Position Overview
The Gunston School seeks a creative, collaborative, and highly organized Marketing & Communications Manager to manage the school's marketing and communications efforts. Reporting to the Director of Institutional Advancement, the Manager serves as Gunston's primary in-house marketing and communications professional and is responsible for ensuring that the school's communications are timely, engaging, consistent, and reflective of Gunston's mission and brand.
The Manager oversees school-wide communications, social and digital media, website management, content development, and marketing initiatives. The position works collaboratively across the school, with particularly strong partnerships with Admissions and Advancement, to develop and execute communications and marketing strategies that support enrollment, philanthropy, community engagement, and institutional priorities.
This is a hands-on role requiring strong writing and storytelling, creativity, digital expertise, and effective project management.
Key Responsibilities
School-Wide Communications & Storytelling
- Manage the school's communications calendar and develop, write, edit, and distribute school-wide communications, newsletters, announcements, news stories, and other institutional content.
- Proactively identify and develop compelling stories that showcase Gunston's students, faculty, programs, alumni, and community.
- Ensure consistency in institutional voice, messaging, visual identity, and editorial standards.
- Attend school events and activities to gather photographs, stories, video, and other content that authentically captures the Gunston experience.
Social Media & Digital Engagement
- Develop and execute a proactive social media strategy that strengthens Gunston's visibility, engagement, and storytelling.
- Manage institutional social media channels, including content planning, creation, scheduling, and posting.
- Create and curate engaging written, photographic, graphic, and video content.
- Monitor social media performance and use analytics to continually improve content and engagement.
Website & Digital Platforms
- Serve as Gunston's primary in-house Finalsite administrator and expert, managing the school's website and ensuring that its content, functionality, and user experience remain current and effective.
- Manage digital communications across relevant website, alumni, and giving platforms.
- Monitor website, email, and digital communications analytics and use results to improve communications effectiveness.
Marketing, Brand & Creative Content
- Maintain and implement Gunston's institutional brand standards across print and digital communications.
- Develop and coordinate marketing materials, publications, advertising, photography, video, and other creative content.
- Manage external communications vendors and freelance resources as appropriate.
- Coordinate the development of major institutional publications and marketing projects.
Admissions & Advancement Partnerships
- Partner closely with Admissions to develop marketing and communications that support student recruitment and enrollment, including digital marketing, recruitment materials, prospective-family communications, and events.
- Partner with Advancement to execute communications supporting fundraising, stewardship, alumni engagement, and special events, including appeals, campaign materials, donor and alumni storytelling, and digital communications.
- Serve as a communications and marketing resource to other departments and programs across the school.
Public Relations & Institutional Communications
- Develop press releases, news stories, feature articles, and other external communications that enhance Gunston's visibility and reputation.
- Support the Head of School and school leadership in developing important institutional communications.
- Identify opportunities to share Gunston's programs, people, achievements, and institutional milestones with external audiences.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, journalism, English, graphic design, or a related field preferred.
- At least 3–7 years of relevant professional experience in communications, marketing, digital media, or a related field; experience in an independent school, educational institution, or mission-driven organization is strongly preferred.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills.
- Demonstrated experience managing organizational social media and developing engaging digital content.
- Strong experience managing a website through a content management system; Finalsite experience strongly preferred.
- Experience with email marketing and digital communications platforms; familiarity with GiveCampus, Almabase, or similar platforms is a plus.
- Graphic design experience and proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or comparable tools.
- Photography, videography, and/or video-editing skills are a plus.
- Ability to interpret communications analytics and use data to improve performance.
- Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Collaborative, adaptable, and eager to engage actively in the life of the school.
- Ability to attend occasional evening and weekend school events as required.
- Remote/hybrid work option 1-2 days per week, negotiable.
Compensation
Salary range: $75,000–$95,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. This position is eligible for full-time benefits including personal and sick leave, health, dental, and vision insurance, employee assistance program, 403(b) matching program, life insurance, school lunch benefit, and other ancillary benefits.
Please send a resume, cover letter, and list of references to:
Catherine Lawson, Director of Institutional Advancement
clawson@gunston.org
The Gunston School is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
