Director of Marketing and Communications

Reporting to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Leadership Team, the Director of Marketing and Communications will develop and lead the School-wide marketing and communications program, creating and overseeing the execution of a multi-year plan for shaping and managing initiatives that promote The Ethel Walker School internally and externally to inform and increase awareness of the School, generate interest and demand among prospective families, strengthen its institutional brand and reputation, and raise visibility both regionally and nationally.

The Director of Marketing and Communications must be an adept leader and learner who is able to support transformational change. A self-starter who is focused on results, the ideal candidate will be empowered to lead a talented staff that provides marketing, public information, and public relations support, including the areas of copywriting, graphic design, photography, and video for use on a variety of platforms to present the School’s distinctive character to multiple and diverse constituents. Together, the team will support the execution of the plan to sustain institutional enrollment and forward development priorities.

Responsibilities Include:

• Manage the development of strategic marketing plans and oversee the effective implementation of marketing and public information programs, including media relations
• Work with the Head of School to develop new strategies for enhancing the existing communication and marketing plan to communicate the School’s compelling value proposition
• Oversee and manage all official school communications across all media platforms and ensure materials are timely, accurate, and in support of the School’s mission and priorities
• Manage the Office of Marketing and Communications, including coaching and leading staff, overseeing the department budgeting process, and engaging in vendor selection for department-related initiatives, in accordance with School policies
• Create and maintain brand standards for both traditional and multimedia applications
• Drive content development across platforms, including both print and online applications, and social media, to foster community building, enrollment, and development
• Ensure that the user experience for the School’s website is consistent with brand standards and key institutional messaging. Partner with internal constituents to drive content flow and address audience needs
• Provide support to the Head of School, administrators, and departments schoolwide to identify communications, marketing, media, and public relations opportunities to inform and solidify relationships with all constituencies — including students, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, alumnae, and the greater Hartford community. Advise the Head of School and members of the administration and faculty in their public communication and outreach
• Partner with the Assistant Head for Admission and Enrollment to develop and implement marketing and communication strategies related to both enrollment and retention
• Collaborate with the Assistant Head for Advancement to design and implement communication strategies to strengthen donor engagement and drive increased participation
• Support the communication and event needs for both the School’s Board of Trustees and serve as liaison to The Ethel Walker School Parents Association (EWSPA)
• Act as active participant in risk management and lead crisis communications
• Employ a data-driven approach to understand market trends, as well as to identify, track and report the impact of communications with key benchmark data and survey metrics
• Lead and supervise the production of:
  • Sundial, alumnae/School magazine (2x year)
  • Walker’s Weekly parent newsletter (weekly during school year)

 Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, or marketing required. Master’s degree preferred
• Seven to 10 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and communications with independent schools or non-profit organizations preferred
• Strong writing, organizational, interpersonal, and creative skills
• Proven adaptability and ability to effectively lead and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent organizational and collaborative skills and the ability to provide reasonable expectation parameters to consistently meet project deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite
• Strong references that convey a track record of success in the communications field

To apply, please submit resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references in one (1) document to: [email protected].

The Ethel Walker School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.