Creative Strategist

Job Description
Breck School

Title: Creative Strategist
Reports to: Chief Advancement Officer
Hours: Full-time, M-F, 8-4:30, some night and weekend work
Updated: June 26, 2023

About Breck

Breck School is a preschool through twelve, coeducational college preparatory, Episcopal day school located in Golden Valley, Minnesota, with a national reputation for excellence and achievement in academics, athletics, and the arts. Our School’s Episcopal roots are lived through an unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging where we respect the dignity of every human being. We prioritize lifelong learning and a commitment to the greater good.

We are a community of highly engaged and motivated students, faculty, staff, and school leaders focused on building trusting relationships and strong academic scholarship through a practice of bridging research to practice. Upon graduation, Breck students are prepared for a life of intellectual curiosity, self-knowledge, and social responsibility, matriculating to colleges and universities throughout the world.

About the Role

Breck Communications is responsible for the internal and external voice of this nationally-recognized school. The Creative Strategist will lead the visual identity and brand of the school in order to communicate and advance the mission of Breck.

Serving on the communications team requires the ability to work in a fast-paced, team environment that is in constant pursuit of excellence. We aspire to create beautiful, captivating stories through print and digital media and connect those stories to our broad base of students, parents, faculty and staff, and alumni. The Creative Strategist must hold the ability to understand our school’s brand, translate big ideas into consumable communications and create innovative designs. This person is the point person for day-to-day tasks and is responsible for managing their time - the time of the team - well in order to deliver high-quality results. They must hold deep technical knowledge of design software while also carrying the spark of creativity and direction that can only be found in a high-functioning communications team. As the Creative Strategist, you will hold responsibility for the communication of the institution's brand and visual identity through electronic platforms, contributing to photo and video assignments, and implementing innovative strategies for engagement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Create and implement strategies to tell on-brand stories in order to support enrollment, reinforce culture, and deliver targeted messages
• Manage all breckschool.org and Veracross (intranet) website content for accuracy and innovation including static pages and news postings; oversee periodic website upgrades
• Identify unique storytelling techniques and create, publish and manage high-quality and original content for digital and social platforms
• Manage editorial calendar including daily social media plans, in-house filming/photography needs, and other promotions
• Partner with admissions for marketing campaigns and strategies
• Staying up-to-date with social media trends as well as the latest digital technologies
• Possess a strong writing and visual storytelling sense that is creative and on-brand
• Monitoring user engagement and SEO; suggest methods for content optimization
• Design supporting graphics to enhance storytelling efforts
• Track engagement metrics and analytics on effectiveness of campaigns
• Be not afraid of the blank page (or screen)
• Collaborate with colleagues to produce comprehensive communication campaign strategies
• Update and maintain internal databases of designs, photography, and video
• Coordinates with outside agencies such as design vendors, videographers, and other vendors in order to complete jobs.
• Manage projects as they are requested, sometimes managing multiple projects simultaneously

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, English, or other related field or equivalent experience
• 5 years experience with fluency in design software, including Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc.
• 3-5 years of experience in a communications, marketing, or branding environment

Competencies

• A commitment to the mission of Breck School
• Exceptional creativity and innovative design skills
• Proven experience with social media/content management/graphic design, with a strong portfolio of work
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Knowledge and passion for the field of education, particularly P-12 environments
• A strong acumen for visual design, imagery, typography, brand, and color
• Self-starter with the ability to think strategically
• Flexible, creative, and highly organized
• A creative drive and a keen eye for innovative ideas and trends
• Perform under and meet deadlines
• A keen eye for detail
• Sound knowledge of web traffic metrics and SEO tools
• Adept at working in and across team environments
• Complete discretion with confidential information
• Patient, determined, and flexible leader
• Excellent communication skills