Communications Manager

Communications Manager

Reports to: Director of Development

Start Date: Immediate (Open until filled)

Salary Range: $70,000 - $100,000

Dedicated to the belief that all students belong with expert and compassionate teachers, Mid-Peninsula High School empowers students with the knowledge and purpose to impact a complex world. Mid-Pen is committed to caring for and supporting our 135 students from around the Bay Area by developing authentic, personal relationships with them and their families. We seek candidates who are highly skilled, deeply committed, and who derive both professional and personal joy from working with fascinating students, supportive parents and guardians, and wonderful colleagues.

Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, CA, seeks a full-time Communications Manager, who will be responsible for creating and executing communications with our students, families, alumni, and colleagues. We are excited to welcome a new colleague who possesses both strong skills and a growth mindset, and who wants to be an active member of a thriving and compassionate school community. The full job description is included at the end of this summary of the position.

What will the Communications Manager do?

The Communications Manager (CM) takes the lead on all communications for the Mid-Pen community. Regular communications include the weekly E-Blast newsletter, daily announcements, and our social media accounts. The CM also keeps a finger on the pulse of general happenings around campus to build and tell great stories about our students and staffulty. Sometimes the CM tells those stories in videos, and other times through pictures and written formats. Because the CM is always curious about what’s happening in classrooms, club meetings, and after-school activities, they spend lots of time developing relationships with students, colleagues, and families. These stories the CM tells, then, naturally capture the authentic character of our fascinating, wonderful school. The CM will either have knowledge of our student information platform, Veracross, and our website platform, Finalsite, or be willing to engage in training as a lead user of both.

With whom does the CM work?

The CM reports to the Director of Development, and meets with him regularly to identify and execute projects, and also works closely with the Director of Admissions to support student recruitment. The CM also will work with the other members of the Administrative Team (“The A-Team”), which includes the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, and the Directors of Finance and Teaching/Learning/Equity. Of course, the CM works with anyone who has a story to tell, whether that is a student, a colleague, an alum, or a parent/guardian.

What kinds of skills and mindsets does the new CM need?

The new CM will have a strong background in written and visual communications, with a portfolio of work that demonstrates their ability to develop a strong online presence, make excellent use of their video skills, and lead and manage projects. The new CM will know how to make the best use of the Google suite; have at least some experience managing a website; and some experience with databases. While the new CM will have a BA and perhaps a graduate degree, their experience and vision will be the most meaningful way for us to assess their abilities. They may have worked in schools in the past or not; they certainly will possess the interest and curiosity necessary to learn the Mid-Pen culture so that they can contribute to it and tell its stories. Understanding how to tell the proverbial mountain from the molehill, pivoting when necessary, and maintaining a sense of humor are qualities that will serve the CM well. Most importantly, the new CM will be someone who is excited to work in a small, collegial, out-of-the-box school environment with an incredibly committed group of staffulty.

As a small school where everyone brings a multitude of skills to our community, candidates are encouraged to share other skills that might be useful like events management, teaching, organizing activities, etc. We will be happy to consider updating the job responsibilities for the right candidate. The school will accept applications until the position is filled.

Applicants should send a cover letter and resume to employment@mid-pen.org.

Mid-Peninsula High School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Mid-Pen adheres to an employment policy that prohibits discriminatory practices or harassment against applicants or employees based on race, color, creed, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, ethnicity or national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related medical conditions, any protected military or veteran status, physical disability, or any other category protected by applicable Federal, State, or Local law.

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Job Description

Major Responsibility: As Mid-Pen’s chief storyteller and communications strategist, the Communications Manager shares the School’s distinct character and voice across all constituents to celebrate and promote its mission, values, and outcomes, including the impact of the School on students, families, staffulty, and alumni. The Communications Manager reports to the Director of Development and partners with members of the Administration Team (“A-Team”) on projects. The Communications Manager possesses strong skills in writing for multiple audiences, content production and management, photo and video production, social media and associated metrics, and website management.

Internal audiences (HOS, A-Team, Staffulty, Board of Trustees, Front Office)

Major responsibility: Identify school and leadership narratives and develop and implement communications programs that support the School’s overall objectives and mission.

• Partner with Academics, Admissions, Development, College Counseling, JEDI, Facilities, and Front Office colleagues to develop timelines and content for each department’s needs.
• Keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening across constituencies, connect dots, share learnings with the A-Team, and develop/support strategic initiatives that may result from these learnings.
• Create content: Identify and develop newsworthy content (stories, videos, etc.) to showcase on the School’s social media platform, in school newsletters, website, the alumni magazine, and to local media outlets.
• Review, edit, and distribute significant correspondence for the Head of School and A-Team colleagues to current and/or prospective families and the general public, with a particular focus on tone, grammar, voice, and sensitivity.
• Lead the construction and distribution of crisis communications (e.g., disaster/negative event on campus, health-related issues).
• Lead and provide support for events communications, collaborating with staffulty and student/family volunteers to ensure deadlines are met with quality, consistency, and accuracy.
• Manage the School’s website, including the Student, Parent, Staff, and Board portals.
• Support the design and production of the School yearbook.
• Lead the photography, video, and livestream for School events as appropriate.
• Oversee all design and printing to ensure consistent implementation of the School’s brand, including effective management of relevant budgets.
• Measure, track, and report communication activities, using data to enhance or adjust practices.
• Create and share consistent style standards with the Mid-Pen community.
• Communicate with staffulty about brand consistency.
• Provide operational support to the Front Office and HR for the distribution of iinformation/materials to families and staffulty.

External audience: Students, Parents/Guardians (including Parent Association), Alumni

Major responsibility: Foster connections with students, parents, guardians, and alumni by keeping them informed of activities, developments, and events.

• Write and manage the production and distribution of the School’s weekly newsletter, special newsletters, and urgent family communications.
• Attend PA Meetings and parent functions to listen to parent feedback and share with colleagues as appropriate.
• Contribute to strengthening relationships with alumni:

1. In collaboration with the Director of Development, manage the development and production of Connections, the school’s alumni magazine content, design, collaborating with designer and printer)
2. Provide communications and event support as needed

External Audience: Media + Greater Community

Major responsibility: Keep local media and the greater community informed about school activities and moments.

• Build relationships with local media and neighboring companies (Facebook, community businesses
• Share newsworthy and notable student and staffulty events, activities, and achievements with media to obtain news coverage

General

• Stay abreast of developments in education by attending professional meetings, reading professional journals, and discussing educational issues with other professionals
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of School.