kesem

We are a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer with innovative, fun-filled programs that foster a lasting community.

About the Position

Kesem seeks a VP of Marketing to lead the organization’s marketing strategy and execution. This role will be a key driver of Kesem’s growth, focused on expanding awareness, forging impactful partnerships, attracting new families to our programs, and executing innovative digital fundraising campaigns.

The VP of Marketing will report to the CEO and be an integral member of the organization’s Leadership Team. They will oversee the development and execution of a strategic marketing plan that leverages Kesem’s powerful stories, builds emotional connections with key audiences, and fuels the organization’s mission through recruitment, fundraising, and strategic partnerships.

This individual must be an experienced marketing leader with expertise in digital strategy, direct-response paid advertising, fundraising campaigns, partnership development, and brand storytelling. They must be both a high-level strategic thinker and a hands-on executor, capable of leading a high-performing team while rolling up their sleeves to lead initiatives and drive results.

Kesem’s Values

The VP of Marketing must uphold and build a culture that continues to support and strengthen the following behaviors to help us realize our vision:

• Continuous learning - We operate with curiosity and a willingness to try new things, and we see our successes and setbacks as opportunities for growth.
• Accountability - We are individually and collectively responsible for advancing our mission.
• Resilience - We empower and support each other through challenges while fostering a spirit of joy and hopefulness.
• Empathy - We seek to understand and appreciate other perspectives and experiences.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Marketing & Growth Strategy (50%)

• Develop and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy to increase awareness, engagement, and impact across Kesem’s key audiences.
• Lead the organization’s digital strategy across social media, email, website, and paid advertising to drive fundraising, stewardship, and recruitment.
• Directly manage direct-response advertising to ensure high ROI on fundraising and recruitment campaigns.
• Build and implement a thought leadership and impact reporting strategy to position Kesem as a leader in its space.
• Enable Kesem chapters, volunteers, and supporters to share compelling stories and advocate for the organization.
• Ensure brand consistency and messaging alignment across all channels, programs, and initiatives.

Strategic Partnerships & Outreach (30%)

• Oversee partnerships strategy to drive recruitment, expand Kesem’s programs, and build strong referral networks.
• Leverage media and public relations strategies to elevate Kesem’s presence and credibility.
• Identify and cultivate brand collaborations to increase visibility and secure funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure a unified external communications approach.

Leadership & Performance Management (20%)

• Serve as a key member of Kesem’s Leadership Team, contributing to strategic decision-making and organizational priorities.
• Lead, mentor, and directly manage the marketing team of 3-5 people, ensuring a high level of performance and professional growth.
• Set and track organizational and department goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and improve impact.
• Oversee marketing systems, tools, and vendor relationships to ensure operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of marketing experience, with at least 2 years in leadership roles (e.g., Director, VP, or CMO level).
• Proven experience leading and managing marketing teams, including recruitment, mentorship, and performance management.
• Demonstrated success in building and executing marketing strategies that drive measurable growth.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills with the ability to drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Expertise in brand strategy, digital marketing, and content strategy.
• Strong analytical skills for audience segmentation and targeting.
• Strong digital marketing acumen, including email marketing, social media, paid advertising, and SEO/SEM.
• Experience in fundraising campaigns, donor engagement strategies, and stewardship.
• Proven track record in developing and managing integrated marketing campaigns across channels.
• Ability to translate organizational impact into inspiring content that attracts families and drives donor and volunteer engagement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a talent for crafting compelling narratives.
• Public relations and thought leadership experience (preferred but not required).
• Experience in building strategic brand partnerships to drive awareness, funding, and program expansion.
• Ability to engage and manage external media, agencies, and vendors.
• Internal collaboration skills to align marketing with fundraising, recruitment, and program expansion goals.
• Analytical strength measuring marketing performance and improving ROI.
• Proficiency in marketing automation tools, CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), and Google Analytics.
• Ability to analyze audience behavior, campaign effectiveness, and engagement trends to optimize strategies.
• Passion for Kesem’s mission and ability to connect authentically with our community.
• Strong empathy and emotional intelligence to understand and effectively communicate Kesem’s impact.
• Experience working in a mission-driven environment or nonprofit organization (preferred but not required).

Additional Information

• The VP of Marketing role is a full-time and remote position, with responsibilities that require at least 40 hours of work per week, with some weeks requiring more.
• It is expected that the VP of Marketing will be available for all staff calls, team meetings, and project meetings.
• Travel may include staff meetings, national fundraising events and other engagements. On average, the VP of Marketing should expect to travel 3-6 times per year, all within the United States.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

Kesem’s mission of supporting children through and beyond a parent’s cancer, and our vision of ensuring that every child impacted by a parent’s cancer is never alone, can only be realized through an ongoing, steadfast commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in every part of our organization. To that end, Kesem makes the following commitments:

• To continually expand the communities we support and work with - our camper families, volunteers, staff, alumni, partners, donors, and boards - with attention to engaging communities we are not currently reaching.
• To strive for equity in delivering a transformative, fun, and empowering community that recognizes and embraces our differences.
• To aspire to create shared spaces that are safe for every member of the Kesem community to feel valued and respected.
• Kesem will engage in continued meaningful learning in order to better support our mission and our growing Kesem community.

Kesem is an Equal Opportunity Employer.