Job Description

Director of Marketing and CommunicationsFounded in 1912, Louise S. McGehee School is an independent all-girls Pre-K–12 school in New Orleans. For more than a century, McGehee has educated girls to lead with purpose and confidence — and today, we are shaping our next chapter.Our Vision is a world shaped by purposeful women who lead with clarity, courage, and conviction. From Pre-K through 12th grade, each McGehee student is empowered to develop her unique strengths and aspirations in an environment designed specifically for girls.Our Mission challenges each girl to discover her strengths and reach her full potential as an independent learner, a critical thinker, and a confident leader. Academic depth, intellectual ambition, creativity, and self-direction define the McGehee experience from the earliest years through graduation.Our work is guided by the values that shape our community and decisions:Commitment to Excellence grounded in high expectations and continuous improvementEmpowering Leadership that elevates others and builds strong teamsHonorable Action rooted in integrity and alignment between values and choicesIndependent Thought balanced by curiosity and courageJoyful Engagement that recognizes girls thrive when they feel valued, challenged, and connectedWe hold high expectations for our faculty and our students, and we align our work with our values.McGehee advances a distinctive, individualized approach to girls' education built on close relationships between students and faculty and grounded in research-informed practice. Located on a historic Garden District campus, we embrace New Orleans as an extended classroom, connecting learning to service, internships, and real-world leadership. With more than 2,200 alumnae worldwide, McGehee is both a rigorous academic institution and a lifelong community committed to excellence and impact.Primary ResponsibilitiesCreate and implement an annual comprehensive marketing and communications plan, including long- and short-term goals and metrics, working closely with the Head of School and the Director of Admissions to ensure the plan supports critical schoolwide functions and initiativesClearly define the audiences for McGehee's marketing and communication efforts, probing to understand their needs and motivations to most effectively tailor and distribute messagesDevelop metrics to evaluate and analyze the success of marketing and communications initiatives in supporting schoolwide goals, continuously refining strategy and execution to be more effectiveGenerate strategic opportunities for McGehee to engage most meaningfully with its core audiences and to elevate institutional visibility within the broader landscapeServe as the project manager for all marketing and communications initiatives, establishing and maintaining systems for moving multiple initiatives forward concurrently and for cross-departmental collaborationEstablish successful working relationships with external vendors, such as web designers and professional photographers, including securing competitive bids, evaluating value-add, and managing deliverables, timeline, and budgetOversee the departmental budget, employing mechanisms to understand and demonstrate how marketing dollars are generating results and adjusting course when necessarySteward and Advance McGehee's BrandDevelop strategy and tactics to introduce McGehee's updated brand elements to its audiences, ensure McGehee's brand identity reflects current institutional priorities, mission, and toneLead a website redesign, overseeing the visual and editorial direction, soliciting and managing external vendor support, and collaborating closely with internal and external teams to ensure the website represents McGehee's mission, vision, and tone ongoingCreate content for digital and print production and manage the Community Engagement Manager/Social Media Specialist to leverage social media as a key strategic toolEnsure that McGehee's Style Guide is regularly updated and that all aspects of the brand identity are consistently appliedEducate stakeholders, such as school Leadership Team, teachers and coaches, on the importance of brand identity, the appropriate use cases, and the necessary safeguards to protect the brandCreate and maintain systems and resources, such as stock language and visual templates, to support teammates in upholding the brand identity and to ensure communications reflect consistent voice and toneDevelop a comprehensive vision and implementation plan for the production of marketing collateral and merchandise, overseeing inventory and salesManage the school's relationship with the press, including but not limited to the production of press releasesDrive and Implement Enrollment Marketing StrategyWork closely with the Admissions Team to align communications and marketing efforts to meet their strategic enrollment goals, including a shared vision of success, detailed campaign plans, and ongoing collaboration protocolsEnsure that McGehee is reaching its target audiences by optimizing the website for discovery and by exploring traditional and nontraditional channelsServe as a strategic partner on enrollment collateral, tour scripts, and eventsSupport Development Marketing and Communications StrategySupport the Development Team to meet its goals through advising on campaign planning, donor communications, and collateral productionInform and guide selection of annual giving campaign themes and core messagesProvide feedback to the Director of Development, Annual Giving Manager, and Capital Campaign Manager on campaign content and designSchool-wide Support and ConsultationServe as the school's chief storyteller through written and visual mediaManage the creation of regular communications packages (newsletters, annual school magazine, etc.), while collaborating closely with the Community Engagement Manager to create contentServe as a strategic advisor to Head of School, Division Heads, and other Leadership Team members to support internal messaging and strategy during times of changeManage crisis communications and public-facing messaging during urgent or sensitive situationsSupport Head of School and Division Heads in designing communication strategy and materials for current families, ensuring they have ongoing access to pertinent and meaningful informationSupport the Head of School and Chief Operations Officer to prepare and organize information for board membersAdvise on the production for various school events, ensuring the look and feel is in alignment with McGehee brand standardsBuild strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen engagement, recognition, and community prideManage Marketing and Communication Assets with Integrity:Ensure compliance with privacy, accessibility, and brand standards across all communicationsManage the school's database of images, videos, logos, and other electronic and print assetsOversee the photo release process and questions related to the right to use student imagesWe are most likely to hire a candidate with the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and mindsets:Successful experience leading a marketing, communications, and/or public relations functionAbility to establish long-term marketing and communications strategy, metrics, and corresponding tacticsExceptional writing, editing, and communication skills, with the ability to coach and support school leaders to ensure consistency in messaging, formatting, and brand standards across the school.Ability to collaborate and coordinate with multiple stakeholders and groups to inform strategy and to move multiple tasks forward concurrentlyAbility to communicate clearly and compellingly across various media and tacticsDesire and capability to deeply understand various audiences and to utilize those insights to craft motivating communication strategies, messages, and collateralAbility to diagnose and/or anticipate specific challenges and opportunities and to design/adjust plans in response; understands the right moment to actOperates with the highest level of professionalism and attentiveness to details, deadlines, and dynamicsIs eager to be a strategic partner in driving McGehee's current and future successIn addition, the following qualifications are a bonus:Bachelor's degree, especially if in a related fieldExperience maintaining or editing websitesUnderstanding of and familiarity with electronic media, social media algorithms (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), digital analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Meta Ads), and design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)Experience working at independent or all-girls' schools and/or a nonprofit organizationKnowledge of and appreciation for the cultural richness of New OrleansA positive outlook, a sense of humorSalary and BenefitsSalary is competitive and commensurate with experience and internal equity at McGeheeMcGehee offers a benefits package that includes comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance; employer-paid life and AD

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