DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Description Why Choose Forman School for Your Next Career Opportunity? When you join Forman, you become part of a community that believes every student deserves an education built around how they learn best. Forman School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students with identified learning differences, founded in 1930 and located in Litchfield, Connecticut. Our faculty and staff help students become educated, confident self-advocates who carry that confidence well beyond graduation. Forman offers a competitive salary and benefits package, a collaborative and mission-driven work environment, and the chance to help tell one of the most compelling stories in independent education: how Forman transforms the lives of students who learn differently. Reports to: Director of Advancement 12-month Position · Annually Renewable Administrative Contract Position Overview Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Director of Marketing and Communications is a strategic leader who shapes and elevates Forman School’s brand, reputation, and voice. As the leader of a two-person marketing and communications team, the Director serves as a trusted advisor to the Head of School, Associate Head of School, and senior leadership, and partners closely with the Admission, Advancement, and Academic teams to build integrated marketing and communications strategies that advance the School’s mission and strategic priorities. Forman seeks an innovative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial communications leader who combines visionary strategy with skilled storytelling, someone who can translate the School’s distinctive strengths into compelling narratives that inspire prospective families, engage alumni and donors, strengthen community pride, and position Forman as the nation’s leading school for students who learn differently. The successful candidate will pair creativity with data-informed decision-making, ensuring that every communication reinforces Forman’s mission, supports enrollment and philanthropy, and builds a cohesive, authentic, forward-looking institutional brand. This includes elevating original, research-based work coming out of Forman’s Cognition and Learning Center, such as the Quinn Assessment Center at Forman and Executive Function (EF) the Forman Way, for audiences well beyond our current families. Forman's Mission, Promise, and Core Values Forman's mission is to transform the lives of students who learn differently, helping them discover strengths that too often go unseen elsewhere. Forman develops the whole student, based on each individual's learning profile, so that all graduates become educated, confident self-advocates throughout life. Forman is committed to sustaining an inclusive environment that fosters a deeper understanding of differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical origin, physical ability, and family structure. We believe society is bettered when we learn from and embrace those with different experiences and perspectives from our own. Our community values truth, respect, and kindness. Key Responsibilities Across the areas below, the Director's work should consistently reinforce Forman’s central story: how the School transforms the lives of students who learn differently by helping them become educated, confident self-advocates. Every strategy, publication, campaign, and channel should be built to carry that narrative to the audience that needs to hear it. Content Strategy and Editorial Leadership Translate the Head of School's and senior leadership's strategic messaging direction into actionable editorial, content, and engagement strategies that reinforce Forman's mission of transforming the lives of students who learn differently. Identify and maintain story pillars that reflect what is distinctive about Forman, with attention to key audience personas (prospective families, current families, alumni, donors) and appropriate segmentation. Develop editorial and communications calendars built around student transformation stories that balance enrollment, fundraising, alumni, internal, and external audience needs. Establish and uphold house style and message consistency across all schoolwide communications. Serve as lead editor for routine schoolwide communications and a thought partner to the Head of School and senior leadership on high-impact institutional messages. Collaborate with the Head of School and Director of Advancement on long-term planning for the website, brand evolution, video strategy, and future staffing, including oversight of website content, design, functionality, and SEO. Supervise and mentor the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, fostering a collaborative, creative, and high-performing team environment. Multimedia Storytelling and Content Production Plan, shoot, and edit photography and short-form video, with emphasis on external-facing content for admissions and fundraising as well as evergreen narrative assets that bring the Forman student experience to life. Develop an approach and style guide for how Forman appears authentically on film and in photography, including voice, pacing, captioning, and framing. Design print and digital marketing materials, including publications, brochures, and admissions and donor collateral, with a strong eye for layout, typography, and visual brand consistency. Build a reusable, searchable content library so photo and video assets can be leveraged across social media, web content, admissions collateral, donor communications, presentations, and future campaigns. Social Media and Digital Engagement Maintain a consistent, mission-driven presence for Forman on Instagram and Facebook as key channels for prospective family engagement, using a modest set of repeatable formats such as Reels, Stories, and short videos. Mentor students participating in Forman's Student Ambassador Program, folding students into content creation through appropriate