Director of Communications & Marketing

Milwaukee Montessori School seeks a Director of Communications and Marketing, who will report to the Head of School and will set and guide the strategy for all communications, website, and printed collateral to consistently articulate Milwaukee Montessori School’s mission to its constituents: MMS families, prospective families, donors, alumni and the community at large.

Milwaukee Montessori School seeks a Director of Communication sand Marketing, who will report to the Head of School and will advance the following institutional priorities:

• Set and guide the strategy for all communications, website, and printed collateral to consistently articulate Milwaukee Montessori School’s mission to its constituents: MMS families, prospective families, donors, alumni and the community at large.
• Work to ensure that Milwaukee Montessori School is visible in the community as a choice in education for Milwaukee area families.
• Interface with Public Relations Firm to plan and execute programs that enhance the visibility and public perception of the school.

Specific responsibilities to advance these priorities include the following:

• Implement and manage a strategic marketing and communications plan and budget.
• Perform analysis of marketing efforts determining the ROI and adjusting MARCOM strategy and efforts as needed.
• Design and produce digital and print advertisements according to the strategic marketing plan for admissions purposes.
• Write and produce the Weekly Broadcast, the school's weekly parent update.
• Write, design, and produce the Monte”stories,” the school's bi-weekly eNewsletter.
• Manage and update the school website, including writing and developing new content, creating forms, monitoring the site’s analytics and interfacing with the site’s content management system and payment gateway vendors.
• Develop and maintain a relationship with school faculty to facilitate the creation of written content about classroom life for eNewsletter and website, via regular visits to classrooms, interviews with students and by attending the weekly Faculty Meetings.
• Review, manage and update regularly all aggregate listing sites (greatschools.org, yelp.com, etc.), all social media (Facebook Fan and Friends page, Twitter), and blogs.
• Manage media relations, including writing press releases and cultivating relations with local media.
• Design, write/edit and produce all school printed collateral, publications and event materials, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report, Annual Fund Card, Admissions Card, Toddler Family Brochure, Family Handbook, Faculty and Faculty Operations Handbook, Summer Brochure, and event invitations, programs and flyers.
• Advance communication and outreach programs with existing families by organizing and hosting the annual Grandparents’, Fathers’ and Mothers’ school visitation events.
• Act as a member of the Administrative Staff by attending, and sometimes assisting in the planning and coordination of, all school events.
• Act as a member of the school’s crisis team, assist in all emergency and drill situations.
• Develop, disseminate and analyze surveys to alumni, alumni parents and summer program families for research and marketing purposes.
• Organize, attend and participate in twice-monthly Toastmasters meetings to improve speaking skills.
• Research and stay in-tuned with updates and trends in social media communications for marketing and advertising purposes.
• Attend Independent School Seminars on communications and marketing strategies for professional development purposes.
• Write, place and manage employment ads for all open admin and faculty positions.

Successful candidates will have marketing and communications experience, covering areas such as MARCOM planning and budget management, website content management, newsletter development, and constituent communications.

Additionally, successful candidates will have the following qualifications and skills:

• Highly collaborative style; experience developing and implementing communications strategies
• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills
• Self-starter, able to work independently, and entrepreneurial; enjoys creating and implementing
• Experience in graphic design and proficient in the use of the Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash.
• Experience with (and/or willingness to learn) website management using our content management system; HTML skills a plus
• Bachelors degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Journalism or similar preferred

This is a full-time position, including health, dental and other benefits, with salaried compensation commensurate to experience.