Kingsley is a coeducational Montessori independent school serving children from Toddler through sixth grade. Kingsley graduates are confident learners, resilient explorers, and empathetic citizens, who are prepared for academic and personal success at their next schools and beyond.
In 1938, Kingsley began as a small school serving students whose needs could not be met by the city public schools. Celebrating its 85th anniversary this past year, the school now serves over 300 students and is firmly situated in the strongest position in its history. In February 2024, after a tremendously successful fundraising campaign, Kingsley purchased its elementary building at 26 Exeter Street, securing its second permanent campus in Back Bay (Kingsley already owned the building housing its Toddler and Preschool programs). In 2023, Kingsley also launched its Strategic Plan, outlining clear strategic priorities and vision for the School, and was also re-accredited by AISNE in 2023 for a ten-year term.
Please learn more about the school at www.kingsley.org
The Candidate
Serving as Kingsley’s institutional ambassador, the successful candidate for this position will serve as a vibrant and engaging representative, and a thoughtful and collaborative leader. This person will move fluently between managing highly detailed everyday tasks to creatively composing and implementing long range strategic planning. This person will also be a skilled communicator able to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders both inside and beyond the Kingsley community. Finally, this individual will employ outreach to help drive Kingsley’s financial sustainability and market appeal to new levels.
The successful candidate will oversee the building of our student and family community; lead a dynamic, creative, collaborative process to broadly communicate the promise of a Kingsley education; and work flexibly across all platforms—events, word of mouth, print materials, social media, and more—to attract and retain children and caregivers who will thrive and positively contribute to our community. The person entering this role will innovate, experiment, and respond to new technologies and market forces to help shape and market the school’s value proposition to current and prospective students, parents, and the external community consistent with the school’s educational philosophy and mission.
Responsibilities
The Director is a member of the administrative team and reports directly to the Head of School. The person in this full-time, 12-month position is commissioned to:
Serve as an excellent collaborator, articulate communicator, and credible ambassador for Kingsley Montessori School to a wide range of constituencies.
Lead all aspects of admissions and enrollment management, including recruitment and enrollment, retention and re-enrollment, financial aid processes (with Kingsley’s CFOO), and information/database management.
Review and update application processes to ensure clarity and collaboration between the admissions team, faculty, and administrators involved in these processes.
Implement short and long-term admission and enrollment goals developed through data-driven research, market analysis, targeted communications, and the deliberate stewardship of prospective applicants and families through the admission process.
Advise the Head of School and the Board of Trustees on market trends and data patterns in order to maintain Kingsley’s relevance and competitive edge and to inform appropriate short and long term enrollment strategies.
Generate and interpret detailed enrollment reports for review by the Head of School, Senior Leadership, and the Board of Trustees in support of these strategic efforts.
Review Kingsley’s value propositions and recommend enhancements to ensure that the School remains competitive and attractive to current and prospective families.
Collaborate with the Advancement Team (which includes Development, Marketing, and Communications) to proactively promote Kingsley’s value proposition.
Plan and execute all existing admissions and retention events while demonstrating the flexibility to add new or adapt existing public events to support enrollment management.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be an experienced executive and a team player who possesses:
A positive attitude, growth mindset, and a high degree of professional confidence.
A demonstrated record of success in enrollment and financial aid management, including setting and achieving enrollment and net tuition goals.
Prowess with data analysis and electronic databases (Blackbaud / OnBoard).
A genuine affinity for the life of students and ability to contribute meaningfully to an educational community.
Strategic planning experience, including enrollment management modeling.
Experience overseeing an ambassador program, especially with caregivers.
Demonstrated management ability and interpersonal skills.
Outstanding communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written.
Strong organizational skills with a keen attention to detail.
Five to seven years of admissions experience at leading independent schools, preferred.
Kingsley Montessori School values and celebrates diversity because it makes us a better employer, builds a stronger school community, develops a sense of collaboration, and encourages mutual respect and broader thinking. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.
ABOUT KINGSLEY:
Kingsley Montessori School is a toddler through sixth grade independent school of 300 students in Boston’s historic Back Bay. Our mission is to engage the mind, hands, and heart of each child to nurture resilient explorers, confident learners, and empathetic citizens. A diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is integral to fulfilling our mission. Kingsley Montessori School strives to be a place where each person feels a sense of belonging and respect, recognizes and appreciates the richness that is added to our community through diversity, and is empowered to take action against injustices. We actively create such a community through our programming, our professional development, and our hiring, admissions, and governance practices. Kingsley’s high standards of professionalism are maintained through supportive and ongoing supervision and evaluation, development, and growth.
