Allendale Columbia (AC) seeks a dynamic, collaborative, creative, and goal-oriented Director of Marketing & Communications to join the AC Leadership Team, and work closely with AC’s Advancement Team and Admissions Team as well as all members of the community in various communication efforts. The ideal candidate for this position will have strategic capacity and operational acumen and should be effective at collaborating and executing with teams throughout the organization.
The Director of Marketing & Communications will play a vital role in the AC community during an exciting time in the school's history. They will report to the Head of School and have the opportunity to contribute to a fun, entrepreneurial learning community that values creativity, innovative advancement, and communication ideas. The Director of
Marketing & Communications guides everything from strategy to implementation for school-wide messaging and public relations. This role demands excellent strategic thinking and project management as well as considerable writing and editing.
Key Areas of Responsibility:
- The Director of Communications guides the strategic direction of the essence and brand of the school in partnership with the Head of School.They are responsible for maintaining a consistent brand image for the school, internally and externally and understands and embraces the school’s mission, vision, approach, and philosophy and can convey it articulately to a diverse audience
- Designs and implements the communication strategy for the school using all platforms including (but not limited to) print, website, and social media and is responsible for seeking out public relations and communications opportunities to further the brand and key messages of the school
- Leads the creation and development of communications materials including the school magazine, postcards, posters, brochures, view books, and print communications
- Consults on the AC’s brand standards, visual identity, graphic design, messaging, and integrated marketing plans
- Manages media relations and serves as a resource to all areas of the school in editing/reviewing materials, ensuring consistent messaging and well-coordinated communication efforts
- Collaborates with Division Heads and Leadership Team members to manage communication messaging to all internal constituent groups including (but not limited to) parents, faculty and staff, Board of Trustees, etc.
- Oversees planning and execution of day-to-day internal communications efforts, including email communications, presentations, announcements/postings, material updates and revisions, and proofreading
- Partners with the Director of Advancement and Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid to support the marketing and/or communications efforts of each department for donor and student recruitment and retention
- Website content management experience, including content creation and maintenance
- Develop compelling content related to the life of the school, school culture and events, our AC community members, and the interests of our prospective families, and actively participate in telling the school’s story for the purposes of achieving admissions and development targets
Skills and Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5-10 years working in marketing and communications
- Experience working within a team to develop targeted messaging and compelling content to be used across multiple channels and for various audiences
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
- Proofreading and editing skills required
- Demonstrated strength in working with teams, handling multiple projects simultaneously, and meeting deadlines with the ability to be flexible and shift priorities
- Discretion for sensitive and confidential information
- High comfort level with using new technology, and experience working in a website CMS (Blackbaud experience preferred but not required) and/or email systems
- Excellent customer service skills required
- Photo, video, and media editing proficiency preferred
- Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop preferred but not required
- Excellent project management skills required