Manager of Marketing and Communications

The York School is a not-for-profit co-educational, independent day school, located in the heart of Toronto, renowned for its challenging academic International Baccalaureate (IB) programme and commitment to experiential learning. Our highly trained faculty receive support and training to be leading professionals in their fields and in the IB Curriculum, using cutting-edge classroom technology.

What sets us apart from other schools is that our tradition is innovation. We welcome applicants who are like us – dynamic and innovative, collaborative, progressive and globally-minded. The York School offers an inclusive culture and values creativity, individuality and new ideas. 

Position purpose:  
Reporting to the Director of Admission & Advancement, this position will be responsible for the branding, marketing and advertising direction for the whole school, including both internal and external communications. This individual will be proactive in ensuring that the school, students and staff are portrayed in a positive manner and with consistency to the school’s branding, mission and strategic plan. The Manager has one direct report and works closely with members of the Executive Team and faculty to showcase activities that achieve strategic marketing and communications objectives.

Key Responsibilities:
Marketing Communications: The Manager of Marketing and Communications will develop, recommend and lead the Marketing and Communication plans while monitoring the effectiveness of each strategy. Responsibilities include marketing and brand policies, advertising, school publications, media placements, social media, website and effective planning and use of budgets. The position is responsible for promoting The York School and providing timely development and implementation of key strategies building a vibrant, distinctive school brand.  

Brand Strategy:
- In collaboration with the Director of Admission & Advancement, manage The York School’s core brand position, key messages and visual identity.
- Recommend, develop and implement key messages for The York School to align and strengthen brand identity.  
- Ensure consistency across all media channels (print, multimedia, digital/electronic and social/new media).
- Establish graphic standards for The York School’s brand, logo usage, etc.
- Ensure consistency and oversee style of marketing collateral associated with the school.
- Manage third-party agencies and vendors to create a cohesive, seamless delivery of creative campaign materials, advertising collateral and online/print materials.

Marketing Communications and Outreach:
- In collaboration with Director of Admission & Advancement; recommend, develop and implement marketing & communication strategies which support The York School’s strategic plan to recruit mission appropriate students.
- Develop strategies to build brand awareness and recognition within the local and international market to increase market position and share.
- Manage marketing channels and lead the creative execution of a variety of communication vehicles aimed at various internal and external audiences.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders at the school to ensure that writing, editing and presentation of key messages and materials are consistently high quality and align with branding and strategy of the The York School.

Advancement Communications:
- In collaboration with Director of Advancement, develop, recommend and manage messaging and collateral for fundraising and capital campaign materials.
- In collaboration with Director of Advancement and Associate Director of Annual Giving, ensure that donor recognition materials and publications, including the Annual Report and the website, achieve The York School’s philanthropic objectives.

Other Responsibilities:
- Manage and assign priorities and duties of the Communications Coordinator, conducting yearly performance appraisals and promoting continuous learning and professional development.
- In collaboration with the Director of Admission & Advancement, prioritize yearly budget allocations and manage Marketing & Communication budget areas

Qualifications, Skills and Attributes:

Strategic Thinking & Analysis:
- Strong analytical mindset and strategic planning skills.
- Demonstrate project management skills. Ability to make effective decisions with limited data in unclear situations. Strong judgement.
- Meet deadlines and juggle multiple priorities/varying assignments.
- Highly organized and able to deliver priorities.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills:
- Demonstrated leadership/management skills.
- Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within a team environment and with multiple stakeholders. Exceptional service orientation.
- Superior interpersonal skills to deal effectively with distinct internal and external constituencies at all levels.
- Manage relationships with third party providers for any external services which are required (video, photography, design, writing etc)
- Ability to exercise judgment, tact, diplomacy and discretion.
- Experience purchasing in/out-of-home media space, organizing specifications and schedules with designers and media providers.
- Report and collaborate on analytics as required on marketing and online initiatives.

Technical:
- Demonstrated innovation in using technology to achieve business objectives.
- Fluency with Adobe Creative Suite is required.
- Blackbaud JK-12, web-based platforms, social media, research and analytical tools (eg. Google Analytics).
- Knowledge of marketing, market research, branding, visual design, production and advertising agency standards and practices.

Knowledge and skills:
- Ability to initiate, plan and develop marketing strategies that will promote the school’s Enrolment Management & Advancement objectives.
- An inquisitive, technologically-savvy, creative individual with excellent organizational, design, analytical, collaborative and strategic skills; critical thinking and proactive problem solving abilities, coupled with strong written communication and collaborative/relationship building skills.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working in the field of marketing and/or communications, with extensive experience working with web-design, content and digital multimedia publishing.
- Demonstrated leadership experience.
- Understanding of creative processes for web design including web standards, branding, project management and Content Management Systems.
- Understanding of the Independent School system is an asset.

Education:
- Undergraduate degree in communications, media studies, business or related discipline.
- Post-graduate degree or equivalent evidence of project management and writing skills an asset.

Join Our Community:
Employees at The York School are inquiring, knowledgeable, caring and engaged citizens of the world. Leaders in their field, they are collaborative, open to change and committed to improving lives through education. We are committed to professional development, and provide a competitive compensation and benefit package to our employees. 

Accessibility & Equal Opportunity at The York School
We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Upon request, we will accommodate individual needs for applicants with disabilities within our recruitment process.

How to Apply
Qualified candidates should apply by submitting an application on the careers page of the York School website at www.yorkschool.com by June 12, 2018.

We thank all candidates for their applications; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.