Who We Are:

Founded in 2001, LEARN is a non profit network of PreK-8th grade elementary schools that is creating measurable, transformational change in the lives of its students. We currently educate 4,100 students, a majority low-income, minority student population (88% to 98%), across 11 campuses in Chicago, Lake County, and Washington D.C. 

Our schools provide a rigorous educational program that is built upon an intimate understanding of each student’s individual learning style and academic needs. We are guided by five core values which include: expectations of high achievement; mutual respect; the development of a safe and nurturing environment; active family involvement; and the positive development of the Whole Child.

LEARN alumni graduate college at 2x the rate of their peers, exceeding city, state and national averages. Our college graduation rate is 10 points above the national average for all students regardless of socio-economic status or ethnicity. We are proud to be closing the achievement gap.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial and proven leader with excellent communication and strategic thinking skills to join our team as a Director of Marketing & Communications. This individual will report to the Chief Development Officer and will play a critical role in planning, developing and executing marketing and communications strategies that will generate greater brand awareness, increase student and staff recruitment and retention, and support LEARN’s ambitious strategic plan. 

Key Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Brand Strategy

• Own the research, identification, development, and execution of the LEARN brand as a whole with the objective of generating awareness of LEARN as a high-quality school choice option in Chicago, North Chicago, Waukegan, and Washington D.C.

• Lead the process of identifying annual public relations objectives in partnership with C-Suite coworkers and an external PR firm to grow LEARN’s presence in the media and among the communities we serve.

• Partner closely with LEARN’s CEO on a regular basis to ensure messaging aligns with organizational values and objectives.

Marketing to Fuel Student and Talent Recruitment

• Develop and lead strategic marketing efforts, including digital ad campaigns, with the goal of achieving 100% student enrollment at LEARN campuses, as well as secondary and tertiary marketing campaigns to assist and promote fundraising and staff hiring efforts.

• Supervise a part-time Marketing/Communication Coordinator to develop collateral materials such as flyers, palm cards, posters, etc., that support student recruitment activities.

• Implement strong data and analytics practices to understand target audience insights, drivers of choice, and effectiveness and efficiency of marketing activities, in order to improve targeted student and staff recruitment campaigns.

• Oversee the annual marketing budget, making recommendations on the most impactful investments that will support LEARN’s student and talent recruitment goals. 

Internal Communications

• Create and execute an internal communications strategy and annual communications calendar that encompasses crisis communications, campus updates, staff communications and key messages to build affinity among staff and increase staff retention.

• Lead the development, editing, and sending of a monthly staff newsletter that builds awareness of key organizational initiatives and important updates.

• Partner closely with the CEO to develop tone, key messages, and voice to encourage staff engagement and retention.

External Communications

• Develop and implement annual strategies for LEARN’s national organic social media platforms, including identification of audience segmentation and creation of content deliverables; oversee the creation, distribution, and execution of corresponding social media content with campus-level administrators to ensure holistic branding and messaging at all levels.

• Work closely with a third-party marketing and communications agency to cascade key CEO objectives and determine media or op-ed opportunities on a regular basis.

• Lead the development and execution of a bi-monthly donor newsletter and LEARN’s annual report to showcase organizational impact with philanthropic audiences and other external stakeholders.

• Supervise the part-time Marketing/Communications Coordinator to develop content for and manage edits to the website; develop a regular process for auditing and updating website content.

• Host story mining workshops to identify and write unique and inspiring stories of staff and students that can be used in LEARN’s internal and external communications and pitched to the media.

Qualifications

What You'll Need:

You will be a great fit for this position if you possess: 

• Prior experience in the Education industry.

• Prior experience managing and coaching staff.

• Experience working with and managing a third-party agency to address marketing and communications needs

• Experience developing, running and analyzing successful digital marketing campaigns tailored to specific audiences.

• Exceptional writing and communication skills, emphasis on marketing recruitment copywriting and CEO communications messaging.

• Ability to communicate and work effectively with children, families, professional and other personnel from a wide range of cultural, social and economic backgrounds.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience 

• High degree of initiative and independent judgment.

• Detail oriented and highly organized.

Required Competencies:

• Mission & Culture Fit – Believes that all students can achieve college success and exhibits an unwavering determination to do whatever it takes to help LEARN students achieve their goals. Passionate about LEARN’s mission.

• Entrepreneurial – Exudes a self-starter mentality and workstyle. Independently owns departmental work streams and projects and takes initiative to solve organizational issues proactively.

• Collaboration – Initiates, builds, and manages cohesive partnerships and professional relationships both internally and externally. 

• Strategic Thinking - Ability to think and plan at a high level regarding the holistic LEARN brand, including annual internal and external messaging strategies, staff and student recruitment marketing campaigns, and donor communications initiatives

• Communication with Stakeholders – Gears communications towards the target audience and is able to influence stakeholders in the interest of meeting organizational goals and values. Communicates at a high level in both written and verbal form with a focus on customer service and relationships.

• Organization & Project Management – Keeps track of upcoming, ongoing, and past work products. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, adhering to strict timelines. Quickly adjusts to shifting priorities and deadlines and can juggle multiple and varied projects simultaneously. Develops realistic action plans and utilizes the team effectively to achieve department goals.

• Data Analysis & Analytical Thinking – Ability to build and create data, analyze statistics, identify trends and make balanced, objective recommendations in a proactive manner to achieve maximum results.

Benefits: 

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for all full time employees, including:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

• PTO vacation days, personal days, sick days, and paid holidays

• Annual Bonus

• Short and long term disability

• Paid life insurance

• 403B Contribution 4.5% matching as eligible

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of LEARN Charter School Network. Since no job description can detail all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time in the performance of a job, duties and responsibilities that may be inherent in a job, reasonably required for its performance, or required due to the changing nature of the job shall also be considered part of the jobholder’s responsibility.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, family medical history, disability or veteran status.