How to apply for Marketing & Growth Manager

About Challenge Success

Challenge Success is a nonprofit organization that partners with schools and districts to implement research-based practices that improve student well-being and engagement. Unlike traditional education organizations, Challenge Success bridges rigorous academic research from Stanford and other institutions with practical, actionable strategies for K-12 communities. Working here means directly contributing to a mission that reshapes how schools define and measure success, moving beyond grades and test scores to prioritize holistic student development.

About the role

As the Marketing & Growth Manager, you will be the executional backbone of Challenge Success's outreach to school and district leaders, splitting your time between marketing communications (60%) and growth-focused lead generation (40%). You'll translate complex research and thought leadership into compelling campaigns that drive demand for the organization's services, while also building a measurable pipeline of leads. This role is ideal for a hands-on marketer who thrives on both strategic planning and tactical execution, and who wants to see their work directly impact how schools support students.

A typical day

Your day might start with a quick check-in with the Director of Advancement to align on campaign priorities, followed by drafting an email sequence to nurture leads from a recent webinar. After lunch, you'll analyze performance data from a social media campaign targeting district administrators, then collaborate with the educational partnerships team to develop a case study on a successful school implementation. You'll end the day scheduling content for the upcoming newsletter and testing a new landing page for a professional development workshop.

Who Challenge Success is looking for

• Has 4+ years of K-12 education marketing experience, with a deep understanding of the unique challenges and decision-making processes of school and district leaders.
• Is a versatile writer and communicator who can craft everything from research summaries to email nurture sequences, and is comfortable adapting tone for different audiences (educators, administrators, donors).
• Demonstrates fluency in digital marketing tools (e.g., Google Analytics, social media management, email marketing platforms) and CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), with a track record of using data to optimize campaigns.
• Thrives in a collaborative, remote environment and brings an entrepreneurial mindset—willing to test new tactics, learn from failures, and proactively identify growth opportunities.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific examples of K-12 marketing campaigns you've led, including metrics like lead conversion rates, engagement increases, or revenue generated from school/district partnerships.
• Show familiarity with Challenge Success's research and services by referencing their key frameworks (e.g., the 'PDF' - Playtime, Downtime, Family Time - or their school program components) in your application materials.
• Demonstrate your ability to balance both marketing communications and growth marketing by providing examples of integrated campaigns where you handled content creation and lead nurturing simultaneously.
• Since the role is remote, emphasize your experience working effectively in distributed teams and your proficiency with remote collaboration tools (Slack, Zoom, Asana, etc.).
• Include a portfolio or work samples that showcase your writing for educator audiences, such as blog posts, case studies, or email campaigns targeted to schools.

What to cover in your cover letter

["Your passion for Challenge Success's mission and how your personal or professional background aligns with their vision for student well-being.", "Concrete examples of how you've developed and executed marketing strategies that drove measurable growth in a K-12 education context.", 'Your ability to translate research and thought leadership into accessible, compelling content for busy educators and administrators.', "Your experience with CRM and marketing automation tools, and how you've used them to build and nurture leads from initial contact to conversion."]

Research before applying

• Explore Challenge Success's website, focusing on their research publications, school programs, and the 'Challenge Success School Program' to understand their offerings and value proposition.
• Read about the organization's founders, Denise Pope and Madeline Levine, and their books (e.g., 'Doing School' and 'Ready or Not') to grasp the philosophical underpinnings of the work.
• Review Challenge Success's social media profiles and recent blog posts to assess their current marketing tone, content themes, and engagement levels.
• Look into the K-12 education landscape, including current challenges like post-pandemic learning loss and student mental health, to contextualize how Challenge Success's services address these issues.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you approach developing a marketing campaign to promote Challenge Success's professional development services to a district that is new to the organization?
• Describe a time you used data to pivot a marketing strategy. What metrics did you track, and what was the outcome?
• Challenge Success works with both schools and districts. How would you tailor your messaging and lead generation tactics to each audience?
• What experience do you have with marketing automation and CRM platforms? Walk us through how you've set up a lead nurturing workflow.
• How do you stay current with trends in K-12 education and marketing? Give an example of how you've applied a new trend or tool to improve results.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using generic marketing language that doesn't demonstrate an understanding of the K-12 education sector or the specific challenges schools face.
• Focusing only on marketing communications and neglecting to highlight growth and lead generation experience, as the role is 40% growth-focused.
• Failing to show familiarity with Challenge Success's research-based approach or mission, which could signal a lack of genuine interest in the organization.