Director Web Strategy and Development

Months Per Year:

12

Work Model:

Hybrid Work Eligible

Seattle University will be one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit and Catholic universities in the world, educating with excellence at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. We embrace an intersectional framework for defining diversity in its broadest sense, including differences in gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, generational history, culture, socioeconomic class, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, political perspectives, geographic origin and physical ability. Seattle University strives to be a welcome, open and safe campus climate for all who learn, live and work at Seattle University.

Seattle University's Core Competencies

Effective Team Collaboration: Works harmoniously with others towards a common goal, leveraging individual strengths to achieve shared objectives.

Emotionally Intelligent Communication: Engages in a skillful exchange of information, thoughts, and feelings, verbally and non-verbally.

Ethics and Integrity: Demonstrates an unwavering commitment to honesty, professionalism, and alignment with our Jesuit mission in all actions and decisions.

Flexibility and Innovation: Embraces change, approaching problems with curiosity adaptability, and is committed to making a positive impact.

Mindful Inclusion: Fosters mindful inclusion by consciously creating a workplace that celebrates differences, embraces cultural humility, and empowers uniqueness.

Outcomes-Driven Orientation: Sets clear objectives, pursues excellence, and delivers measurable outcomes while upholding Jesuit Catholic values.

Position Description:

Primary Responsibilities

Digital Strategy & Product Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year web and digital experience strategy aligned with Seattle University's strategic and marketing priorities.
• Lead major website redesigns, platform migrations, integrations, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Partner with university leadership and stakeholders to identify opportunities for digital experiences to improve recruitment, enrollment, engagement, fundraising, and institutional reputation.
• Establish scalable approaches for integrating newly acquired, affiliated, or evolving institutional web properties into the broader Seattle University digital ecosystem.

Web Platforms & Technical Strategy

• Provide strategic and technical leadership for the University's web technology ecosystem, including Terminalfour, WordPress, Drupal, SharePoint.
• Establish platform architecture, configuration, development standards, release processes, integrations, APIs, and technical governance.
• Evaluate the long-term role of existing platforms and recommend consolidation, migration, modernization, or replacement when appropriate.
• Partner with ITS on infrastructure, authentication, integrations, security, cloud services, data architecture, and enterprise technology standards.
• Oversee development environments, source control, Git workflows, deployment processes, CDNs, performance optimization, monitoring, and quality assurance.
• Ensure web platforms remain scalable, maintainable, secure, performant, and resilient.

User Experience, Content Strategy & Search Engine Optimization

• Lead user experience, information architecture, content strategy, navigation, search, SEO, and digital discovery.
• Improve audience journeys, conversion, engagement, findability, and task completion through research and continuous optimization.
• Establish scalable content models, structured data, taxonomy, and SEO practices supporting both traditional and AI-powered discovery.
• Establish technical and content SEO standards across institutional websites.
• Optimize University content for traditional search engines as well as evolving AI-powered search, answer engines, and generative discovery experiences.
• Oversee structured data, metadata, taxonomy, schema, content relationships, and other technologies that improve discoverability.

Analytics, Measurement & Optimization

• Establish a comprehensive digital measurement strategy for university web properties.
• Oversee implementation and governance of web analytics, tag management, dashboards, conversion tracking, and related measurement technologies.
• Develop reporting systems that connect website activity to institutional outcomes including recruitment, enrollment, engagement, and conversion.
• Use quantitative and qualitative data to prioritize development and content improvements.
• Establish key performance indicators for digital platforms and communicate performance, opportunities, and risks to university leadership.

Accessibility, Privacy, Security & Governance

• Ensure University digital properties meet applicable WCAG, ADA, privacy, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish University-wide web governance, publishing, accessibility, quality assurance, and development standards.
• Maintain processes supporting emergency communications, monitoring, incident response, and business continuity.
• Provide training, documentation, and support for the University's community of web editors.

University Partnerships & Vendor Management

• Serve as a strategic advisor to university leadership, schools, colleges, departments, and administrative units on web strategy, technology, digital experience, and emerging technologies.
• Lead relationships with external digital agencies, development partners, consultants, hosting providers, SaaS vendors, and technology partners.
• Manage contracts, scopes of work, budgets, renewals, vendor performance, and technology investments.
• Coordinate multiple internal and external teams working across the University's digital ecosystem.
• Partner closely with ITS, Enrollment Management, Graduate Studies, Advancement, Academic Affairs, and other university stakeholders.

