Marketing & Communications Manager

Position Summary

The Marketing & Communications Manager serves as the strategic architect and primary steward of the school's brand, reputation, and voice. This is a high-impact, mission-driven role responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive marketing strategy that advances enrollment and retention goals, deepens community engagement, and positions the school as a premier Jewish day school in the Baltimore area. The ideal candidate brings a blend of creative vision, analytical discipline, and a deep appreciation for Jewish values and day school culture.

• Own and evolve the school's brand identity, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints — print, digital, environmental, and verbal messaging

• Develop and maintain comprehensive brand guidelines and train staff on proper brand usage

• Lead the creation of compelling brand narratives that authentically reflect the school's Jewish mission, academic excellence, and community values

• Conduct periodic brand audits to assess perception, identify gaps, and recommend strategic enhancements

• Partner with school leadership to align brand positioning with the school's strategic plan

• Design and implement an integrated annual marketing plan encompassing digital, print, social, event-based, and community outreach channels

• Manage and optimize all digital marketing efforts including SEO/SEM, social, email marketing, and display advertising

• Produce and oversee high-quality creative assets including photography, video, graphics, copywriting, and print collateral

• Develop and manage the marketing calendar in coordination with the academic and admissions calendars

• Establish and track KPIs for all campaigns; analyze performance data and present insights and recommendations to leadership

• Oversee the school's website — ensuring content is current, engaging, strategically structured, and optimized for search

• Partner with the KSDS Board Marketing Committee

• Partner closely with the Director of Admissions to develop and execute a robust prospective family pipeline strategy

• Create and manage targeted campaigns to generate awareness and inquiries among Jewish families in the region

• Build and maintain a CRM-driven approach to lead nurturing, from initial inquiry through enrollment

• Develop compelling open house, shadow day, and event marketing to drive prospective family engagement

• Leverage community partnerships — synagogues, Jewish organizations, preschools — for referral and awareness marketing

• Analyze enrollment funnel data to identify drop-off points and refine messaging and tactics accordingly

• Serve as the primary writer and editor for all major school communications, including school newsletters, annual reports, and donor communications

• Develop and execute a communications strategy for each key audience: current families, prospective families, alumni, donors, faculty/staff, and the broader Jewish community

• Manage and grow social media channels with a consistent content strategy that celebrates school life, academic programs, and Jewish culture

• Oversee crisis communications in coordination with school leadership, ensuring timely, accurate, and transparent messaging

• Lead the production of major print publications including the viewbook, and fundraising materials

• Maintain and strengthen media relationships to secure positive press coverage in local, regional, and Jewish community outlets

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in marketing and/or communications, with ideally 2 years in a leadership or strategy role

• Demonstrated success developing and executing integrated marketing campaigns from concept through measurement

• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills across a variety of formats and audiences

• Proficiency with digital marketing tools:
  Google Analytics, email marketing platforms (e.g., Constant Contact, Mailchimp), social media management tools, and CMS platforms

• Strong visual communication sensibility; experience working with designers or managing creative production

• Highly organized, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously

• A genuine appreciation for and commitment to the mission of Jewish day school education

• Experience in a Jewish educational, nonprofit, or faith-based organization

• Familiarity with Jewish calendar, lifecycle events, holidays, and cultural sensibilities

• Experience with CRM systems and enrollment or development-focused marketing

• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or comparable design tools

• Basic photography, video, or multimedia production skills

• Strategic thinking paired with a bias toward execution

• Collaborative leadership — inspires trust across faculty, staff, families, and lay leadership

• Data-driven…