Director of Strategic Marketing and Community Engagement

Carney, Sandoe & Associates; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job description

Carney, Sandoe & Associates, an education recruitment firm, has been retained by the Shrewsbury Montessori School and is currently seeking a Director of Strategic Marketing and Community Engagement in Shrewsbury, MA.

The Director of Strategic Marketing and Community Engagement (DSMCE) is a dynamic and collaborative leader who provides forward-thinking leadership in all areas of marketing, messaging, and communication. As a member of the School’s administrative leadership team, the DSMCE plays a vital role in enhancing the school’s visibility through strategic marketing efforts and targeted branding campaigns.

Responsibilities:

1. Establish and oversee the execution of a strategy and action plan that achieves the goals articulated by the Head of School as it relates to enrollment, communications, and development.
2. Lead strategic efforts to develop, execute, and sustain SMS’s marketing and communications plan, ensuring the school’s identity, brand and value proposition is consistently compelling for internal and external audiences.
3. Collaborate closely with the Head of School, administrative leadership team, and Board of Trustees to craft and convey the school’s key messages through various digital and print platforms.
4. Partner with Admission team to design and implement a marketing program that supports enrollment and retention efforts by reaching prospective and current families effectively.
5. Build strong parent relationships across the lifecycle from prospective parents to current parents to past parents to understand needs and connections to the school.
6. Coordinate with Development and events team to produce compelling print and digital appeals that resonate with all constituents.
7. Support development efforts and fundraising goals with a focus on developing strong connections with SMS’s parents, grandparents, alumni and past families.
8. Collaborate with the development and events team to implement strategies to enhance fundraising events and the Annual Giving program.
9. Evaluate communication tools and platforms and create actionable plans to optimize their effectiveness in sharing important information campus-wide.
10. Oversee media and publications including the school’s website, press releases, digital communications, social media, and promotional materials.
11. Foster a sense of community by engaging with internal and external audiences, enhancing SMS’s reputation among faculty, staff, alumni, parents, grandparents, prospective families, and other community stakeholders.
12. Engage fully in school life by attending events, visiting classrooms, and contributing to the school’s spirit and culture.
13. Recognize how enrollment, communications, and development activities influence the culture of SMS, fostering pride and connection to the school, and communicate these effects to senior leadership.
14. Highlight to SMS faculty and staff the strategic importance of enrollment, communications, and development in shaping the future success of the school.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Communication, Business, Marketing, or a related field.
2. At least five years of experience in journalism, communications, marketing, or enrollment management; experience in education settings preferred.
3. Demonstrated success in strategic communications, marketing, and enrollment management.
4. Exceptional organizational, writing, and editing skills, with a creative, measured and analytical approach to communications.
5. Expertise in digital marketing tools, including social media platforms, website development, and emerging technologies.
6. Excellent project management and implementation skills.
7. A strategic thinker with a collaborative mindset, a sense of humor, and a desire to become a visible, engaged member of the SMS community.
8. Committed to professional development for both personal growth and team members’ advancement, setting performance goals and encouraging best practices in marketing and communications, enrollment management and fundraising.
9. Strategic vision and openness to feedback, refining strategies to meet evolving needs.
10. Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience engaging diverse audiences.
11. Extensive experience in content creation and management across digital and print platforms, with a readiness to adopt emerging technologies.

Potential Benefits: Compensation and benefit packages are competitive but will differ by school and will typically depend on geographic location, your experience, and your level of degree.