Lead CRO Analyst

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:

As a CRO Lead Analyst at 2U, you will be responsible for monitoring, testing, and improving the conversion performance of both paid and organic landing pages. You will leverage data-driven insights, rigorous experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration to optimize user experiences and increase lead generation across various marketing channels. This is a senior role requiring independent ownership of the CRO program, from data-driven hypothesis generation through stakeholder communication of results.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

• Performance Analysis & Reporting
  • Analyze conversion performance of paid and organic landing pages across multiple marketing channels (search, display, email, SEO).
  • Evaluate user behavior using analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics 4, Adobe Analytics) and qualitative UX tools (e.g., Hotjar, FullStory or similar) including heatmaps, session recordings, and click tracking.
  • Develop and maintain dashboards and reports to track KPIs, trends, test results, and conversion benchmarks.
  • Interpret test outcomes and behavioral data to make actionable recommendations for optimization, pairing quantitative findings with qualitative insight into user intent.
• Experimentation & Testing
  • Design, launch, and evaluate A/B and multivariate tests to improve landing page conversion rates.
  • Apply structured test prioritization frameworks (e.g., ICE, PIE scoring) to balance business impact, traffic potential, and resource constraints.
  • Maintain a testing roadmap with a pipeline of active or queued experiments at all times; set and uphold a consistent test velocity cadence.
  • Document all tests thoroughly - including hypothesis, methodology, results, and learnings for both winning and losing or inconclusive tests.
  • Ensure test validity by accounting for statistical significance, confidence intervals, appropriate sample sizes, novelty effects, and sample ratio mismatch.
  • Partner with UX, development, and design teams to implement test variants across platforms.
• Landing Page Optimization Strategy
  • Identify areas of friction and opportunity within both paid and organic landing page flows.
  • Collaborate with SEO, paid media, and content teams to align landing page strategies with traffic source intent.
  • Recommend UX enhancements, copy adjustments, content structure changes, and design improvements grounded in data.
  • Ensure paid landing pages are aligned with campaign goals, ad-to-page message match, and quality score considerations; ensure organic pages support user search intent and SEO best practices.
  • Provide familiarity with UTM structure and how tracking integrity affects attribution and test accuracy.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with marketing, design, development, SEO, and performance media teams.
  • Present test results and optimization recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Advocate for statistical validity - including pushing back on stakeholders who want to ship inconclusive results prematurely.
  • Provide input on landing page templates, CMS structure, and content hierarchy to support scalability.

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Analytics, Business, or related field.
• 5-7 years of hands-on experience in CRO, digital analytics, or conversion-focused UX.
• Proficiency in A/B testing tools (e.g., Optimizely, VWO) and analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics 4, Adobe Analytics).
• Working knowledge of statistical significance, confidence intervals, sample sizing, and test validity (including novelty effects and sample ratio mismatch).
• Experience optimizing both paid and organic landing experiences, with an understanding of how traffic source intent affects CRO strategy.
• Ability to write basic-to-intermediate SQL queries for independent data analysis without reliance on data engineering support.
• Strong data visualization capabilities (Excel, Google Sheets, Looker, Tableau).
• Proficiency with qualitative UX tools including heatmaps, session recordings, and on-site surveys (e.g., Hotjar, FullStory).
• Basic understanding of HTML/CSS, web page structure, and tracking implementation (events, tags, pixels).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex test results into clear, non-technical recommendations.

Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:

• Experience working in a growth-focused or performance marketing environment.
• Familiarity with Wordpress CMS, Unbounce, or similar landing page tools.
• Strong understanding of SEO, keyword intent, and organic content performance.
• Knowledge of lead generation strategy in education, SaaS, or B2C environments.
• Experience mentoring junior analysts or managing a shared CRO roadmap across teams.

While this position is open to remote candidates across the U.S., we will prioritize those who live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area and who are available to come into our Headquarters in Arlington, VA two days a week.

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 ($112,000 - $137,000), 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: recruitingaccommodations@2u.com. 

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.