Director of Communications - New York, United States - Village Community School

Description

Village Community School, a K-8, co-educational school located in the West Village, seeks a dynamic Director of Communications (DoC) to provide strategic leadership for the school's ongoing communication and marketing efforts. The DoC would manage and support school-wide communication needs including internal and external emails, website, social media channels, and marketing materials. The ideal candidate will be highly organized and collaborative; with strong project management, writing, and marketing skills; and a willingness to participate in both the technical and creative aspects of the school's communication strategies. The DoC reports to the Director of Advancement, is a member of the Advancement and Communications team and works closely with academic and administrative staff throughout the school.

The Director must be an outstanding communicator and deep listener who appreciates and understands diverse perspectives, values intellectual exchange and respectful disagreement, embraces the VCS Mission and Diversity statements, and has a demonstrated ability to create and thrive in diverse, inclusive communities. The ideal candidate will have highly developed collaboration skills and a kind and caring disposition; the stamina and resilience to work in a fast-paced, demanding environment; a willingness to embrace complexity and the principles of servant leadership; and the flexibility and joyfulness that are required to serve in a K-8 institution. Candidates should have demonstrated leadership ability with adults, both individually and in groups, and a personal commitment to professional growth and to receiving and acting on constructive feedback. Our ideal candidate will be collaborative, resilient, flexible, diplomatic, confident, patient, and possess a sense of humor and professional presence.

This is a full-time, in-person, 12-month position.

Responsibilities

Set up daily communications each morning in our school notification system; lead the process of receiving appropriate approvals and scheduling emails on a deliberate timeline. Draft new letters and edit pre-existing communications as necessary. Send tests of daily communications to appropriate groups of administrators and incorporate their edits, following up with them as necessary to ensure communications are approved in a timely manner and the communications calendar stays on schedule.

Manage annual communications calendar. Use the school-wide calendar and past communications calendars to maintain an accurate understanding of when and how events and information should be communicated to various constituents. Serve as the first point of contact for staff wishing to send internal and external communications, responding to their requests in a timely and helpful manner. Provide weekly communications schedules to the Director of Advancement.

Create and publish parent, staff, and administrative calendars. Ensure events are listed accurately and maintain up-to-date calendars on the parent and staff portals and the VCS app.

Actively seek out news stories, photo ops, and social media content. Develop relationships with staff and students, and maintain a visible presence on campus, visiting classrooms and attending events to capture photos, videos, and story content for use on social media, the VCS blog, and the school magazine. Identify potential long-form stories and staff contributors to the VCS magazine.

Manage digital systems including VCS website, staff and parent portals, Outlook distribution lists, and VCS app. Collaborate with website provider and advancement staff to maintain elements of the website: replace photos, rewrite copy, and think creatively about the best ways to present information.

Collaborate closely with the school administrators to develop engaging video and print projects for Admissions, Advancement, and the VCS website. Work with external photographer, videographer, and graphic designer to produce compelling content throughout the year. Support the school's outreach and admissions marketing and recruitment programs.

Help to create and maintain an organizational system for digital assets. Support Director of Advancement in managing the functional storage of current and archival images. Locate and share sets of photos with staff or parents when requested.

Partner with the Director of Advancement and Head of School on the production of the VCS magazine and the school yearbook . Help to plan themed issues, create written and photographic content, and manage timelines.

Serve as the primary liaison to external digital marketing team . Implement their recommendations, collaborate on social media ads and other marketing materials, and provide them with analytics and other relevant data. Prepare monthly analytic updates for communication team meetings.

Work with the Athletic Coordinator, Performing Arts Coordinator, and Afterschool Coordinator to create and maintain up-to-date schedules. Ensure the appropriate parents are informed of any changes throughout the season.

Serve as the key member of the crisis communications team. Draft or edit time-sensitive letters, occasionally outside of working hours. Support the Director of Advancement and Head of School in developing an overarching crisis communications strategy and building a robust inventory of letters for various crisis-level scenarios.

Pursue professional development opportunities. Attend conferences and professional meetings in order to remain current with communication and marketing practices.

Assume responsibility for other projects as assigned by the Director of Advancement or Head of School.

Required Skills

• Strong work ethic and high level of integrity
• Exceptional verbal, writing, editing, proofreading skills
• Ability to write in a variety of styles for different audiences/uses
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize a multitude of tasks by volume, urgency, etc.
• Resourceful and attentive to detail and accuracy
• Tactful and discreet
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others
• High energy and enthusiastic about working in an academic atmosphere
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to engage effectively with individuals of all ages and at all levels of the school
• Experience with digital photography, video preferred
• Strong artistic sense in photography, video, graphics
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Suite (experience working with Finalsite and Blackbaud a plus)
• Familiarity with Photoshop/Lightroom/Adobe Creative Suite a plus
• Available to work evenings and weekends as necessary for school events
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, English, or a similar field Salary Range $90,000 - $120,000 based on experience

  Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and a few photography samples to -

  MISSION STATEMENT

  Village Community School develops self-motivated students who value the challenging and rewarding process of learning as an integral part of life. We choose to be a diverse community where equity, creativity and critical thinking are essential to the rigorous education we provide. Our graduates are skilled and confident, able to advocate for themselves and others. They are well prepared for high school and for their futures in an increasingly complex and dynamic world.

  DIVERSITY STATEMENT

  Village Community School is strengthened and enriched by the diversity of our students, families, and staff. We are committed to cultivating intellectual, social and emotional growth in an inclusive environment where diverse experiences and perspectives are essential to the rigorous education we provide.

  WHO WE ARE

  Village Community School opened its doors to students in September 1970. To this day, VCS continues to be the leader in New York City K-8 education. At VCS, our structure and program spur young minds to seek patterns and connections between subject matter, deepening understanding while fueling the curiosity that creates self-motivated critical thinkers. Exciting epiphanies happen every day at VCS. With social studies at the core of our curriculum, VCS prepares students for a complex, interconnected world.

  The K-8 years are critically important to a child's academic and social development. At VCS, we devote all our resources to helping students establish an unabashed love of learning and the resilient self-confidence that will serve them well for a lifetime. We take our students seriously. We know how sophisticated young minds can be when offered opportunities to tackle the big questions and stretch beyond typical expectations. Our K-8 structure also provides many opportunities for students to be leaders. They best demonstrate what it means to value and encourage each other, developing rewarding relationships across age groups based on trust and mutual reliance.

  VCS offers competitive compensation and a generous benefits package. VCS is deeply committed to diversity among our staff, and applicants of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.