Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

Department: Communications and Marketing

Job Status: Full-time, calendar year, including nights, weekends & evenings.

Reports to: Head of School

Travel Required: Yes, on occasion

The Opportunity

Founded in 1843, Miss Porter's School is a boarding and day school for girls in grades 9 through 12 in Farmington, Connecticut, with a mission to educate young women to become informed, bold, resourceful, and ethical global citizens. The school has an outstanding international reputation and draws students from across the country and around the world.

Porter's is seeking a Chief Communications and Marketing Officer (CCMO) to guide and support the school's many departments and constituencies. The CCMO reports to the Head of School, serves on the leadership team, and leads the communications and marketing team. As a positive, proactive partner, the CCMO brings a strategic mindset and a hands-on approach. Key priorities for this role include growing the school's reach with prospective families, ensuring students are at the center of its storytelling, and building strong working relationships across departments and constituencies.

The CCMO will build on a recently renewed brand and website, and on a recent audit of the school's communications and marketing operations.

All interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and resume with their application.

Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

• Develops, implements, and regularly updates a strategic communications and marketing plan that integrates and enhances the work of other school departments including academics, enrollment and student affairs, alumnae and development, equity and inclusion, athletics, arts, and auxiliary programs, and shares it with campus partners.

• Advises the Head of School and leadership team on institutional messaging and reputation, and supports communications with the Board of Trustees.

• Defines the purpose and strategy of each school communications channel, including social media, and approves any new school-affiliated accounts.

• Measures how communications and marketing support enrollment, fundraising, and the school's reputation, and reports on results to the leadership team.

• Leads, mentors, and develops the communications and marketing team, with clear roles and a shared process for taking in and prioritizing requests.

• Manages the department budget and decisions on vendors and outside partners, and helps other offices coordinate photography, video, and creative spending.

PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS CAMPUS

• Works closely with the Chief Enrollment and Student Affairs Officer on an enrollment marketing plan that grows the school's reach into new and priority markets, including leading outside agency partners.

• Works directly with students so they are willing partners in how the school shares its story, with clear practices for how they are photographed, named, and featured.

• Serves as a visible, present partner to faculty and staff, and keeps them informed through clear, regular internal communications.

• Keeps current families, Alumnae (Ancients), and donors connected to the life of the school, in partnership with Student Affairs and the Alumnae & Development Office.

• Works with the leaders of academics, athletics, the arts, equity and inclusion, and global and auxiliary programs to appropriately guide and support their communications.

• Leads a network of communications liaisons across campus, keeps a shared editorial calendar, and sets turnaround times that fit the pace of a school year.

BRAND, CRISIS AND POLICY

• Sets brand and external communications standards with input from the offices that use them, and explains them across campus.

• Ensures the school's communications reflect its intentionally diverse community and its commitment to equity and inclusion.

• Plans for and leads crisis and emergency communications, including communications drills, in coordination with the Head of School and Chief Financial and Operating Officer.

• Serves as the primary media contact, leads proactive press outreach and earned visibility efforts, and provides media training for school spokespeople, coaches, and student leaders.

• Sets and maintains clear communications and marketing policies on AI use, student identification and consent, and account ownership.

WRITING, EDITING AND STORYTELLING

• Serves as a regular writer and a principal editor, including speeches and messages for the Head of School and leadership team.

• In partnership with the Alumnae & Development Office, determines the editorial direction for The Bulletin and provides final approval on each issue, working with contract writers and designers.

• Collaborates with the communications and marketing team to set the strategic and editorial direction for the website, the school's blog, and other channels, with students and faculty at the center.

• Sets priorities for the school's photography and video, plans major shoots, and oversees the photo and video archive.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Has a bachelor's degree; an advanced degree is preferred.

• Has at least 7 of progressively responsible experience in communications and marketing, including leading a team.

• Independent school experience is strongly preferred, ideally at a boarding school. Candidates from other settings should understand the independent school marketplace, the New England boarding school landscape, and the rhythm of a school year.

• Demonstrates cultural competency and a commitment to equity and inclusion.

• Has experience in enrollment or audience-growth marketing, including paid and organic digital marketing, search, and the growing role of AI in search.

• Possesses excellent writing and editing skills, shown in a portfolio of recent work.

• Has experience in crisis communications and reputation management.

• Is comfortable with analytics and able to explain what results mean.

• Uses AI tools responsibly and fluently in daily work and has the judgment to set a clear policy for where AI belongs in our communications and marketing, with the standard of "human first and human last."

• Has experience managing a budget and outside vendors.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

• Is committed to girls' education and to the school's mission.

• Is warm, good-humored, present and engaged in the life of the school, and enjoys working with students.

• Meets challenges and opportunities with an attitude of "let's figure it out together."

• Builds reliable systems while remaining flexible to the pace of school life.

• Approaches the work and colleagues with curiosity rather than certainty.

Working at Porter's

This is a full-time, 12-month, campus-based position. The work depends on knowing students, faculty, and colleagues, and on being present for the moments that make up boarding school life. Expect regular evening and weekend commitments, including admission events, Reunion, Commencement, and arts and athletic contests and performances.

We offer a traditional health and wellness package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. Vacation, sick and personal days as well as holidays. In addition to a robust 403(b) retirement plan that includes a Roth option with a generous contribution by school. On-campus housing may be available that would require active participation in residential/boarding life responsibilities on campus.

The start date for this position is July 1st, 2027 or earlier based on candidate availability.