Leadership & Partnership

• Lead a talented multidisciplinary team spanning web development, content strategy, web support, UX/UI, visual design, and student employees.
• Manage external agencies, consultants, technology vendors, contracts, budgets, and strategic partnerships.
• Collaborate across Marketing, ITS, Enrollment Management, Graduate Studies, Advancement, Academic Affairs, schools, and colleges.
• Advocate appropriate staffing, technology, budget, and resources necessary to support the University's evolving digital ecosystem.

Emerging Technology

• Develop and lead a responsible strategy for incorporating artificial intelligence and agentic technologies into the University's web and digital operations.
• Identify opportunities for AI-powered search, conversational interfaces, intelligent content discovery, personalization, recommendation systems, and audience experiences across university websites.
• Partner with ITS and university leadership to ensure emerging technologies are adopted responsibly and in accordance with institutional policies and risk-management standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in an applicable field of study or equivalent combination of education and significant professional experience.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in web, digital technology, digital experience, or related fields, including significant leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing enterprise web and digital strategies.
• Experience managing complex, multi-site and multi-platform web ecosystems.
• Experience with enterprise content management and digital experience platforms such as Terminalfour, Hannon Hill’s Cascade Server, WordPress, Drupal, and SharePoint.
• Experience leading large-scale website redesigns, migrations, platform implementations, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong understanding of modern web architecture, APIs, integrations, cloud platforms, CDNs, Git-based development, CI/CD, and deployment workflows.
• Strong knowledge of front-end web technologies including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and familiarity with modern development frameworks and practices.
• Experience with web analytics, tag management, SEO, structured data, conversion measurement, and digital performance reporting.
• Strong understanding of WCAG accessibility requirements, privacy, security, responsive design, UX/UI, and web governance.
• Demonstrated ability to manage vendors, agencies, contracts, budgets, and complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience directly managing and developing a multidisciplinary digital team (for example, web development, content strategy, and UX/design), including budget and vendor oversight.
• Excellent project and product management skills with the ability to manage multiple strategic priorities and cross-functional initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across technical teams, marketers, content creators, senior leadership, and distributed stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to Seattle University's mission, vision, values, and commitment to inclusive excellence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in web technology, digital strategy, computer science, information systems, communications, marketing technology, or a related discipline.
• More than 10 years of experience leading web and digital technology programs. Experience leading web and digital technology programs at a large, decentralized, multi-brand, or multi-entity institution or organization.
• Higher education digital strategy or technology leadership experience.
• Experience evaluating, consolidating, or migrating enterprise CMS/DXP platforms across a large, multi-site ecosystem.
• Experience with enterprise search platforms, structured content, personalization, marketing technology, and CRM integrations.
• Experience developing governance frameworks for artificial intelligence and other emerging digital technologies, and translating them into practical, scalable programs that advance institutional goals.
• Experience leading larger, more complex multidisciplinary digital teams spanning development, content strategy, UX, analytics, and digital operations, including external partners and agencies.

Compensation at a Glance

$120,000 - $130,000

Seattle University has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, and not based on a candidate’s gender or any other protected status.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. Seattle University provides generous leave, health plans, and retirement contributions that add to your total compensation package.

Benefits at a Glance

Consistent with its fundamental Jesuit values, Seattle University offers a wide range of benefits designed to care for the whole person. Choose from three different medical plans, a dental, and vision insurance programs. Protect your income with life, short & long-term disability coverage. Plan for your future with up to a 10% employer contribution for retirement benefits, comprised of a 5% nonelective employer contribution and an additional dollar-for-dollar match of your voluntary contributions up to a maximum of 5%. You may also take advantage of 100% paid tuition benefits for the employee and dependents, a subsidized transportation benefit, a wellness program with free access to an onsite fitness facility, and a wide variety of campus events. Enjoy a generous holiday schedule, including a paid Holiday break closure in December, vacation and paid sick leave, and paid community service leave. For more information explore the Benefits website at: https://www.seattleu.edu/hr/benefits/

Positions designated as hybrid eligible may offer the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule after successful completion of an introductory period of 3–6 months. In these cases, the role typically begins fully on campus to support onboarding and training, with the potential to transition to a hybrid arrangement thereafter.

Positions designated as on-site are not eligible for hybrid work and are expected to remain fully on campus.

All flexible work arrangements are subject to periodic review and may be modified or discontinued at any time at the university’s discretion.