Crownsville, Maryland
Crownsville, Maryland
Posted: 11-Dec-24
Location: Concord, Massachusetts
Type: Full Time
Categories:
ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS SEARCH
Mission Statement
Concord Academy actively seeks employees who reflect and support our mission-driven commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive school community. Concord Academy strives for equity and justice in our journey as a learning community. The common trust we are building values the unique contributions and voice of every individual. In keeping with our ideals, we invite candidates to join in this process who bring a substantive and varied combination of educational pursuits and lived experiences that demonstrate the capacity to make a meaningful difference as a senior leader within our community.
At a Glance
Established 1922
Students of color 44%
Enrollment 415
Financial aid awarded $6.1 million
Total faculty 73
Faculty with advanced degrees 65%
Student-teacher ratio 6:1
Campus size 39 acres
International students: 12%
Boarding students: 40%
Faculty of color: 28%
Students receiving aid: 27%
Endowment: $110 million
Annual operating budget: $33 million
Interscholastic teams: 30
Student clubs and affinity groups: 90+
Overview
Concord Academy is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school renowned for its world-class faculty, passionate students, and graduates who make their mark on the world. Founded in 1922, Concord Academy has long balanced high academic standards with a focus on educating the whole student through a rich curriculum that includes the arts, athletics, and cultural opportunities. Self-expression, storytelling, and careful listening are hallmarks of the Concord Academy experience.
Now, Concord Academy seeks an experienced, mission-aligned professional to serve as its Associate Head of School for External Relations. The ideal candidate will bring strategic vision, entrepreneurial spirit, and strong management skills to create an engaged community, drive growth, and sustain strong relationships with current and prospective families, alumni, donors, and community partners. Leveraging their professional experience the candidate will have a nuanced understanding of all externally facing aspects of a successful academic institution and how they can and must work collaboratively to optimize revenue streams. This role will help bolster the school’s efforts to bring together a large and engaged Concord community to support and articulate the distinct mission of the school. This is an exciting time for Concord, and we are seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking leader to help define and chart a course to capitalize on the strengths and opportunities at the school.
The Associate Head of School for External Relations provides strategic leadership and oversight for the school’s external engagement and revenue-generating functions. Reporting to Head of School Henry Fairfax in his 3rd year at Concord Academy this is an exciting time to join the community and help advance the school’s strategic mission and values by leading the following direct reports – Director of Enrollment Management, Director of Summer Programs, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Chief Advancement Officer. The candidate will be a member of the Executive Council, the Chamberlain Leadership Council and a strategic thought partner for the Head of School, other senior administrators, and Board members as the school fulfills the goals of its strategic plan.
Opportunities and Challenges
The Associate Head of School for External Relations search presents an exciting opportunity for a leader to shape and implement a comprehensive external relations strategy. The appointee will integrate Concord’s work in admissions and enrollment, marketing and communication, advancement and engagement: seeking new opportunities for alignment and advancement of key institutional priorities: thinking more deeply about how Concord articulates its mission, culture, achievements, and aspirations to current and prospective stakeholders: and identifying new strategic initiatives that expand the school’s reach and national and global reputation. A critical focus of this role will reimagine ways to support CA’s mission by identifying mission-aligned auxiliary revenue opportunities for the school.
Through servant leadership and clear communication of these strategic priorities, The Associate Head for External Relations will have the opportunity to build and sustain a shared sense of mission and vision across the team. As a member of the senior leadership team, the Associate Head will have the opportunity to collaborate with other departments to foster strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to create engagement, partnership, and school-wide community support and involvement in external relations. The Associate Head for External Relations will need to evaluate department-wide program performance and employ innovative approaches to drive a comprehensive external relations strategy designed to support the growth of revenue-generating programs.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Foster a culture of teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement across all four departments within External Relations.
- Support the Admissions, Advancement, Marketing and Communications, and Auxiliary Revenue teams to achieve individual and collective team goals.
- Work collaboratively with the Head of School, senior leadership, faculty, and board members to align external relations strategy with the school’s mission, values, and long-term vision.
- Review budgets for Admissions, Advancement, Marketing and Communications, and Auxiliary Revenue departments, ensuring cost-effectiveness and alignment with strategic priorities.
- Support and collaborate with the marketing and communications team in developing consistent branding and communications that resonate with all constituencies and enhance the visibility of the school.
- Collaborate with other departments such as admissions, academics, student life, athletics, and auxiliary programs to align fundraising, marketing, and business development efforts with institutional priorities.
- Convene and guide the Council for External Affairs.
- Be an active member of select leadership councils and a thought partner for the Head of School, other senior administrators, and Board members.
- Serve as Heads proxy for Committee on Trustees.
- Work with the leadership council and CA community to develop core institutional messages that convey Concord’s global boarding school distinction and confirm the purpose and function of a school who sees itself as a community partner and understands the public purpose of private education.
- Utilize metrics and data to assess programs and set reachable goals.
- Support the Head of School and leadership council to optimize the school size and balance the day/ boarding student population with revenue needs.
- Partner with the Head of School on strategic initiatives designed to identify and enhance revenue streams for the school while honoring and advancing CA's mission and core values.
Qualifications and Personal Attributes
- An outgoing, genuine ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds; an enthusiastic and thoughtful approach to bringing people closer to an organization and helping them see themselves as integral parts of the community.
- A relational leader with the ability to coach, build teams, and cultivate and foster trust among colleagues.
- A conviction that good decision-making and strategy are forged from in-depth data and information and that holding people accountable for quantitative performance metrics are essential to moving an institution forward
- A nuanced understanding of the independent school market and how well-calibrated messaging to a diverse audience of stakeholders can positively influence outcomes.
- An appreciation of clear, concise, and consistent communication that accurately represents the essence of the school and the impact of successful marketing initiatives in supporting revenue generation operations.
- Experience guiding communications around crisis management. Enrollment Management Expertise and familiarity with Enrollment Management best practices.
- Intimate knowledge of the importance of admissions and enrollment management as the lifeblood of the school and its short, mid, and long-term impact on net tuition revenue.
- A proven track record and commitment to striving for equity and diversity in all forms.
- A strategic thought leader – a thinker and strategist always looking towards future destinations and the best ways to get there; proactively sharing ideas with an eye towards collaboration.
- A strong manager and communicator – extensive experience leading diverse teams and holding individuals accountable; a transparent leader who can convey information and thinking in an inspiring and understandable fashion.
Learn More
Click on the links below to learn more about Concord Academy.
School Website: https://concordacademy.org
School History: https://concordacademy.org/about/history
Why CA? https://concordacademy.org/admissions/why-ca
School Profile: https://concordacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CA_Profile_2024-25.pdf
To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:
- A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
- A current résumé;
- A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:
Jonathan Ball, Managing Associate
jball@carneysandoe.com
Sara Shulman, Practice Leader – Development & Finance/Senior Consultant sara.shulman@carneysandoe.com
The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include years of experience, education level, and expertise.