Description

Director of Admissions and Marketing

REPORTS TO:               Director of Admissions and Marketing – Rowntree Montessori Schools

STATUS:                        Salaried

DIRECT REPORTS:      No

SALARY:                       CAD 60,000 to 70,000

Purpose of Role

The Director of Admissions and Marketing is responsible for the planning, development, organization, and ongoing operation of the marketing and admissions functions at Rowntree Montessori Schools.

Reporting directly to the Head of School with a dotted line to the Regional Director of Marketing, Admissions, and Communications, the Director is the “public face of the school” for prospective and incoming families and serves as the school’s brand ambassador. The Director’s primary mission is to drive the marketing and admissions strategies that will ensure Rowntree Montessori Schools reach its development ambitions.

The ideal candidate will be a data-driven decision-maker, an experienced K-12 marketing and/or admissions professional, and a creative leader in recruitment, retention, and communications. The Director should be a team player who has a warm collaborative nature, positive energy, sense of humor, possesses superior organization and prioritization skills, and is self-motivated in the completion of his/her work. She/he will have exceptional communication and interpersonal skills including outstanding writing and public speaking skills and the ability to interact comfortably with a variety of people.

This person will have genuine empathy for prospective families and an awareness of the needs and sensitivities of parents, students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Key Responsibilities

Admissions

• Serve as the main point of contact between the school and prospective families to ensure a strong relationship is built and maintained.
• Track and report all admissions and enrollment data daily and weekly in our CRM, HubSpot, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Engage prospective families to move them from the Lead to the Application stage:
  • Provide information, answer questions, and discuss academic interests with applicants.

• Persuade prospective families to consider alternative campuses/programs when spacing is limited/full.
• Timely, personalized outreach and follow-ups to all inquiries at every stage.
• Administer school enrollment from lead to enrollment by monitoring and organizing applications, reviewing, and communicating in a timely manner.
• Assist families in the completion of the admissions process.
• Review and evaluate applications to ensure academic requirements and prerequisites have been met.
• Provide advice and guidance for prospective families that may not meet the current year's admissions requirements.
• Evaluate the admissions pipeline and focus on improving conversion within each stage, understanding, and enhancing areas of improvement and communicating them to the Head of School and Regional Head of Admissions.
• Compile information required to maintain manual and electronic documents of students.
• School Tours/Open House/Admissions Events: ensure the school environment and surroundings meet the standards of ISP.
• Engage with current and prospective families throughout the school year to determine detractors.

Marketing and Communications

• Create content and campaigns that evoke emotion and create a stronger connection to RMS with the objective of attracting new and nurturing existing students and families.
• Pitch, write, and edit content for the RMS website, emails, social media channels, publications, videos, and other mediums, prioritizing SEO and shareability, to showcase the school’s narrative, community impact, core values and promises, and inspiring success stories.
• Manage and elevate the RMS brand by cultivating relationships with key stakeholders—including teachers, administrators, students, and parents—and building internal processes that allow for the identification of effective storytelling opportunities.
• Leverage content across multiple paid and owned channels for different audience segments, always making the most of the team’s efforts.
• Repurpose and vet existing assets to ensure content is digital-first in nature and aligned with current messaging, priority areas, and RMS values.
• Identify and define new ways to attract different audiences, while evaluating and improving on digital content and campaigns.
• Regularly and consistently use digital analytics to inform and enhance content planning and development.

Other Responsibilities:

• Manages the admissions and enrollment processes across both schools ensuring that all key parental touch points deliver our messages consistently, clearly, and at a high standard at all times.
• Works collaboratively with the SLT and regional team to develop and implement a growth strategy and tactical business development plan that ensures the attraction, recruitment, and retention of students.
• Links all departments across the school, ensuring that academic, administration, and communications teams work seamlessly, communicating the same message as led by the SLT.
• Has shared responsibility with SLT to ensure seamless Parent/Student Journeys through setting relevant policies, procedures, quality standards, and customer service standards, and ensuring their delivery to all prospective students, applicants, and their influencers.
• Works closely with the school and regional Admissions and Marketing teams to ensure optimal efficiency and results in the student enrollment cycle and that the customer service experience is exceptional at all points within the process.
• Owns all admissions-related data management and reporting responsibilities, ensuring clean, accurate, and complete information at all times.
• Oversees event organization and implementation, delegating coordination duties as appropriate and ensuring high-quality execution.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to anticipate potential needs of the school and provide creative, imaginative solutions.
• Proven track record in innovation and taking the initiative in making things happen.
• Strong relationship management skills across all levels within the school and regional team.
• Experience using database/CRM tools (knowledge of HubSpot is a plus).
• Excellent phone etiquette, written, presentation, and in-person communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience in providing high-quality virtual and face-to-face services to families/students/vendors.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Familiarity with the use of CRMs and databases to manage prospects, leads, and customers; HubSpot preferred.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Reliable, dependable, professional, and can maintain confidentiality.
• Proven ability to work independently and in a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Positive attitude and team player.
• Knowledge of multiple graphic and admission tools/platforms.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or a combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years experience in admissions, marketing, and communication or a relevant environment.
• Current CRM experience – preferably HubSpot.
• Ability to serve as a Brand Ambassador.
• Experience in a School or Private school sector.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Well-being and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years of employment history.