Marketing and Communications Manager

Overview

We seek a highly creative and energetic individual to work with the organization's senior management to implement an effective branding and communications strategy. Reporting to the Managing Director of Marketing and Communications, the Marketing and Communications Manager will develop and execute a plan to effectively communicate Ascend's mission and value proposition to its key audiences through the web, social media, print, and advertising.

This is an ideal opportunity for an entrepreneurial individual with proven expertise in communications and marketing and great skill in crafting powerful messages to play an instrumental role in driving the successful growth of one of the largest charter management organizations in Brooklyn. Your talents and agility will be constantly tapped and rewarded as you improve Ascend's ability to offer growing numbers of students an extraordinary education.

Why extraordinary professionals teach at Ascend

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving over 5,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student – to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools’ model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, marketing or communications specialization preferred
• 3-5 five years of professional experience in progressively more responsible positions
• Excellent creative, strategic, and analytic skills
• Meticulous writer, possessing exceptional clarity, verve, concision, and exquisite attention to detail
• Expert use of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Bridge), MailChimp or other email marketing platforms, web editing tools, Canva, and social media platforms; HubSpot knowledge a plus
• Graphic design skills and ability to update marketing collateral, digital assets, and social media graphics
• Photography and videography skills
• An eye for sophisticated graphic and visual presentation
• Experience increasing social media presence
• Commitment to the Ascend educational mission
• A desire to operate in an entrepreneurial setting and a willingness to do whatever it takes to produce excellent outcomes
• A commitment to transparency in all dealings, exacting ethical standards at all times, and a sensitivity to the level of scrutiny to which Ascend and its schools are subject, as recipients of public funds
• Superb organizational and self-management skills and the ability to handle multiple responsibilities effectively and flexibly; strong planning and execution skills; effective problem-solving skills
• A hunger for feedback and an openness to engage in the process of self-improvement
• Ability to work from Ascend office or school at least three times per week in accordance with our hybrid policy. Scheduling flexibility is expected during events and shoots, including working some nights and weekends.

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $70,000 - $75,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Responsibilities

The Marketing and Communications Manager, working closely with the Managing Director of Marketing and Communications and the Student and Talent Recruitment teams and the Advancement team. Additionally, they will oversee the consistency of language, messaging, visual and graphic identity, and socialization of this now-honed brand among all Ascend audiences, both internal and external, and across all media. Additionally, the Marketing and Communications Manager will:

• In collaboration with the student and talent recruitment teams and the advancement team, produce high-quality marketing and event collateral, and manage vendor relations to ensure on-time execution of deliverables.
• Manage Ascend’s website and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok); create social media calendar for Instagram and Facebook; regularly report on data and suggest changes based on these metrics
• Oversee school-based social media ambassadors, provide guidelines and expectations for social media presence
• Work with family ambassadors to support marketing initiatives (interviews, writing reviews, attending events, etc.)
• Plan, manage, and capture photo and video shoots to use for marketing collateral
• Plan, execute, and order swag for marketing events
• Create graphic designs through Canva for student and talent recruitment marketing
• Update and manage the maintenance of marketing collateral through graphic design, including staff and student recruitment brochures, fliers, and ads; external email newsletters; Ascend's website; Ascend's blog; and Ascend's social media channels
• In collaboration with executive leadership, support with sending communications through email marketing platforms (MailChimp, HubSpot)
• Draft external communications for families, talent, board members, donors, and media
• Develop and refine all communications to enhance Ascend's image and ensure clear, compelling, and consistent articulation of Ascend's position

Staff and reporting relationships

The Marketing and Communications Manager will report to the Managing Director of Marketing and Communications.

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $70,000 - $75,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.