training, prompts, and review processes. Oversee day-to-day social media engagement, including monitoring, response protocols, and escalation when needed, maintaining institutional voice and oversight. Admissions Marketing and Institutional Communications Partner closely with the Admission Office to develop and execute enrollment marketing initiatives that help prospective families see Forman as the place where their child can become a confident, capable self-advocate, including recruitment campaigns, advertising, and admissions events. Guide photography and design for admissions collateral and related print and digital pieces, coordinating with internal priorities and outside designers or vendors as needed. Partner with the Advancement Office and alumni relations to ensure donor-facing and alumni communications align with strategic messaging, schoolwide voice, and visual identity. Support the Head of School and senior leadership in strengthening internal communications practices and clearer messaging. Edit, package, and deploy e-newsletters, internal updates, routine schoolwide communications, and select leadership messages in partnership with the advancement team. Support major institutional events, including Commencement, Reunion, Family Weekend, Admissions events, fundraising events, and community celebrations, through coordinated communications and promotional materials. Cognition and Learning Center Outreach Partner with Forman's Cognition and Learning Center to build outreach and visibility for the School's research-based programs, including the Quinn Assessment Center and Executive Function (EF) the Forman Way, positioning Forman as a thought leader in the field of learning differences. Translate the Center's research and clinical expertise into compelling content for prospective families, educators, clinicians, and the broader learning differences community, across the web, print, social, and earned media. Support the Center's outreach to peer schools, professional organizations, and conferences with presentation materials, published content, and press opportunities as appropriate. Brand Stewardship and Vendor Management Serve as day-to-day steward of Forman's brand voice and visual consistency, ensuring the promise of transformation for students who learn differently comes through in every deliverable. Write creative briefs, manage feedback, and coordinate with outside designers, photographers, videographers, printers, and other vendors to ensure high-quality, on-brand deliverables and competitive pricing. Partner with the Director of Advancement on the timing and scope of larger brand, website, print collateral, signage and wayfinding, and visual identity work. Planning, Measurement, and Continuous Improvement Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications plan aligned with the School's Strategic Plan, and prepare and manage the annual marketing budget with measurable objectives and outcomes. Establish realistic metrics for content and engagement work, including reach, engagement, response rates, reuse, inquiries, and applications. Conduct regular reviews of digital and social performance to refine story pillars, channel strategy, and engagement practices. Develop lightweight reporting practices to help senior leadership and the Board of Trustees understand what is working. Identify and implement emerging marketing technologies and tools, using AI and related tools responsibly while maintaining sound human editorial judgment. Key member of the Forman Centennial Planning Committee. Perform other duties as assigned. Requirements Educational and Experiential Background and Credentials Required: Bachelor's degree required; degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations, English, or a related field preferred. Minimum of five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, public relations, or institutional advancement, preferably within an independent school, higher education, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organization. Demonstrated success in strategic communications, brand development, enrollment marketing, digital communications, media relations, content creation, print and digital publications, website management, and integrated marketing campaigns. Experience designing print and digital marketing materials (publications, brochures, admissions and donor collateral, email and web graphics), with a strong eye for layout, typography, and visual brand consistency. Exceptional writing, editing, verbal communication, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling messaging for a variety of audiences. Strategic thinker with excellent organizational skills, sound judgment, creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across a diverse school community and work effectively with faculty, staff, students, families, alumni, trustees, and external partners. A portfolio of written, photo, video, social media, and/or campaign work is strongly preferred. This is a full-time, twelve-month position requiring occasional evening and weekend work in support of School events and institutional priorities. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Preferred: Experience supervising staff, managing external vendors, and overseeing departmental budgets. Proficiency with digital marketing platforms, content management systems, social media, analytics tools, email marketing platforms, and emerging communications technologies. Experience developing editorial and communications calendars, content pillars, and repeatable content systems. Other Expectations This position is a member of a boarding school faculty. Candidates should be interested in contributing outside of the administrative office and becoming fully involved in the student life program. Faculty are expected to demonstrate respect for diversity of identities and experiences, an orientation toward equity and inclusion, and cultural competency in all aspects of school life. #J-18808-Ljbffr Forman School, Inc