Career Center

Fountain Valley School:

Fountain Valley School, a selective and diverse boarding school, educates 250 students in grades 9–12 on a beautiful 1,100-acre campus in Colorado Springs, CO. Founded in 1930, the school provides a rigorous, global curriculum in academics, arts, athletics and the outdoors.

The Opportunity:

Reporting to the Head of School and serving as an integral member of the senior management team, the Assistant Head is responsible for developing a strategic marketing and communications plan for the school that supports the organizational strategic plan and the vision of the school. The Assistant Head is responsible for developing, managing, and executing Fountain Valley’s marketing and communications initiatives. The Assistant Head supports and collaborates with enrollment and advancement colleagues in the protection, promotion, and enhancement of Fountain Valley School’s brand reputation.

The Assistant Head will develop and integrate a broad range of public relations, marketing, and communications activities related to the strategic direction and positioning of the school. As an ambassador for the school, the position will interact significantly with all constituents including students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees.

The Assistant Head will support the Head of School by generating broader and more comprehensive awareness of the qualities and character of the school community, to achieve goals in enrollment and advancement, and ensure sustainable growth.

The Assistant Head is responsible for developing all integrated communications, and including marketing products and services in all internal and external media, to include newsletters and other print publications, Web, e-news, social media, and other digital communications.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serves as the lead marketing and communications executive, articulating the school’s vision and image across all media to ensure a consistent, positive brand, and message of excellenc
• The Assistant Head provides overall visions, strategies, and executional support for all print and Web-based publications for the school 
•  Is editor and chief writer of The Bulletin Magazine
• Supports development and fundraising activities, and the offices of the Head of School, Director of Advancement, and Director of Enrollment, as well as school-wide administration and programming
• In collaboration with senior leadership, develops a practical and strategic marketing/communications plan to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities
• Clearly articulates and advances the Fountain Valley brand identity, broadens awareness of its academic and other programs, and supports departmental growth objectives
• Anticipates and identifies new opportunities, challenges, and emerging issues to be imminently faced by the school and makes recommendations for actionDirects all staff engaged in marketing/communications activities to ensure a coherent internal and external set of messages and communications platform
• Makes recommendations to leadership relative to staffing and periodic interdepartmental collaboration in pursuit of shared goals
• Works with the CFO to develop, propose, and gain approval for a practical departmental budget and maintains routine budget checks and balances with the CFO to ensure compliance
• Serves as the Head of the School when needed and other duties as assigned
• The Assistant Head is required to live on campus and will serve as an adviser and an Administrator on call

Professional and Personal Skills:

• Collaborative professional approach with the ability to develop action plans inclusively using data-driven information to achieve effective consensus-driven strategies and tactics
• Marketing and Communications acumen with the ability to lead the discussion of best practices in all forms of the discipline including branding, advertising, public relations, publications, digital media, and events
• Accountable approach to initiatives and can make recommendations with measurable strategies and contingency plans based on performance
• Strategic thinking and sense of urgency to seeks out opportunities with key staff members to anticipate marketing and communications needs and prepare recommendations
• A commitment to the mission in doing what should be done regardless of office hours or job description
• Leadership experience with the ability to lead and be led
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively interact with all diverse constituent bodies of the school as an ambassador
• Manages budget and is accountable by taking control of available designated assets

Working Conditions:

• COVID Vaccine Policy: Fountain Valley School requires all community members without a medical or religious exemption to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
• Environment: office and indoor classroom working with some outdoor events
• Physical demands: able to sit and stand for at least 8 hours per day; must be able to lift 40 lb.

Salary Range: $100,000 - $110,000 depending on experience and degrees

Contact:

Send letter of application, resume and list of three professional references to:

Amanda Dedrick

Fountain Valley School of Colorado

Colorado Springs, CO 80911

fax 719.392.6138

E-mail: adedrick@fvs.edu

Education and Personal Skills:

• Minimum Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism or related field
• Experience in a departmental leadership role
• Ten or more years of experience in marketing/communications roles, preferably in education
• Experience with strategic management of a brand and its voice through diverse media to generate results
• Experience in managing operating budgets
• Compensation will be commensurate with experience