Website Menlo School
Menlo School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for students in grades six through twelve. Located in Atherton, California, and established in 1915, the School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools.
Menlo is dedicated to providing a challenging academic curriculum complemented by outstanding creative arts and athletic programs. The School helps students develop positive values and nurtures character development in a supportive environment that upholds the highest moral and ethical standards. Our program encourages students to reach their fullest potential and to develop the skills necessary to respond intelligently and humanely to the complexities of a diverse and increasingly interconnected world.
At Menlo School, equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our organizational identity. Through our daily efforts, the School demonstrates a shared commitment to the development of all stakeholders by supporting a campus ethos where equity, diversity, and inclusion reflect the major cornerstones of our community.
The Communications Manager serves as one of the main storytellers on campus: conceiving and writing stories that highlight the School’s mission, values, and initiatives. Reporting to the Director of Communications, this individual is responsible for creating and disseminating a wide variety of high-quality content across multiple channels to engage a range of audiences, including current families and students, prospective families, alumni, donors, faculty/staff, as well as the general public. This position is available immediately.
Primary Responsibilities:
Serve as a primary writer and editor of content for the School’s communications efforts, including website, magazine, newsletters, and other communications outreach for a variety of school constituents
In collaboration with other members of the Communications team, work to ensure that the School’s mission and values are reflected in all communications, publications, and events, including crisis communications.
Work independently to develop, research, and write long and short-form content for the School website and Menlo Magazine throughout the year
Serve as a lead editor and proofreader of the Magazine as well as various other publications to ensure that materials are accurate, grammatical, and consistent with the School style guide and graphic standards.
Manage social media accounts (primarily Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), including strategy, content creation, posting, and community engagement; keep accounts up to date with fresh, varied content showcasing the life of the school.
Make routine updates to website content throughout the year, requiring some foundational knowledge of HTML.
In coordination with other members of the communications team, manage a busy schedule of e-communications (utilizing Mailchimp or similar email platform) designed to engage with various School constituents and keep the community informed of School initiatives.
Work closely with colleagues across departments (which may include Development; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Admissions; College Counseling; and members of the senior admin team) in drafting, editing, and publishing print and digital materials for school initiatives.
Collaborate with the Director of Family Services to ensure that key communications are translated for families whose primary language at home is not English.
Provide photography as needed for social media accounts, the website, Menlo Magazine, and the school Flickr archive.
Remain in touch with and knowledgeable about the life of the school, including academic departments, student and alumni accomplishments, athletics, and the arts, in order to independently identify key stories and trends to highlight on various platforms.
Provide coverage as needed for events outside of traditional school hours such as Commencement, creative arts performances, town halls, annual events, etc.
Qualifications:
An outstanding writer, editor, and proofreader who is capable of producing error-free copy on a variety of platforms, often on a tight timeline
Superb attention to grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation; familiarity with Chicago Manual of Style standards is preferred
Experience working with a style guide and graphic standards
Familiarity with journalism norms and/or public relations and media outreach
Experience managing social media, including Hootsuite or similar social media management platform as well as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Experience working with a website Content Management System (CMS) and a basic understanding of HTML
Experience with Mailchimp or similar email marketing platform
Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite (primarily Photoshop, perhaps Lightroom, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere, Spark) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, and Slides)
Project management experience and the ability to simultaneously move multiple projects forward is desired
Extremely detail-oriented
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field. A minimum of two years experience in the communications or public relations field. Familiarity with the education field, independent schools, and/or nonprofit work is preferred
We Offer:
An exceptional work environment and caring community
Excellent professional development opportunities
Highly competitive salary
A comprehensive benefits package for employees and their families
Generous contributions to 403b retirement plan
Free lunch on campus when school is in session
On-campus child care center
Tuition remission
Many other perks and benefits
To Apply:
To be considered for this position, you must apply through our portal at https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=o3HUifwG&s=POCIS
To complete your application, we are requesting candidates submit the following supplemental materials in addition to their resumes. Priority will be given to candidates who complete these items.
In a brief cover letter, please address the following:
describe your writing/communications experience and discuss how your skillset aligns with the position description
explain why you want to work at Menlo School
provide a link or attach at least three writing samples you are particularly proud of and indicate how they showcase who you are as a storyteller
(Note: when submitting writing samples through our portal, you must do so in a single document. Additional materials can be emailed to communications@menloschool.org.)
Menlo School is an Equal Opportunity Employer:
As an equal opportunity employer, Menlo values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and encourages candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply.
