Director of Enrollment and Communication

Position Title:
Director of Enrollment and Communication

Job Type:
Salaried Exempt (Administrative)

Reports To:
Head of School


FTE:
Full Time, 1.0

FTE

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Director of Enrollment and Communication plays a pivotal role in the

school culture at Gardner. Responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive admissions,

communication, and marketing strategies, this role aims to enhance visibility and attract prospective

families aligned with the school's mission. From managing digital and print campaigns to fostering

community engagement, the Director of Enrollment and Communication is tasked with highlighting the

school's value proposition, both on campus and in the greater community. Additionally, this role is in

charge of the admissions process, including recruitment, guiding families from inquiry through enrollment,

coordinating events, and maintaining accurate data to inform strategic decisions around marketing,

communication, and enrollment goals. The Director of Enrollment and Communication works closely with

the Director of the Country Friends Campus, Director of Facilities and Auxiliary Programs, the Director of

Business Operations, and the Head of School as part of the senior leadership team.


RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic Enrollment and Communications Management

o Audit Gardner School's current enrollment and communication processes, look for

opportunities for improvement, and implement creative solutions in order to increase the

funnel from prospective families to enrolled students.

o Develop and implement strategic recruitment and enrollment initiatives to promote the

school and attract prospective families.

o Develop the Friends and Relatives of Gardner School (FROGS) organization and calendar

of family engagement events in partnership with Head of School and Development Board

Committee Chair.

o Research, monitor, understand, and analyze emerging local, regional, and national

demographic trends that affect independent school enrollment; determine the potential

impact of, and strategic responses to these trends.

o Organize, seek out, and attend admissions/recruitment events, both on campus and in the

greater community.

o Establish, maintain, and grow relationships with feeder schools (both private and public) in

the area and develop and strengthen partnerships with relevant Clark County

organizations.

o Research and implement best practices in Admissions to meet school's DEI goals.

o Lead faculty and staff through all aspects of the admissions process and create

opportunities for professional development, participation and feedback.

o Collaborate with School leadership to establish data-driven enrollment goals and develop

comprehensive and strategic plans to achieve them.

• Admissions and Enrollment

o Respond to inquiries, schedule and give tours, and move prospective families through the

admissions process.

o Nurture leads from various sources to develop ongoing relationships.

o Track data regarding inquiries, tours, applications, contracts, and re-enrollment and

communicate information to leadership team and Board of Trustees (as needed).

o In conjunction with the Office Manager/Registrar, manage student records in FACTS

student information system.

o Communicate with teachers regarding student visits and observations, manage collection

of student records and observations.

o Communicate with staff regarding their role in supporting the admissions and marketing

efforts of the school.

o Make recommendations for student enrollment to the Head of School.

o Support families in the enrollment process, including updating databases with the Director

of Business Operations and the Office Manager and communicating with teachers.

o Oversee Admissions and Enrollment budget lines.

• Advertising and Marketing

o Develop and implement a cohesive marketing strategy aligned with the Gardner School's

strategic goals and objectives.

o Drive brand awareness and increase enrollment and retention through strategic marketing

campaigns.

o Create marketing campaigns on social media, in print advertising, and other relevant

platforms.

o Drive digital marketing initiatives, including SEO, SEM, social media advertising, and email

marketing.

o Monitor and analyze digital performance metrics to optimize campaigns.

o Produce compelling admissions publications and marketing materials, oversee website

content, and develop marketing strategies for online, social media, and print advertising.

Maintain and improve the website for user-experience and desired messaging.

o Review data analytics from website traffic, ROI of marketing campaigns, and customer

relationship management software.

o Safeguard and promote the organization's brand identity, ensuring consistency in

messaging, design, and visual standards.

o Oversee Marketing and Advertising budget lines.

• Communications

o Create and execute a comprehensive communications plan that effectively conveys

Gardner School's core messages to students, staff, parents, and prospective families.

o Ensure consistent and clear messaging across all communication channels.

o In partnership with the Country Friends Campus Director and Head of School, create a

communication strategy for both campuses.

o Produce a weekly school-wide newsletter for the Gardner Main Campus, utilizing

calendars, information from classroom newsletters.

o Communicate mission and tenets of progressive education, multiple intelligences,

integrated thematics, and experiential learning to school community and beyond.

o Support faculty in creating and sharing communications for various purposes.

o Create compelling content for various channels, including digital, social media, email, press

releases, and print materials.

o Develop and implement crisis communication plans and strategies in partnership with the

leadership team.

o Oversee Communications budget lines.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Help to maintain school policies, regulations, and expectations.
• Develop and maintain professional, collaborative, and collegial relationships with faculty and staff,

as well as with community partners to the benefit of students and the program.

• Support the work of the Head of School and administrative/leadership team.
• Maintain strict confidentiality with donor, family, staff and school information.
• Fulfill other responsibilities as assigned respective to staff member's status as a Gardner

community member.

• Attend various meetings as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Marketing, Communications, or related field.
• Prior experience in independent school admissions management or marketing/communication

work and/or possess enthusiasm for pursuing professional development and developing expertise

in this part of the role.

• Demonstrated experience working with diverse populations in schools, school-age programs,

and/or nonprofits.

• Excellent familiarity with technology and ability to navigate various databases, including Google

Suite, Microsoft Office, and web-based applications such as Canva, Squarespace, and Mailchimp.

• Demonstrated organizational skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and time management skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate and work with administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students,

and community members.

• Satisfactory completion of a nationwide criminal background check and a Washington State Patrol

background check.

SUPERVISORY

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Staff members are at all times responsible for the supervision of students directly in their care, and for

students generally at all times when on campus or off campus during school activities. At this time this

position has no direct reports, but may sometimes direct and/or supervise the work of other staff on

special projects.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
This is a 12 month, exempt (salaried) administrative position. There are some required commitments

outside of regular school hours, including evening and weekend commitments.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Physical requirements are consistent with light physical duties required of school personnel.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Salary:
$67, $75,000 DOE

Position Classification:
Exempt (Administrative)

Hours:
Full Time, with the majority of work time to be completed on campus. As Exempt Administrative

staff, some remote work is possible with prior approval from the Head of School.

Benefits:
Some part time and all full time positions qualify for Medical and Dental with employer

contribution up to 100% (dependent on schedule), retirement plan (up to 3% employer match), and paid

time off.

Founded in 1995, Gardner School is southwest Washington's premiere independent, progressive school, serving students in a student-centered environment from preschool through 6th grade.

Inspired by Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, our community of teachers and learners honors many ways of learning, thinking and expressing.

Our whole-child philosophy integrates homeroom studies in mathematics, language arts, social studies and outdoor learning with specialist teachers in five disciplines:

science, music, art, Spanish and physical education.

Our small class sizes promote individualized instruction while our beautiful campus allows teachers to use all facets of the environment to stimulate learning.

Our Core Values at Gardner are Courage, Creativity, Curiosity, and Connection, and we believe in creating avid learners and inspired, engaged global citizens.

At Gardner School, highly trained and experienced faculty and staff place an emphasis on contextual learning to build the deep understanding essential for mastery of knowledge and skills.

Gardner teachers care deeply about children and inspire them to think broadly and critically. Parents and families are integral to our program and culture.

It is the policy of Gardner School to maintain a working environment free of all forms of unlawful discrimination.

Gardner School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender,sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, religion and national or ethnic origin, age, or disability in the administration of educational policies, employment practices or any other school-administered policies or practices.

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