Communications Manager - Full-time

BASIS Independent McLean is seeking qualified candidates for a Communications Manager for the upcoming school year!  

What We're Looking For 

The BASIS Independent Schools team offers an incredible opportunity to be deeply involved in an academic community that is dynamic, exciting and unpredictable. You'll join others in a highly social, supportive and collaborative environment. 

BASIS Independent Schools is seeking a Communications Manager to join our energetic, passionate school leadership team. In this role you will be instrumental in driving both the strategy and execution of internal stakeholder communications as well playing a crucial role in communicating the vitality of our school community to the BASIS Independent Schools network and to our local, external community. Your ability to anticipate and respond to both the communication needs and wants of our internal stakeholders will constantly be tapped while you act as the “storyteller in residence” for our schools. In this unique role you will be successful in using communications to support the efforts of our admissions and recruiting teams and to support retention efforts led by the Head of School. The position directly reports to the Head of School at BASIS Independent McLean, with indirect accountability to the BASIS Independent Schools Managing Director of Marketing and Communications. 

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with BASIS Independent Schools marcom and enrollment teams, local admissions teams, and other senior management to develop and implement communications strategies to broaden the impact of BASIS Independent McLean. 

• Generate content based on a collaboratively developed editorial calendar to highlight curricular achievements, cultural values, and community events 

• Maintain and drive positive traffic to social media sites including Facebook and Instagram.  

• Ensure clarity, efficacy, and consistency of messaging across departments (academic newsletters, administrative policy, auxiliary programming, college counseling, media relations, etc. 

• Act as a point-person for external inquiries (outside of general enrollment inquiries), overseeing organizational response in close collaboration with key internal stakeholders 

• Achieve tangible outcomes via external partnerships and earned media that enhance the prestige of the school and increase opportunities for students/families (internships, research) 

• Manage media release permissions and ensure balanced student/family representation within school publications 

• Maintain a dynamic school parent portal 

• Oversee execution of and contribution to a twice yearly survey monitoring student and parent satisfaction. 

• Track and report alumni activity 

Qualifications    

Minimum Qualifications: A Bachelor's degree in Communications, Writing, PR, or a related field.  Coursework or experience in education is not required, nor is certification. Candidates must have the ability to obtain a fingerprint clearance card. Five years in a similar role, ideally for an early-stage organization (start-up), is required. 

Preferred Qualifications: Subject matter postgraduate work (Master's or Ph.D.) is preferred. Together with a high level of educational attainment, a successful applicant will demonstrate strong communication skills in teaching ideas, texts, and concepts with precision and confidence. Critically, an applicant must possess a high GPA in his/her major, excellent recommendations, experience working with children- not necessarily in the classroom- and be open to new ideas in teaching.    

Benefits: 

BASIS Independent Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes:  

• Competitive salary dependent on education and experience. 

• Career growth opportunities focused on continuous learning, mentorship, and professional advancement across our network of schools. 

• Retirement options through which eligible participants may receive a 50% Company match for the first 10% of employee earnings deferred. 

• Three PPO medical plans to choose from, as well as dental and vision insurance. 

• An FSA option that allows for pre-tax dollars to cover medical, dependent care, and transit. 

• Student tuition remission for your children to attend our schools.