Head, Marketing & Communications

Role Summary


To achieve our organization's objectives, the Head of Marketing & Communications plays a crucial role in shaping the company's positioning, brand visibility, and acceptance.
We are looking for a strategic Head of Marketing & Communications to spearhead our efforts in brand management, marketing, communications, and public relations.
The Head of Marketing & Communications will aim to leverage national, local, and youth-oriented media to foster widespread public understanding of our mission, impact, and support key organizational goals.


Strategic Expectations for the Position:


Spearhead communication initiatives to ensure organizational key messages effectively reach all priority target audiences (potential applicants, current and prospective corporate donors, policy and decision-makers, public school leadership, and other stakeholders in the education sector).
Guide marketing efforts and collaborate with the Programs team to ensure the organization meets its objectives across various programmatic areas.
Serve as the ultimate brand champion, foster internal brand stewardship among our community (staff, teachers, alumni, and supporters), and maintain brand alignment in all external communication and marketing materials.
Provide effective leadership for the Marketing and Communications team by developing an overall team vision and strategy, and ensuring efficient team processes and structures.
Establish and maintain strong relationships with national and regional journalists to secure positive and sufficient coverage of the organization's work and impact.
Exemplify our organizational values within the organization's community and be an engaged member of the organization's leadership team.


Key Responsibilities


Create a clear vision and strategy for the organization's Marketing & Communications team.
Develop a comprehensive understanding of all target audiences' characteristics, interests, desires, preferences, etc., and utilize this knowledge to formulate specific messages that elicit desired behaviors from each target audience.
Identify key communication channels and other relevant tactics through which the organization can engage its audience.
Oversee the effective management of all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, X, etc).
Direct content development and design activities for all marketing channels
Identify key print and online media outlets through which the organization can reach the maximum number of people from each target audience.
Ensure adequate utilization of all public events to communicate the brand and core messages.
Identify, prioritize, and proactively anticipate opportunities/problems to address.
Coordinate target market research and brand perception analysis among all target audiences.
Oversee the development and execution of the organization's annual marketing strategy
Regularly review marketing strategic activities and processes to adapt strategy as needed and plan required innovations and changes based on outcomes and data.
Supervise the production of strong marketing collateral for the organization.
Manage and support the marketing/communications components of all units through regular check-ins and step-backs.
Oversee the marketing and Communications team budget.
Conduct internal training on brand stewardship and use of the brand guidelines.
Design a system & structure to assist team members with branding/marketing requests when creating external documents to ensure alignment with our brand identity and core messaging.
Review all materials for external audiences developed by other internal teams.
Develop and implement a proactive plan to position the organization as an opinion leader in education and a top employer for University graduates and young professionals.
Manage proactive responses to media channel inquiries and professional reactions to news items.
Create an effective crisis communication plan to ensure the organization is fully prepared for crisis situations.
Manage interactions and relationships with national and international journalists to generate positive media coverage.
Oversee the development and distribution of press releases and op-eds.
Collaborate with the Development & Partnerships team to plan and execute fundraising campaigns.


Knowledge & Skills


Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, related field, or other discipline.
7+ years experience in progressively responsible Marketing & Communications roles, with at least 2 years in a managerial position.
Relevant marketing certifications.
Extensive experience across all functional areas including brand management, corporate communications, media and public relations.
A proven track record of building and/ or managing a strong brand.
Experience designing and implementing a marketing strategy.
Exceptional and effective communication skills
Ability to identify, demonstrate and drive creativity in strategic and operational deliverables.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Fluency in English.