Director, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives.

What We’re Looking For:

2U is seeking a strategic and data-driven Director of Conversion Rate Optimization to lead our acquisition experimentation strategy. In this high-impact role, you will own the optimization of the critical bridge between marketing traffic and student enrollment, focusing specifically on our high-volume Paid Landing Page (PLP) portfolio and Organic Website properties.

As the "Head of Experimentation" for our marketing funnel, you will ensure that every dollar of media spend is maximized by delivering hyper-relevant, high-converting landing page experiences. You will orchestrate a cross-functional squad—spanning Strategy, Web Production, and Design—to build a rigorous testing roadmap that optimizes traffic performance across our Degree and Executive Education programs. Your mandate is clear: turn anonymous visitors into high-quality leads by continuously refining the first-touch digital experience.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Global Strategy & Traffic Monetization

• Develop and own the holistic CRO roadmap for both Paid Landing Pages (PLPs) and Organic website pathways. Your primary goal is to increase the yield (Session-to-Lead) from our acquisition traffic.
• Establish and govern the testing prioritization framework (e.g., PIE/RICE) to ensure resources are focused on high-impact, high-confidence experiments that drive measurable revenue growth.
• Partner with Martech to assess and optimize the experimentation stack (e.g., Optimizely, GA4), ensuring we have the technical capability to deploy complex personalization and multivariate tests at scale.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Strategic Alignment with Analytics: Partner closely with the Director of Marketing Strategy & Analysis to validate that testing priorities address the highest-value business risks. You will act as the solution architect (owning the how and what to test) while relying on the Analytics team for diagnostic insights (identifying where the funnel is leaking) and final financial impact verification.
• Paid Media Partnership: Collaborate deeply with Paid Media leadership to ensure landing page strategies align with media buying objectives. You will ensure "Ad Scent" and message match are optimized to improve Quality Scores and conversion rates.
• Product Governance: Act as the strategic bridge between Marketing and Product. While focused on top-of-funnel acquisition, you will serve as a dotted-line advisor to PMs to ensure that downstream product changes do not negatively impact acquisition momentum.

Team Management & Operations

• Directly manage the CRO Strategy Leads (Sr. Managers) and Web Production/Ops team, ensuring seamless hand-offs between hypothesis generation, design briefing, and technical execution.
• Oversee the velocity and quality of the testing pipeline, ensuring the team meets aggressive targets for test frequency and win rates.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, ensuring "failed" tests yield valuable customer insights that inform future acquisition strategies.

Performance Analysis & Reporting

• Accountable for key top-of-funnel conversion metrics (Session-to-Lead, Lead-to-Enroll).
• Translate complex testing data into executive-level narratives that demonstrate ROI and strategic progress to leadership.

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

• Experience: 7+ years of experience in CRO, Digital Marketing, or Product Growth, with a specific focus on acquisition and landing page optimization.
• Leadership: 3+ years of experience managing teams and influencing cross-functional stakeholders in a matrixed environment.
• Experimentation Expertise: Deep mastery of A/B testing methodologies, multivariate testing, and personalization strategies. Proven track record of driving statistically significant revenue lift from paid and organic traffic.
• Technical Fluency: Strong ability to interpret data from platforms like GA4, Tableau, and Optimizely to drive strategy.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to balance immediate "quick wins" (e.g., copy testing) with long-term structural optimization strategies (e.g., page architecture).
• Analytical Rigor: Expert-level ability to interpret statistical data, identify trends, and make evidence-based decisions.

Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:

• Experience in EdTech or high-consideration B2C lead generation sectors or ecommerce
• Experience managing hybrid teams across different time zones (e.g., US and Cape Town).
• Experience managing vendor relationships or transitioning agency work in-house.

Benefits & Culture

Our global employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and doers working together to transform lives through higher education. We believe that every employee can advance our shared purpose, and that life at 2U should be fun and meaningful. If you’re excited by the opportunity to provide millions of learners and counting with access to world-class higher education, then join us – and do work that makes a difference.

We offer comprehensive benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance.
Full-time, U.S.benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance, disability, and 401(k) employer match
• Free snacks and drinks in-office
• Generous paid holidays and leave policies, including unlimited PTO
• Additional time off benefits include: volunteer days, parental leave, and a company-wide winter break

The anticipated base salary range for this role is ($168,200 - $195,500), with potential bonus eligibility. Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, budget for the position and cost of labor in the market in which the candidate will be hired.

2U Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At 2U, we are committed to building and sustaining a culture of belonging, respect, and inclusion. We are proud of the steps we’ve taken to bring together an employee base that embodies diverse walks of life, ideas, genders, ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities and other unique qualities. We strive to offer a workplace where every employee feels empowered by what makes us different, as well as by how we are alike.

2U is committed to providing reasonable accommodations during our recruitment process. If you need assistance or accommodations, please reach out to us at: [email protected].

About 2U

2U partners with the world's top universities and companies to develop and deliver education programs that accelerate careers and transform lives. Through partnerships with the world’s leading colleges, universities, and companies, 2U delivers thousands of online programs to millions of learners worldwide on edX, its global learning platform. From executive education and professional credentialing to master’s degree programs and free, open courses, 2U transforms how top institutions deliver workforce-aligned online education, enabling professionals to advance without pausing their careers. Learn more at 2U.com.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

2U is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against applicants or employees and ensures equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of their race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, marital status, disability, citizenship, military or veterans’ status, or any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. 2U’s equal opportunity policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, job benefits and pay.