Temporary Director of Communications

Title:

Temporary Director of Communications

Reports to:

Director of Enrollment Management Department:
AdministrationFLSA:
ExemptFTE: 1, Temporary, Year-Round

Who We Are:

University Prep (UPrep) is a 6–12 independent school in northeast Seattle, WA, one of the country’s most dynamic cities. We offer an intellectually rich education that fosters deep inquiry and critical thinking that is powered by student engagement. Our students graduate prepared for college and life. UPrep is a strong and vibrant community of students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni that joins together to support our students in becoming caring and productive adults.

UPrep is a place where all students and families have equitable access to all the school has to offer, and we aspire for all community members to feel like they belong. We believe that our shared values of integrity, respect, and responsibility are essential to accomplish our mission to develop each student’s potential to become an intellectually courageous, socially responsible citizen of the world.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Enrollment Management, the Director of Communications partners with senior leadership on developing the school’s overarching communication strategy. The Director leads the tactical execution of the strategy for UPrep. The Director plans, executes, and oversees all internal and external school communications to elevate UPrep’s profile, advance its brand, and consistently convey clear messaging to internal and external audiences.

The Director is responsible for planning and content development for the school’s website, social/digital medial channels, weekly school newsletter, crisis communications, and maintaining consistent branding school wide. The position directly supervises department staff and interns, manages the department budget, and serves as a strategic communications partner to school leadership. The Director draws on strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as digital, technical, and visual skills to communicate the mission and work of the school to diverse audiences (alumni, faculty, staff, parent/guardians, students, and the public).Specific

Responsibilities:

Strategy, Leadership, & Operations In collaboration with the Director of Enrollment Management, develops and executes an annual communication plan that is reflective of the values, mission, and culture of the school, as well as the school’s overarching communication strategy, and ensures consistent, accurate, and professional messaging across the school.

Mentors and supervises Senior Writer & Editor and Marketing & Communication Intern to ensure high quality of work, support job satisfaction, and effectively distribute responsibilities within the office.

Provides communications support to the Head of School, Division Directors, program directors, department heads, and Board of Trustees.

Maintains the school’s crisis communication plan.

With support and approval from the Director of Enrollment Management, plans and manages the department budget to maximize the effectiveness of all communications.

Oversees external contractor relationships to support the production needs of the Communication Office.

Engages actively in professional development in order to remain current in best practices related to independent school communications, emerging social media, and effective storytelling strategies.

Web & Digital Content Planning In partnership with the Director of Enrollment Management and Director of IT, maintains an overall web and digital content strategy for UPrep that aligns with and supports the school’s mission, brand, and priority messaging for key distribution points, including the public website, internal Veracross portals, and social and digital media channels.

Conceptualizes, designs, authors, and produces digital communications and digital media – primarily for the website and social media – while considering events or campaign objectives, audience, budget, and timeline.

Maintains a social media calendar for UPrep’s priority channels (Instagram, Linked In, and You Tube), and posts regularly.

Ensures best practices and quality standards in…