Director of Advancement and Strategic Communications

The Chestnut Hill School in Chestnut Hill, MA, has engaged DovetailED to lead the search for a Director of Advancement and Strategic Communications beginning February 2025. Interested candidates should review the opportunity statement and submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references as a consolidated PDF to Lynda Hamilton-Kirk, Managing Partner at DovetailED Talent Sourcing, at lynda@dovetailedsourcing.com.  

Institutional Background

The Chestnut Hill School, founded in 1860 and located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, is an independent, all-gender school for children ages 3 through grade 6. At the Chestnut Hill School, we believe childhood optimism and enduring curiosity can transform the world.  Here, students find meaning and joy in a diverse community that encourages all to question, take risks, and think critically.  The Chestnut Hill School offers a rigorous math and literacy program along with special subjects ranging from art and music to science, technology, and Spanish.  An extended day program allows students to enjoy extracurricular activities such as karate, robotics, chess, and athletics in the same nurturing environment. 

Position Summary

The Director of Advancement reports to the Head of School and is an integral member of the senior administrative team. The Director of Advancement will provide leadership, vision, and strategy for all philanthropy and engagement at CHS, including fundraising, alumni relations, marketing, communications, and board of trustees relations. This position requires a seasoned professional who can successfully engage with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders in our community.

The Director is responsible for establishing and implementing both short—and long-term marketing and development strategies while supervising and leading the School’s Advancement Team, which works collaboratively under the director's direction. This position will dedicate approximately 60% of its time to marketing and communications and 40% to development activities. 

The start date for this position is January, 2025.

Essential Responsibilities 
 

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

• Strategic development, administration, and implementation of the school’s marketing efforts to meet enrollment goals
• Ensure consistency of the CHS visual identity, branding, and messaging
• Oversee all marketing collateral (email newsletters, social media, invitations, video, school signage, etc.) and manage deployment across a variety of platforms within an annual budget
• Create and oversee a communications and social media strategy to engage current, former, and prospective families, alumni, and grandparents.
• Oversee the CHS website and updates of new content, written and graphic
• Coordinate content collection and production of annual publications such as “Hill Happenings” magazine and the giving report. 
• Oversee tracking mechanisms to evaluate the results of communications initiatives.
• Demonstrate and maintain an understanding of best practices and emerging trends in the field, especially regarding integrated thoughtful communication across multiple platforms. 
• Coordinate and oversee the work of marketing consultants or vendors as needed.
• Identify and promote public relations opportunities
• Ensure databases for communications (email, newsletter, etc.) are maintained
• Manage emergency and crisis communications.
• Supervise Marketing and Communications staff 

DEVELOPMENT

• Work with the Head of School and the Development Committee of the Board to establish strategies and tactics for meeting short and long-term fundraising goals.
• Develop communications for development in general, as well as campaigns for the CHS Fund, alumni giving, 6th-grade gift, special projects, and grants. 
• Identify opportunities to continue to build a culture of giving at The Chestnut Hill School and oversee and develop strategies to ensure growth in giving and engagement of families and alumni.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, connect, and steward major prospects/donors and develop strategies and programs to expand the school's current base of philanthropic revenue sources.
• Develop and implement fundraising policies and procedures, including accurate record-keeping systems and methods to analyze the data to inform future thinking.
• Serve as school liaison with the Family Association, including collaboration with the FA President, providing event support and guidance. 
• Supervise Development Associate/s.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Marketing, Communications, or a business-related field
• At least 5 years of experience in communications and marketing, direct experience in an educational environment preferred; experience in fundraising and development a plus.
• A track record of delivering meaningful marketing and communications content and outcomes with limited budget and staff resources.
• Knowledge and command of all current communication tools, platforms, technologies, and processes. Direct experience with website development and social media is a plus.
• Outstanding communicator with the highest level of listening, speaking, and writing skills and an ability to persuasively convey a message to diverse groups, including current and prospective families, donors, board members, and the public.
• Innovative thinker and problem solver with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and results.
• Strong organizational and leadership skills with a high degree of attention to detail and time management

The Chestnut Hill School Offers: 

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Rich benefits include health, dental, vision care, disability, and life insurance. 
• Retirement savings plan with 6% school contribution.
• Professional development opportunities and training.
• Easy access to public transportation (Chestnut Hill D Line stop) with paid MBTA passes.
• A collaborative team approach and supportive work environment. 

The Chestnut Hill School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or family composition or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its employment, education, admission, financial aid, and other policies and programs.