Posted: 02-Apr-26
Location: Morristown, New Jersey
Type: Full Time
Required Education:
Position Overview
The Director of Marketing and Communications provides vision, leadership, and strategic direction for Peck’s internal and external communications and marketing efforts.
The Director serves as a strategic thought partner to the Head of School and Administrative Team, responsible for stewarding the school’s brand, narrative, and institutional voice while ensuring that communications efforts support enrollment, community engagement, and long-term institutional priorities.
This role combines strategic leadership, institutional collaboration, and hands-on execution. The Director leads the Marketing and Communications team while remaining actively engaged in the office's daily storytelling and communications work.
Why This Role Matters Now
The Peck School enters this moment from a position of institutional strength, with sustained enrollment, strong community trust, and a clear educational mission. At the same time, demographic shifts and increasing competition across the independent school landscape are reshaping how schools communicate their value and connect with prospective families.
In this environment, marketing and communications play a critical strategic role in sustaining Peck’s long-term success. The Director of Marketing and Communications will help ensure that Peck’s story is told with clarity, authenticity, and strategic purpose—strengthening the school’s visibility, supporting enrollment goals, and reinforcing confidence among current families.
This role offers the opportunity to help guide Peck's positioning in a changing educational landscape while working within a vibrant, mission-driven school community.
Leadership Approach
The Director of Marketing and Communications leads through a combination of strategic leadership and active engagement in the department's work.
At Peck, the Marketing and Communications office is intentionally designed as a collaborative and creative team. The Director works alongside colleagues to develop content, shape messaging, and bring the school’s story to life across platforms.
This includes:
- Writing and editing communications
- Supporting storytelling and content development
- Participating in photography, video, and social media planning
- Guiding projects from concept through completion
The Director maintains a visible presence in school life—attending events, engaging with faculty and students, and actively identifying stories that reflect the culture and character of the Peck community.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy aligned with the school’s mission, values, and institutional priorities.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the Head of School on communications strategy, institutional messaging, reputation management, and market positioning.
- Serve as the institutional steward of Peck’s narrative, ensuring the school’s story, brand positioning, and value proposition are clearly articulated and consistently communicated across all platforms and constituencies.
- Monitor trends in the independent school landscape, establish and monitor KPIs (ex. brand awareness, engagement, conversions), and advise leadership on opportunities and risks related to market perception, enrollment dynamics, and competition.
- Lead the school’s crisis communications strategy, including proactive planning, scenario preparation, and real-time messaging in response to on-campus or community situations; partner with the Head of School and, when appropriate, external advisors to ensure communication is timely, transparent, and aligned with the school’s values.
- Serve as a member of the Administrative Team and contribute to institutional planning and decision-making.
Admissions and Enrollment Marketing
- Partner strategically with the Director of Admissions to support enrollment goals through targeted marketing initiatives and storytelling.
- Lead the marketing strategy and digital campaigns (ex. paid search) for the admissions funnel—from awareness through inquiry—while the Admissions office manages day-to-day CRM operations, such as HubSpot.
- Develop campaigns and communications that highlight the distinctiveness of a Peck education and engage prospective families across northern New Jersey.
- Collaborate with Admissions to ensure prospective families experience a cohesive and compelling narrative throughout the admissions journey.
Brand Strategy and Institutional Storytelling
- Serve as the steward of Peck’s brand, voice, and visual identity.
- Ensure consistency of messaging and storytelling across departments and communication channels.
- Identify and develop compelling stories that highlight Peck’s students, faculty, programs, and community life.
- Strengthen Peck’s visibility in the broader community through strategic media engagement, partnerships, and outreach.
- Support the marketing and communications efforts for Peck’s auxiliary programs, including PEP and Summer Camp, by developing promotional materials, digital content, and campaigns that increase visibility, engagement, and enrollment.
Communications and Content Leadership
- Oversee the development and production of major school communications, including digital content, publications, newsletters, website updates, and social media.
- Provide editorial leadership and writing support for institutional messaging, including speeches, announcements, and communications from the Head of School.
- Maintain and execute a comprehensive communications calendar aligned with the school’s priorities and annual rhythms.
- Support the development and execution of crisis and sensitive communications in alignment with institutional priorities and leadership guidance.
Strategic Operations and Department Leadership
To ensure the Marketing and Communications office operates with clarity, alignment, and proactive planning, the Director establishes and leads key operational structures for the department.
Strategic Alignment and Leadership
- Lead monthly strategic alignment meetings with the Head of School, Director of Admissions, Director of Advancement, and the Marketing and Communications team to review priorities, messaging alignment, and upcoming initiatives.
- Ensure that marketing, admissions, and advancement communications reflect a cohesive institutional narrative and shared strategic goals.
- Serve as an ongoing strategic thought partner to the Head of School on institutional messaging, communications strategy, and reputation management.
Communications Planning and Institutional Rhythm
- Oversee and maintain a comprehensive annual communications calendar aligned with the school’s academic calendar, admissions cycle, advancement initiatives, and major institutional events.
- Proactively coordinate with internal constituencies—including division leadership, advancement, admissions, athletics, and auxiliary programs—to ensure recurring communications and storytelling opportunities are anticipated and well planned.
- Ensure that major communications initiatives are developed well in advance and executed consistently and with high quality.
Department Workflow and Project Management
- Implement and manage a clear work request and intake system for marketing and communications projects across the school.
- Establish processes for prioritization, project timelines, and approvals that balance responsiveness with the department’s strategic priorities.
- Guide internal partners in working effectively with the Marketing and Communications office.
Team Leadership and Office Management
- Supervise and mentor members of the Marketing and Communications team.
- Foster a collaborative and creative team culture focused on excellence, responsiveness, and strategic alignment.
- Manage departmental workflows, vendor relationships, and budgets.
- Ensure that the office operates efficiently while maintaining high-quality communications and storytelling.
Experience and Attributes
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant professional experience welcomed
- Significant experience in marketing, communications, brand strategy, or institutional storytelling
- Demonstrated ability to lead strategic marketing and communications initiatives within complex organizations
- Experience in independent schools, education, or nonprofit organizations is a plus; candidates from other sectors should bring a clear interest in and readiness to engage with a mission-driven school community.
- Experience collaborating with senior leadership and advising on institutional messaging or reputation strategy
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills across multiple formats
- Experience managing creative teams and external vendors
- Familiarity with digital marketing platforms, analytics tools, and CRM systems (HubSpot experience preferred)
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on project execution in a fast-paced environment
Reporting Structure
Reports to: Head of School
Supervises: Associate Director of Visual Brand Strategy and Digital Marketing Specialist
How to Apply
Submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references by email to marcomm@peckschool.org.
Reference the job title in the subject line of your email. No phone calls, please.
About The Peck School
The Peck School is a coeducational K–8 independent school located in Morristown, New Jersey. Peck’s mission is to inspire each child to learn rigorously, grow in character, and lead balanced, purposeful lives.
The school’s close-knit community, strong academic program, and emphasis on character development create an environment where students are known, challenged, and supported.
Marketing and communications play an important role in sharing this community’s story and ensuring that Peck’s mission and values are communicated clearly to current and prospective families.
The Peck School strives to create a culture of belonging. We welcome the unique contributions of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Peck provides a comprehensive benefits plan to eligible employees, including group health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; flexible spending accounts; a 403(b) retirement plan; paid time off (sick, vacation, holidays); and professional development opportunities. To learn more about The Peck School and working at Peck, please visit us online.
