Director, Digital Experience and Strategy

Job description

Position Director, Digital Experience and Strategy Department Communications and Marketing Position type Full-time Location City Campus (Sangen-jaya station): Hybrid-remote flexibility after initial training period available. Work hours: 37.5 hours per week (9:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday): Weekend/evening work possible; compensatory time off provided. Report to: Chief Communication Officer Visa Requirement: Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is able to sponsor a visa for this position. Salary & Benefits: Commensurate with experience. Fifteen (15) days paid vacation in the first year, increasing to 24 days after 6 years of employment, plus 5 paid “personal and sick days” each year. In addition, approximately two weeks company-wide break over Christmas/New Year. Japanese social insurance and pension, commuting/telework allowance, a welfare-discount program membership, and retirement payment system. OVERVIEW OF POSITION: The Director, Digital Experience and Strategy leads Temple University, Japan Campus website, overseeing strategy, governance, and user experience across the institution’s Drupal-based web environment. The Director oversees platform development lead by Temple University Main Campus. This role is responsible for defining and executing a long-term digital strategy that improves engagement, lead generation, recruitment outcomes, and platform adoption across key audiences. The Director, Digital Experience and Strategy oversees website strategy, UX, SEO/GEO, analytics, governance, accessibility, and digital platform development while leading a high-performing team focused on delivering user-centered, data-informed digital experiences. Success will be defined by: Leading the development and execution of TUJ’s web strategy to improve engagement, recruitment outcomes, and digital user experience. Driving measurable improvements in SEO, GEO, analytics, and conversion performance across key audience journeys. Overseeing the evolution and optimization of TUJ’s Drupal based web platform and digital ecosystem Establishing sustainable governance, operational processes, and team structures that enable long-term scalability and internal adoption. Building strong partnerships across faculties, departments, main campus, and leadership to align digital initiatives with institutional priorities. Leading and developing a high-performing web team focused on user-centered design, accessibility, innovation, and continuous improvement. Develop a strong partnership with development teams at Main Campus and ensure scalable, secure, and sustainable web infrastructure and integrations. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategy & Leadership Lead the university’s web strategy, aligning digital initiatives with institutional priorities, enrollment goals, brand positioning, and audience engagement objectives. Lead prioritization of web projects, enhancements, and investments to ensure resources are aligned with institutional goals and business impact. Lead major web initiatives including strategy, governance, CMS migrations, platform modernization, and the development of new digital products and services. Establish and oversee a university-wide web governance model, including decision-making frameworks, roles, responsibilities, and accountability structures. Develop and manage strategic roadmaps for web platforms, functionality, integrations, resources, and user experience improvements. Build strong relationships across academic and administrative units to support adoption of institutional web standards and digital best practices. Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary web team, fostering collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and resource planning for web initiatives and digital platforms. User Experience (UX) & Design Champion a user-first, research-driven approach to digital experience design informed by analytics, testing, and audience insights. Oversee UX/UI standards and ensure consistent, accessible, and intuitive digital experiences across university web properties. Ensure digital experiences meet accessibility standards and align with ADA best practices. Content Governance & Digital Operations Establish and enforce enterprise content governance frameworks, publishing standards, workflows, and quality assurance processes. Develop scalable systems and processes that support efficient website maintenance and publishing across decentralized teams. Lead the development of training, guidance materials, and governance resources that improve institutional web literacy and compliance. Ensure website content and digital experiences remain accurate, accessible, compliant, and aligned with university brand standards. SEO, GEO, Analytics & Performance Optimization Guide SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy to improve search visibility, discoverability, and engagement across traditional and AI-driven search environments. Manage KPIs, success metrics, and reporting frameworks for digital performance across institutional web properties. Support development of dashboards and reporting systems and provide actionable insights to leadership and stakeholders. Support analytics and user insights to continuously improve conversion funnels and key user journeys for prospective students and other target audiences. Oversee A/B testing, performance analysis, and optimization strategies to improve engagement, lead generation, and platform effectiveness. Develop annual goals, KPIs, and performance objectives for the web team and institutional digital initiatives. Platform Development & Technical Oversight Partner with development teams at Main Campus and ensure scalable, secure, and sustainable web infrastructure and integrations. Oversee CMS governance, platform enhancements, and digital tool evaluation to support evolving institutional needs. Collaborate with technical teams and vendors on platform improvements, integrations, and digital innovation initiatives. Build strategic roadmap towards supporting more development initiatives in-house QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree in digital strategy, communications, marketing, information systems, UX, web development, or a related field. Significant progressive experience leading enterprise web strategy, digital experience, or web operations in a complex organization. Demonstrated experience leading Drupal or enterprise CMS environments. Strong understanding of UX/UI principles, SEO strategy, accessibility standards, analytics platforms, and digital governance models. Strong experience leading cross-functional digital projects including website redesigns, migrations, or platform modernization initiatives. Proven ability to translate business and enrollment goals into measurable digital strategies and outcomes. Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and project management skills. Significant experience managing teams, vendors, budgets, and competing institutional priorities. Familiarity with GA4, Tag Manager, Hotjar, Siteimprove, or similar analytics and optimization platforms. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE Experience within higher education or another large, decentralized organization. Understanding of AI-driven search behavior, GEO strategy, and emerging digital engagement trends. Working knowledge of front-end technologies, APIs, and modern web architecture principles. Experience developing enterprise governance frameworks and training programs for distributed web contributors. Bilingual, Japanese & English APPLICATION PROCESS : Review of applications will begin immediately with a desired start date of September/October 2026. Required application materials to be submitted: A cover letter highlighting relevant experience and what appeals to you about the position A resume or curriculum vitae A list of two references with contact information Only those applicants who make it past the initial review will be contacted. Temple University, Japan Campus is committed to equal employment, and to increase diversity and inclusivity in both its community and curricula. All qualified applicants shall have full and equal consideration for employment. The university does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under the law. Candidates who can contribute to the institution's goals are strongly encouraged to apply.