Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) seeks a new Marketing and Communications Manager to begin as soon as possible. The Marketing and Communications Manager sits on the Enrollment and Marketing Team and reports to the Director of Enrollment, Marketing, and Financial Aid, serving as a partner on strategies designed to augment the School’s presence on the North Shore and throughout Chicagoland, to articulate the LFCDS value proposition, and to serve as a storyteller to both current and prospective families.  

LFCDS, located on a 30-acre campus about 30 miles north of Chicago, Illinois, is a co-educational, independent day school serving 400 students from age 2 through eighth grade. The School has a long tradition of producing thoughtful, confident, and successful students. Children are known, loved, and challenged at LFCDS, and a state-of-the-art facility provides a remarkable setting for inspired teaching, academic rigor, and attention to individual needs. 

This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented Marketing/Communications professional who is eager to work in partnership with an experienced enrollment team, a dedicated faculty, and a supportive community. The School is especially proud of the brand awareness it maintains within our market, a recently completed initiative that updated the school’s visual identity and strategic messaging, and a growing commitment to digital marketing tools that complement time-tested analog strategies. LFCDS is embarking on a project to develop a new website, which will incorporate all the School’s marketing assets. 

Communications 

• Creates and sends communications to the LFCDS community, including a weekly e-newsletter as well as e-mail correspondence regarding specific school news, announcements, or events.

School Website

• Maintains content for the School’s public website and password-protected portal to ensure general news, information, and photography is updated.

Social Media

• Posts regular content regarding the School and its various activities on the School’s social media accounts

Advertising

• Develops an annual advertising plan for the School that includes recommendations for timing, placement, size, and messaging of digital and print ads and direct mail pieces.
• Oversees the design of ads, school signage, direct mail pieces, and other school materials. 
• Manages relationships with account representatives from area publications, with the School’s graphic designers, and with local printing houses. 

Public Relations

• Acts as a publicist for the School, which includes fielding media requests for interviews with administration and teachers as well as pitching and writing stories.
• Writes and submits press releases to media contacts on behalf of LFCDS covering all areas of the LFCDS experience (academics, fine arts, athletics, etc.) as well as posting school events in media calendars.
• Reviews protocol and gives counsel for any actions, activities, and public responses for PR impact.

Photography & Video

• Serves as an in-house photographer, videographer, and editor of assets to be used across all communications channels. 
• Supports coordination of professional photo shoots during the school year. 
• Oversees the LFCDS photography and videography archives.

Mission Statement: Inspired teaching, academic rigor, attention to individual needs, a commitment to responsible citizenship—these principles infuse every aspect of life at Lake Forest Country Day School and define our dedication to producing students of strong character with a passion for learning.

Core Values: Excellence, Partnership, Responsibility, Participation, Diversity

Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, and the names of three professional references (personal statement optional) in PDF format to the attention of Alex Sheridan, Director of Enrollment, Marketing, and Financial Aid at alex.sheridan@lfcds.org with the subject line “Marketing and Communications Manager”. Please send all materials no later than Friday, October 16, 2020. 

Lake Forest Country Day School seeks and embraces diversity among our faculty, staff, and student body. LFCDS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, religion, marital status, disability, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, order of protection status, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.