Laboratory Schools: Communications Specialist

Department
 

Lab School Communications & Marketing

About the Department
 

At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, students in Nursery through Grade 12 experience a world-class educational journey. Founded in 1896 by John Dewey as a place for educators to develop and explore novel approaches to pedagogy and curriculum, Lab continues to provide excitement and imagination in learning to this day. Academic rigor, experiential learning, and intellectual discourse are hallmarks of a Lab education. Lab educators are recognized for excellence in teaching and pride themselves on innovation in the classroom. Students in every grade have access to unparalleled resources, and all members of the Lab community benefit by partnerships and connections with the University of Chicago. Families who choose Lab care deeply about curiosity, inquiry, and creativity.

No less than scholarship, Lab’s mission prioritizes honoring diversity and exhibiting kindness. We are committed to building and supporting a teaching and learning community where young people see aspects of their backgrounds and identities reflected around them, where they feel a deep sense of belonging, and where they discover and use their voices to full effect. Today, 53-59 percent of Lab’s student body are students of color. Families report speaking nearly 40 different languages in their homes. Approximately 60 percent of Lab families are also affiliated with the University of Chicago. Half of our families live in Hyde Park, and the rest come from across Chicago, the suburbs, and northwestern Indiana. Inclusion is a fundamental value at Lab, such that we celebrate every facet of community members’ identities, and even where we disagree, we emphasize respect, civility, and maintaining a spirit of community.

Lab seeks the finest employees to join our vibrant learning community. We employ people with a wide range of skills and training in many different disciplines, who have in common a love of learning and the wish to inspire that same love of learning in young people. We seek candidates for employment who thrive in an educational environment. We provide a great professional home for those committed to collaboration, ongoing personal and professional growth, and cultivating positive relationships. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of color, LGBTQ+ identified candidates, candidates from historically marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds, and candidates with a demonstrated commitment to a deepening diversity, equity, and inclusion practice. In turn, we strive to ensure that Lab is a joyful, welcoming, and inspiring place to work. Through our connection to the University, faculty, staff, and administrators enjoy benefits and opportunities that would be nearly impossible to match in any other environment.

Job Summary
 

The Marketing and Communications Specialist will report to the Director, Communications & Marketing (and in some cases work under the guidance of the Content Manager). This role will be responsible for developing and executing a variety of programs and projects to achieve the strategic marketing and communications goals of the school and ensure that the communications and marketing procedures are well integrated into the Schools’ overall goals, mission, and vision.

This individual will manage a portfolio of projects and work that will include generating story ideas, writing, editing, social media management, digital marketing, photography, videography, print and digital collateral production, and other work as assigned in support of the director of schools, the school’s senior leadership team, and the communications and marketing team.

Responsibilities

• Create, edit, and publish relevant and compelling written, visual, social media, and web content for, but not limited to, the school’s news page, LabLife, the school’s official digital magazine, and the monthly eNews digital publication.

• Serve as a “beat reporter’ for the school with specific responsibility for identifying and writing  stories within the school by staying connected with departments and divisions that are published on the news page of the school’s website.

• Connects with and fosters ongoing relationships with Lab stakeholders—teachers,  staff, administrators, Parent Association representatives—and uses institutional knowledge to identify relevant storylines, events, and news that can be leveraged across Lab’s networks.

• Develops and distributes mass emails and major announcements to key stakeholder groups using the school’s email content management system. 

• Proofreads and edits emails from Senior