New York, New York
Posted: 15-Jul-25
Location: Brooklyn , New York
Type: Full Time
Salary: $85,000 - 95,000 per year
Preferred Education:
*Please note that we will begin reviewing applications and making first contacts for this role in early August 2025 for an immediate start.*
Are you a dynamic storyteller who thrives on connecting with people of all ages? Do you get energy from a fast-paced environment where your creativity and tech-savvy skills can shine? If you're excited by the idea of being the eyes and ears of our school, bringing our lively and diverse community to life through engaging visuals and clear communication, this role is for you.
We're looking for a Communications Specialist to join our dedicated three-person Communications team. This is a full-time, 12-month, in-person staff position, reporting to the Director of Communications. This is not an entry-level position; we're seeking a seasoned professional with a minimum of 3+ years of experience, ideally within a school or non-profit setting.
As our Communications Specialist, you'll play a vital role in showcasing our school's unique spirit, mission, and vibrant community. You'll be on the ground, interacting with students (ages 3-18), faculty, staff, parents, and alumni, capturing the stories that make our school special and ensuring everyone stays connected and informed.
What You’ll Do:
Capture the Heart of Our Community: Be the primary photographer, capturing high-quality images of school life—from joyful classroom moments with our youngest learners to spirited athletic events and rigorous academic experiences in the middle and high schools. You'll be skilled at quickly choosing selects, editing, and preparing these photos for various platforms. While photography is key, a knack for videography is a definite plus.
Storytelling Through Visuals: Proactively identify and document compelling classes, events, and the diverse people who make up our community. Craft engaging, mission-aligned stories for internal and external audiences. Collaborate closely with various departments like Admissions, Development, Arts, and Athletics to advance the school’s strategic goals through storytelling.
Engage Our Digital Community & Internal Audiences: Manage and energize our social media channels, creating or sourcing timely content, monitoring engagement and peer school trends, and ensuring our online presence reflects our dynamic school. You'll also be responsible for updating our internal hallway video monitors (known as "the Scoop") with compelling visuals and stories for students, faculty, staff, and prospective families in the Admissions Office.
Design & Digital Asset Management: Design clear and appealing basic collateral (posters, signs, invitations) on Canva, and expertly organize and maintain our extensive library of photos and videos, making them easily accessible for storytelling.
Essential Information Hub: Manage the parent-facing website calendar, coordinating with stakeholders across the school to ensure all important information is accurate and timely. You'll also produce, edit, and send a timely and accurate weekly parent newsletter.
Who You Are:
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Experienced Professional: You bring 3+ years of experience, preferably in a school or non-profit environment, where you've honed your project management and storytelling skills.
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A People Person: You genuinely enjoy interacting with a wide range of individuals, from enthusiastic preschoolers to dedicated faculty and engaged parents. You thrive in a lively, collaborative environment and get energy from connecting with people.
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Tech-Savvy & Adaptable: While formal photo/video training isn't required, you are incredibly comfortable with technology, eager to learn, and can quickly master new online systems. You're adept at navigating multiple platforms and excited to incorporate new tech into your workflow frequently.
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Visual Storyteller: You have a keen eye for high-quality photography and possess the skills to quickly edit photos to a professional standard.
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Understanding of K-12 Nuances: You can appreciate the unique considerations for social media and communications within a K-12 independent school setting, including student privacy, reputation management, and balancing engaging content with sensitive protocols. You understand that "likes" are secondary to building trust and authentic community connection.
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Highly Organized & Detail-Oriented: You manage multiple projects seamlessly, meet deadlines, and ensure accuracy in all your communications.
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Collaborative & Independent: You excel both working independently and as part of a team, knowing when to take initiative and when to collaborate.
Required Skills & Technical Proficiency:
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Technology Comfort: You must be highly comfortable with learning, managing, and frequently incorporating new technologies into your daily practice. Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud and Google Suite is required.
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Communication: Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills.
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Efficient Project Management and Attention to Detail: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple detailed projects effectively and efficiently.
Desirable Skills:
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HTML, Finalsite, and/or Veracross proficiency are helpful.
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Familiarity with videography concepts and basic editing.
Work Environment & Schedule:
This is an in-person position during the school year. During the summer (late June through early August), the role offers some remote work flexibility. The role requires occasional night and weekend work and local travel to cover school events.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
About The Packer Collegiate Institute
At Packer, we balance head and heart. Our academic program promotes both rigorous inquiry and social-emotional growth. We believe that relationships and a sense of belonging create the conditions for transformative learning to happen. Located on a historic campus in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, Packer offers a challenging and inclusive learning environment grounded in community. We prepare our over 1,000 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th Grade to lead knowledgeable, empathetic, and engaged lives in an interconnected and dynamic world.
Packer's values and vision of educational excellence include embracing diversity, fostering community, nurturing a sense of belonging, and ensuring all learners are valued and challenged. We actively embrace the diversity of New York City and seek employees who share Packer’s values of equity, inclusion, and belonging, and who wish to learn from the experiences and perspectives of others. We strongly encourage applications from candidates whose backgrounds and perspectives may be underrepresented.
The Packer Collegiate Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to, but is not limited to, educational policies, admission, financial aid, hiring and employment practices, use of school facilities, athletics, and other school-administered programs.
Benefits
The Packer Collegiate Institute is committed to providing high-quality benefits and programs designed to meet the needs of faculty and staff. Employees working at least 30 hours per week are eligible for medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance coverage. Eligible employees receive basic life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, New York State Paid Family Leave, and short-term and long-term disability insurance. Additional optional benefits include Flexible Spending Accounts, CitiBike, Spring Health, Retirement Plans, and Commuter Benefit Plans.
Salary
Salaries are determined based on a scale reflecting years of experience and level of education.
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