Director of Communications and Marketing

Reports to: President

A direct report to the President of the Academy, the Director of Marketing and Communications is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of the school and oversees all aspects of communications and marketing. The Director is a member of the Senior Administrative Team, who works closely with the President, Director of Admissions, Director of Advancement and Academy Principals to support and manage all Academy communications and marketing initiatives. The Director will be committed to the school’s mission of educating girls and young women and to the Critical Concerns of the Academy’s sponsor, The Sisters of Mercy. This is a 12-month exempt administrative position.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Administration – 10%

• Manage key vendor relationships, including but not limited to cloud-based martech tools, designers, writers, photographers and videographers, advertising media, printers and web designers
• Manage communications and marketing budget
• Analyze ROI on communications and marketing investments and make recommendations to leadership
• Serve as a resource for faculty and staff on all questions related to communications and marketing

Marketing & Advertising – 20%

• Develop and execute an annual integrated marketing plan (IMP) to promote the Academy and support events and recruitment efforts, including paid, earned and owned channels, traditional and digital/emerging media
• Manage media planning and buying
• Report to Academy leadership on IMP’s key performance indicators (KPIs)

Branding & Collateral – 15%

• Manage the Academy brand to ensure that all stakeholders are adhering to brand standards in internal and external communications
• Develop and manage brand tools in support of Academy operations, including communications toolbox, templates, training materials, etc.
• Manage Academy asset collection using Lightbox and Flickr
• Produce best-in-class branding and collateral materials for all Academy audiences, either in-house or by providing art direction to creative vendors

Communications & Media Relations – 15%

• Develop and execute an annual communications plan to serve the needs of the Academy, including internal communications, external communications and media relations
• Draft a variety of internal and external communications, including but not limited to speeches, newsletters, op-eds, social media, blog posts, presentations and board reports
• Provide editorial review on all top-tier communications and marketing materials, including but not limited to recruitment materials, advancement materials, administration communications and collateral materials
• Develop and distribute media releases, story pitches and other content/alerts to local and national media outlets
• Serve as Academy contact to all media outlets, forging strong relationships with local press
• Represent the Academy as spokesperson as needed
• Monitor and report to leadership on media coverage and overall brand health

Content Marketing – 15%

• Develop and execute an annual content calendar to serve the needs of all stakeholders, including social media, blogs, newsletters, Bay View Today magazine
• In collaboration with Academy faculty, staff and students, develop content to support the annual calendar, including written content, photography and video
• Oversee and manage social media accounts with ongoing, consistent engagement

Crisis Communications – 10%

• Develop and maintain crisis communication plan, including sample crisis language and templates
• Maintain larger crisis plan document and publish as needed
• Coordinate communications in crisis situations

Digital Communications – 15%

• Manage and maintain Academy website, including main site, targeted microsites, portals and mobile applications and integration with other tools
• Build new web elements, pages, microsites as needed, including but not limited to forms, galleries, popups, calendars and blogs
• Manage site architecture and SEO to improve customer experience (CX), site performance and organic search rank
• Monitor, respond to and report on website analytics

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Seven or more years of experience, in communications, marketing, or public relations, preferably in an educational or non-profit setting.
• Experience with executive-level and mission-critical communication strategies.
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices in crisis and emergency communications. Skill to establish an environment of and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to translate organizational priorities into structured, strategically aligned plans with objectives, strategies, tactics, timelines, resources, metrics, etc. Comfort with conceptual thinking and scenario planning.
• Expert judgment, analytical and decision-making skills and keen political acumen. Ability to think quickly and appropriately to effectively address potentially negative, sensitive or difficult situations. Expert skill in problem recognition, avoidance and resolution.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to make people feel valued and motivated while accomplishing difficult tasks. Flexibility in the face of rapid change.
• Must possess exceptional visual, verbal, and written communication skills. Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills are essential, with a talent for storytelling being key.
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple and competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to analyze, understand, and interpret data related to marketing, advertising, and enrollment.
• Ability to perform intermediate photography, videography and design production as needed.

• Must possess knowledge of current technology as related to marketing and social media trends and the ability and desire to learn emerging technology. Experience with G Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere), Ads Manager (Facebook, Spotify, Google, TikTok, etc.) and CMS experience required. Hootsuite, Google Analytics, HTML/CSS proficiency highly preferred.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction.
• Experience preparing and monitoring budgets; familiar with standard operating practices.
• Bachelor’s degree in English, marketing or related field, or an equivalent amount of education and applicable professional work experience.

TO APPLY

Go to bayviewacademy.org/about-bayview/employment-opportunities and download the “Non-Teaching Application.”

Bay View Application, letter of interest and resume should be submitted via email to Sister Marybeth Beretta, President, at president.office@bayviewacademy.org.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: St. Mary Academy – Bay View commits itself to maintaining a welcoming environment for all people and extends its welcome in particular to those who may be vulnerable to discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, age, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, military status or other legally protected status.

St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an all-girl independent Catholic school serving a diverse population of girls from pre-school through grade twelve and is located in Riverside, Rhode Island. A sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, St. Mary Academy – Bay View fosters academic excellence in an innovative and creative learning environment while striving to empower each student to be a confident, independent, compassionate and socially conscious faith-filled young woman.