Lead Analyst, Portfolio Analytics

Company: 2U

Industry: Private

Employment Type:  Full-time

Working Hours: 8 Hours

Job Location: USA

Full Job Description:

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to eliminate the back row in education – and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class digital education at scale. As the parent company of edX, the world’s leading online learning platform, 2U powers more than 4,000 online higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporate partners, we are helping to unlock human potential.

What We’re Looking For:

The Lead Analyst of Portfolio Analytics will work across 2U product lines to ensure sound marketing investment planning and strategy. This role will influence investment planning across the lifecycle of our products starting with initial goals and budgets, setting goals and reporting for ongoing operation against those budgets, and finally scenario planning to assess marginal return and ROI of different investment approaches. Working across functions including marketing business line owners, product, finance, and program management, this role will be responsible for ensuring all sides have clarity into our spend plan and the results we need to see from those plans.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Scenario Planning:

  • Partner with Finance to ensure clarity of quarterly business needs and align Demand Generation spend execution in each product line against those needs
  • Create marketing spend, revenue, and student generation plans for each product line on a regular basis; document these plans for clarity at the leadership level
  • Partner with Demand Generation leadership in each product line to assess spend opportunities and performance risks; regularly evaluate monthly and quarterly plans
  • Work with each product line team to build marginal spend tools and deploy these diminishing returns curves into investment decisions
  • Make recommendations for reallocation of budgets to improve performance

Investment Analysis and Insight:

  • Utilize analysis and insights to support the development of program and portfolio initiatives (i.e. the global impact of a scholarships, price reductions, seasonal campaigns, cross-sell)
  • Utilize analysis and insights to support portfolio investment points of view (i.e. seasonal patterns that are the best / worst times to invest)
  • Partner with program analysts to identify initiatives and size potential

Long Term Plan Management and Forecasts:

  • Maintain long-term funnels and marketing’s long-term point of view on growth, efficiency and performance
  • Partner with Finance, Sales Ops and Demand Generation to audit enrollment forecasts
  • Develop and maintain independent forecast point of view
  • Bring in new data sources (such as Google search share of voice) to inform investment strategy and growth opportunity
  • Ensure long-term funnels stay up to date with latest forecasts and pacing
  • Partner with Portfolio analysis and tools team to ensure latest long-term plans are distributed through Tableau into the right reports

Risk Mitigation:

  • Partner with Demand Generation, Product and Finance to set annual and quarterly DG goals
  • Sign off on specific marketing goals (i.e. volume, efficiency, conversion)
  • Analyze performance and identify risks in the system across product lines
  • Communicate risks regularly to leadership; escalate and report on progress
  • Ensure investment matches heuristics and most efficient returns at any given time (i.e. ensure investments always match program performance/need)

SLT Level Communication:

  • Communicate directly with VP, SVP and C-level stakeholders across product lines
  • Attend VP and C-level planning sessions to bring POV on long-term plan, risks and opportunities
  • Maintain detailed documentation and be able to communicate clearly

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

  • Bachelor’s in Business or related field
  • Strong background in economics, statistics or related
  • 6+ years professional experience in business planning, forecasting and analysis
  • Demonstrated experience in handling complex financial planning exercises
  • Experience working cross-departmentally, including working with executive stakeholders and external partners/clients
  • Analytical and process orientation capabilities with good organizational skills, ability to translate data insights into actionable recommendations
  • Ability to work well with others, influence others and support decision making through sound recommendations
  • Exceptional communication skills at all levels of the organization (written, verbal)
  • Ability to work independently and be versatile and adaptable under changing circumstances
  • Experience hiring, managing and building teams

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 over 40 million learners and counting with access to world-class online higher education, then join us – and do work that makes a difference. #NoBackRow

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
  • Employee stock purchase plan
  • 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

Lead Analyst, Portfolio Analytics

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