Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Thoroughly knows the mission, history, culture, traditions, and constituencies of the school; understands the educational philosophy and supports the mission; knows all marketing and communications activities of the department by participating in and attending a wide variety of DSHA activities and events.
- Creates the five-year strategic plan for all marketing and communication objectives, along with along strategic activities each year.
- Directs the strategy and oversees the messaging of all communications from the school – both from the Advancement Department and the school side. Leads a marketing team and effort to engage the school’s variety of constituent groups that includes the President, Principal, and all members of the Advancement team in a process that formulates an annual marketing and communications plan that outlines measurable goals and strategies that advance DSHA and drive increased engagement with prospective and current constituencies. With that team, creates a quarterly, highly specific plan that outlines activities and projects, defines their purpose, and delineates timelines and responsibilities and means of evolution.
- Leads a collaborative effort with the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid and Digital Marketing Director, to design strategies and implement concrete plans to increase student applications and maintain prospective student and family interest. Execution of this plan will delineate between increasing awareness to new audiences and engagement with existing audiences, with targeted messaging as needed to various sub-constituencies within the prospective family audiences. The plan will include extensive digital strategy and outreach along with direct mail and in-person engagement opportunities including DSHA’s Summer Cool.
- In collaboration with the President and Senior Director of Development, designs strategies and implements concrete plans to capitalize on increased visibility and clear branding of the school to drive increased contributed revenue. Formulates messages and create materials that support the fund development program in all aspects.
- Leads the strategy and management of all aspects of the school’s publications and communications:
- Acts as editor-in-chief of the school’s twice-yearly 60+ page Word magazine, once-yearly Annual Report, planning messaging, developing content, and production timeline, ensuring the piece maintains brand standards, excellence in readership experience, and serves as an opportunity to engage all DSHA constituent groups.
- Acts as editor-in-chief of the 50+ page DSHA Viewbook, planning messaging and content to showcase DSHA to both prospective student and parent audiences.
- Acts as editor-in-chief of the 250+ page dsha.info website, in collaborative effort with the Digital Marketing Director, ensuring that the site collectively serves to communicate the DSHA points-of-difference to a recruitment audience, and also acts as a tool for engaging and informing current parents, students, and alumnae. Oversees the SEO and analytics efforts of the Digital Marketing Director to ensure the site’s overall health, search visibility, and user experience are optimized, along with a regular rhythm of audits to ensure content is up to date and relevant. Oversees the curation of fresh content for the site on a regular basis in conjunction with the Digital Marketing Director.
- Oversees all video production with external contract workers to ensure DSHA messaging and mission are captured to engage the audience with the relevant goal at hand. This includes annual fundraising video, My Dream Started at DSHA video microsite, and other various video production jobs as needed throughout the year.
- Oversees the school’s digital communications for consistency of message and impact of communication, managing and guiding the content creation of the all members of the Advancement team including, but not limited to weekly recruitment e-news, bi-weekly parent e-news, monthly alumnae e-news, events marketing, and fundraising eblasts.
- Oversees the work of the Digital Marketing Director and Marketing and Development Writer in their work on DSHA’s social media platforms. Collaborates to guide a strategy that will engage and grow audiences with measurable goals using Google and relevant platform analytics.
- Leads the strategy, management, and execution of all paid and earned media placements including:
- Cultivation and maintenance of relationships with local media outlets.
- Actively works to pitch “good news” stories to local outlets to showcase the DSHA points of difference. Creates and executes a plan that regularly places the school in local media. Writes timely press releases for events and newsworthy happenings at the school the goal of increasing the DSHA brand in the greater Milwaukee community.
- Curates a paid advertising and media plan that extends throughout the greater Milwaukee area to increase audience awareness and expand markets. Creates advertising and media placement content that ensures messaging is relevant and engaging for the particular audience and placement.
- In conjunction with the President and Board of Directors, actively involved in the strategy, writing, and execution of all school crisis communications as they arise. Works directly with Senior Team to create, manage, and execute all time sensitive, and confidential communications.
- Ensures the continuity of the school’s brand standards and style throughout all publications with regard to look and messaging/content. Ensures brand and messaging, quality and consistency and establishes guidelines to apply across all departments, activities and events at the school and among professional and volunteer leadership.
- Attends the DSHA Board of Directors meetings. Leads and staffs the Marketing Committee of the DSHA Board of Directors. Responsible for the planning and execution of the Marketing Committee Charges each year and the engagement of the committee in completing these charges each year in collaboration with the committee chair. Builds meaningful collaborative relationships with marketing professionals in school community for the purpose of utilizing their expertise and leveraging their connections.
- Collaborates with all DSHA departments throughout the school in articulating their purpose and ongoing work so that the best and most complete story of DSHA can be known and communicated.
- Plans and manages the department budget to maximize the effectiveness of all communications.
- Engages actively in professional development to remain current in best practices related to independent school communications, emerging social media, and effective marketing and advertising strategies.
- In collaboration with the President, Sr. Director of Development, and Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, actively participates in creative ideation, process, and strategic planning for DSHA Advancement Department initiatives.
- Provides staff leadership to the department in all respects, including hiring, day-to-day management and motivation of staff and contractors, ensuring professional development and excellence.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Supervises the Director of Graphic Design, Digital Marketing Director, and Marketing and Development Writer.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
Education and/or Experience:
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to marketing and communications; an advanced degree is preferred.
- Seven to ten years of increased leadership experience in marketing and communications, preferably in an independent school or other non-profit organization.
- Demonstrated success in supervising and managing a staff.
- Demonstrated success in bringing regular, positive media attention to an organization.
- Demonstrated success in managing multiple projects with shifting priorities and competing deadlines.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Substantial evidence of outstanding speaking, writing, and editing skills.
- Demonstrated and extensive writing and content creation skills – from short form digital to long-form narrative story-telling.
- Deep knowledge of the principles of marketing and communications and demonstrated success in utilizing them.
- Fluency in using social media effectively.
- Understanding of digital marketing analytics and optimization.
- Ability to develop, monitor, and adhere to budgets and production schedules.
Additional Requirements
- Ability to demonstrate dedication to the mission and vision of DSHA is required. Mission-driven with a belief in and commitment to DSHA’s mission and values.
- Excellent listener and strategist; comfortable receiving input from many sources, and able to analyze and formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan.
- Flexible, creative and able to find alternative ways to reach objectives when barriers arise; a skilled negotiator who does not drive him/herself or others into a corner.
- Team builder who is confident and capable, with strong skills in management and leadership; one who understands the subtleties of motivating and directing a diverse group of personalities with different work styles.
- A hard worker with a high energy level; a “doer” with a willingness to work hands-on in developing and executing a variety of development and advancement activities.
- Able to work with diverse personalities and situations.
- Must have valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle.
Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; talk or hear; and use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. On occasion the incumbent may be required to stoop, bend or reach above the shoulders. The employee must occasionally lift up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment:
The work takes place in primarily an office/school environment; however, there is some travel and limited exposure to outside elements.
Equal Employment Opportunity and ADA:
DSHA practices equal employment opportunity. We are committed to providing employees with a work environment that supports diversity and is free of unlawful discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and competence. Our employment practices are not unlawfully influenced or affected by an applicant’s or employee’s characteristics protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, promotion, assignment, discharge, and other terms and conditions of employment.
DSHA also is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment. It is the policy of DSHA to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or candidate with a disability, throughout all aspects of the hiring process, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship for DSHA. If reasonable accommodation is needed during the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at 414-721-7419.