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 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: careers@my.ethelwalker.org
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.
For more than 100 years, The Ethel Walker School has been preparing young women to make a difference in the world. At Walker’s, we seek to foster and cherish the joyful development of girls into young women so that they may reach their full potential as astute thinkers and doers in the world. Our grounding values of integrity, respect, confidence, courage, conviction, and love of learning provide a solid framework for personal, ethical, and social growth.
Our grades 6–12 plus postgraduate education serves not only as preparation for college, but for life itself in this century of constant change. Walker’s graduates, whatever field they pursue, are societal engineers, reworking and rewiring the very mechanisms of our world. Our ethos of warm receptivity to new ideas and people, as well as enduring and deep friendships over time, emerges out of Ethel Walker’s philosophy of education and her desire to provide girls with a foundation for lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity.
At Walker’s, girls can be themselves, discover their true passions and purpose, and achieve their best performance in every aspect of life.
The Walker's campus is located on 175 expansive acres in ...Simsbury, Connecticut. Recent large-scale projects include a state-of-the-art residence hall designed with a focus on sustainability, featuring solar panels that will provide 50% of the energy for the building. Walker’s boasts a nationally recognized equestrian program operating with over 50 horses on site, a 100+ acre on-campus facility with a nationally renowned head of riding, and superb equestrian trainers. Walker’s facilities include excellent classrooms and science laboratories, as well as outdoor turf and grass fields and tennis courts, and the 70,000 square-foot Centennial Center, a multi-use facility housing impressive athletic facilities including a pool, squash, basketball, and volleyball courts, dance studios, student center, athletic training room, and medical services.