POSITION DESCRIPTION
April 2013
Bentley School
Director of Marketing and Communications
Bentley School seeks an accomplished and innovative Director of Marketing and
Communications to enhance communications with all constituencies, raise the
school’s visibility and advance its brand.
Bentley School, founded in 1920, is a thriving K-12 co-educational, independent day school
serving a diverse population of 640 students from communities throughout the East Bay. The
lower and middle schools are located on a campus in Oakland and the upper school, opened in
1998, is located 10 minutes away in Lafayette. Both campuses are beautiful, safe, and wellmaintained and support the school’s educational mission. The school boasts a long tradition of
excellence, based on a comprehensive curriculum and co-curricular programs delivered by
teachers, coaches, and advisors, who are imbued with a commitment to bringing out the full
potential of every student. Bentley graduates matriculate at outstanding colleges and
universities across the country.
The program at the lower division builds a strong foundation that supports academic success,
while promoting creativity and experimentation. In the middle school, students deepen their
knowledge of the core academic disciplines and may choose from a range of elective options.
Significant emphasis is placed on social and emotional development. The upper school program
balances rigorous academics with a full complement of visual and performing arts, athletics, and
clubs that appeal to a wide range of student interests. The Center for Excellence in Teaching
and Learning is a resource that enables all students to maximize their learning potential. All
three divisions in the school are guided by five core values: ingenuity, courage, integrity,
inclusion, excellence.
The school leadership is highly collaborative and committed to building on the school’s many
strengths. Even though the school is well-managed and financed, the leadership believes that
admissions and fund raising goals can be obtained by more effectively communicating the
school’s value to both internal and external constituencies.
Bentley School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is fully accredited by the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools and
is a member of the California Association of Independent Schools, the East Bay Independent
School Association, and the National Association of Independent Schools.
BASIC FUNCTION
Reporting to the Head of School and working with the senior administrative team, the Director
of Marketing and Communications will lead, plan, direct and implement overall strategies for all
marketing and communications on behalf of Bentley School in order to raise Bentley’s visibility,
advance its brand, and articulate clear messaging to internal and external constituencies. The
Director will oversee and actively participate in the creation, design, budget and production of
regularly produced events and all school publications. Additionally, the Director will coordinate
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POSITION DESCRIPTION
April 2013
all advertising, publicity, and public relations and serve as the school’s spokesperson when so
designated by the Head of School.
The primary objective of the Director of Marketing and Communications is to create and
communicate a compelling story about Bentley School. This message should lead to increased
admissions applications and should support the efforts of the Development Department. The
Director of Marketing and Communications will oversee and collaborate with one staff member
focused on school-wide communications.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Director of Marketing and Communications will be expected to:
● Rapidly acclimate to the Bentley School; thoroughly know the history, culture, traditions
and constituencies of the school; understand the educational philosophy; know all
marketing and communications activities of the department.
● Develop marketing and communications strategies and plans that advance Bentley
School and drive increased engagement with prospective and current constituencies.
● Collaborate with administrative departments in articulating their purpose and ongoing
work. Specifically this includes the Head of School, Development, Admissions,
Academic Divisions, and Institutional Technology.
● Ensure brand and messaging quality and consistency and establish guidelines to apply
across all departments, activities and events at the school and among professional and
volunteer leadership.
● In collaboration with the Directors of Admissions, design strategies and implement
concrete plans to increase student applications and maintain prospective student and
family interest.
● In collaboration with the Director of Development, design strategies and implement
concrete plans to capitalize on increased visibility and clear branding of the school to
drive increased contributed revenue.
● Plan for and deploy digital activities: website, online campaigns, email marketing, social
media and digital content production.
● Plan and manage the department budget in order to maximize the effectiveness of all
communications. This includes bidding out production of materials when appropriate
to outside vendors.
● Create and execute a plan that regularly places the school in local media. Manage all
messaging in the media.
● Review, revise, and update as necessary the school’s crisis communication plan.
● Manage all aspects of the school’s print and electronic communications, ensuring the
continuity of the school’s brand and logo. Oversee the work of graphic designers and
print vendors in production of printed materials and web visuals.
● Engage actively in professional development in order to remain current in best practices
related to independent school communications, emerging social media, and effective
marketing and advertising strategies.
● Provide staff leadership to the department in all respects, including hiring, day-to-day
management and motivation of marketing staff and contractors, ensuring professional
development and excellence.
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POSITION DESCRIPTION
April 2013
● Participate actively in the work and success of the senior leadership team and provide
support for school events and administrative jobs as requested.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
The Director of Marketing and Communications will have the following types of experience and
qualifications:
● A BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to marketing
and communications; an advanced degree is preferred.
● Seven to ten years of increased leadership experience in marketing and
communications, preferably in an independent school or other non-profit organization.
● Outstanding speaking, writing, and editing skills.
● Deep knowledge of the principles of marketing and communications and fluency in using
social media effectively.
● Ability to develop, monitor, and adhere to budgets and production schedules.
● Ability to create print materials using Photoshop, InDesign, or other comparable layout
software.
● Demonstrated success in bringing regular, positive media attention to an organization.
● Demonstrated success in supervising and managing a staff.
● Demonstrated success in managing multiple projects with shifting priorities and
competing deadlines.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The successful candidate should be:
●
A mission-driven individual with a belief in and commitment to Bentley School’s mission
and values;
●
A good listener and strategist; comfortable receiving input from many sources, and able
to analyze and formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan;
●
Intrepid yet tactful; determined yet respectful of others’ concerns; someone with the
flexibility and creativity needed to find alternative ways to reach objectives when
barriers arise; a skilled negotiator who does not drive him/herself or others into a
corner;
●
A team builder – confident and competent, with strong skills in management and
leadership; one who understands the subtleties of motivating and directing a diverse
group of personalities with different work styles;
●
A hard worker with a high energy level; a “doer” with a willingness to work hands-on in
developing and executing a variety of development and advancement activities;
●
Emotionally mature with a very good sense of humor and the flexibility and sensitivity to
work with diverse personalities and situations.
For more information please contact:
Lisa Grossman
(650)323-3565 or lisag@moppenheim.com
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POSITION DESCRIPTION
April 2013
Barbara Kimport
(415) 762-2648 or barbarak@moppenheim.com
Michael Pratt
(415) 762-2645 or michaelp@moppenheim.com
m/Oppenheim Associates
221 Main Street, Suite 540
San Francisco, CA 94105
Bentley School
April 2013
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