Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

The Rivers School — a 6-12 co-ed independent day school in Weston, MA, just outside Boston — seeks professionals who are looking to join a dynamic, innovative, and welcoming school community.

We are looking for a creative multimedia storyteller to join our team. At the core, this candidate will be a strong writer, able to craft long-form written narratives as well as scripting for multimedia pieces, the web, and social media content. 

The Marketing and Communications department at The Rivers School provides a portfolio of integrated marketing services including strategy development and planning, print and digital assets, media and public relations, digital marketing initiatives, website, and written communications. We tell the school’s story to increase engagement and enrollment and to achieve the school’s broader goals and mission. 

The associate director will create, write, and tell multimedia stories for the school’s primary digital and print channels. This position reports to the director of marketing and communications and will be a part of a team of four marketing professionals who work to engage current and prospective students and families, as well as external and internal audiences, in support of the school’s broader goals and mission. The ideal candidate will be a strong writer across multiple platforms who has an excellent understanding of target audiences and tailoring messages for maximum impact. 

The person in this role will work collaboratively within the Marketing and Communications team and with partners across the institution to bring the Rivers story to life in written, visual, and video form. The associate director will have an array of opportunities as we embark on the creation of a new strategic plan, an exciting time in the school’s history. 

The following responsibilities form a general blueprint for the position.

Responsibilities include

• Leverage a strong command of grammar and storytelling to ensure that content is clear, engaging, and accessible to multiple audiences, as well as consistent in voice.
• Contribute to team discussions about planning content and storytelling. 
• Actively identify, conceptualize, and bring to life stories that demonstrate the breadth of the Rivers experience and engage audiences through multiple print and digital channels (weekly news stories, web pages, social media, biannual school magazine, weekly email communications, and targeted campaigns). 
• Oversee weekly and monthly content plans for Rivers’ external channels.
• Manage day-to-day digital marketing initiatives—tracking the performance of digital campaigns (paid and organic social), tracking market trends, and crafting compelling digital content to raise brand awareness, increase the quality and quantity of website traffic, and encourage follow-through on calls to action. 
• Provide editorial support and services for admission, development, and head of school initiatives, including alumni relations, parent relations, academic departments, and special events.
• Monitor current market trends and develop content that speaks to various constituencies while also maintaining brand consistency.
• Grow and foster professional relationships with students, faculty members, and other professional community members.
• Work collaboratively with freelance contributors (writers, photographers, videographers) as needed. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and background in journalism, advertising, marketing, communications preferred. 
• Five to seven years of related experience (writing, photography, video, social media, web, or other content categories).
• Proven ability to succeed in a deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated experience with managing a brand’s social media accounts, including a working knowledge of Hootsuite or similar platform.
• Sound and versatile writing skills with attention to audience, tone, and nuance.
• Effective project management skills.
• Strong visual skills and background in photography and videography.
• Ability to communicate effectively with multiple constituents, creating positive relationships throughout the community.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty, parents, and the general public.
• Demonstrated ability to proofread and rewrite copy for accuracy, brevity, clarity, and style.
• Blackbaud/CMS experience is a plus! (Training can be provided.)

Contact

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically as separate documents (preferably as PDFs) the following materials:

• Formal cover letter for t