Director of Communications, Marketing & Enrollment

Riverdale Sd 51J•Portland, OR

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Communications, Marketing & Enrollment serves as the strategic communications leader, brand strategist, and enrollment manager for the school district. This position is responsible for designing, executing, and maintaining a comprehensive communications strategy, data-collection infrastructure, student recruitment and retention initiatives, and the district's public identity. As a key advisor to the Superintendent and leadership team, this role ensures transparent community engagement, leads the administration of district websites, coordinates district-wide branding, and designs enrollment workflows that drive measurable growth. This position is confidential and supervisory.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, Education, or a closely related field required.
Minimum of 3 years of professional experience designing and managing institutional communications, public relations, or marketing systems, preferably within a K-12 public school system or public sector agency.
Advanced experience with Content Management Systems (CMS), web development, automated email marketing software, survey administration platforms, graphic design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite), and digital video/photo production.
Ability to design data-collection instruments, interpret analytics, analyze ad campaign metrics to refine marketing strategies, and synthesize enrollment trends for executive leadership.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to establish operational infrastructure from the ground up; capability to remain calm and authoritative under pressure; and cultural competency to communicate effectively with diverse communities.
Experience working within an entity’s leadership team, including experience managing and supervising staff.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a relevant discipline or professional accreditation (e.g., APR) preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the district's primary public information officer; manage crisis communications, emergency alerts (FlashAlert, weather closures, facilities emergencies), and public safety notifications.
Draft, edit, and collaborate on high-level executive messages and multimedia content for the Superintendent, school board, and site principals.
Establish content channels to gather, draft, and publish weekly and monthly community newsletters across the District, High School, and Grade School.
Coordinate and schedule public notices for School Board meetings, executive sessions, policy subcommittees, and Site Council meetings.
Manage live hosting of School Board and Budget Committee Meetings using GoToWebinar Software.
Design, administer, and analyze a robust district-wide survey and data-collection infrastructure to track community feedback, evaluate program needs, and guide administrative decisions.
Collaborate with building principals, the Equity Director, food service providers, PTC, Foundation, and other stakeholders to design surveys, manage community communications, build web resources, and align public messaging.
Assist the District’s leadership team on drafting, formulating, and delivering communications related to all aspects of labor relations and collective bargaining, including assisting in gathering information, formulating, drafting, and communicating internally and externally regarding the district’s collective bargaining proposals and status of contract negotiations.
Administer the Finalsite CMS platform, overseeing content strategy, site navigation, search engine optimization, digital maintenance, and mobile responsiveness for the District, GS, and HS websites, alongside the internal staff portal.
Lead the district's transition toward strict web accessibility guidelines (ADA and ODE standards), coordinating audits, mobile indexing, and required state education postings.
Document core district events (first day of school, pep rally, Senior Exhibition and graduation) through high-quality photos and videos.
Design and implement year-round social media campaigns (Instagram, Facebook) to promote Riverdale’s enrollment events, high school applications, International Baccalaureate (IB) identity, academic distinctions, and community highlights.
Direct the design, professional printing, and shipping of district materials, including the district Annual Report, promotional postcards, neighborhood mailers, and campus signage.
Establish and maintain consistent district-wide branding, style guides, and visual identity across schools, creating original graphics and digital images for newsletters, web pages, and marketing platforms.
Lead the strategic design of student recruitment, registration, and onboarding processes; build online application forms and inquiry workflows to efficiently guide prospective families through the enrollment pipeline.
Direct the strategic timeline, promotional marketing, and public positioning of high school admissions programs (such as shadow days and open houses).
Delegate in-person school tours to site principals and day-to-day student records processing and parent inquiries to front office staff.
Develop targeted marketing, outreach campaigns, and transition communications (in coordination with GS principal) aimed at current 8th-grade students and families to maximize retention and boost enrollment at Riverdale High School.
Plan and promote district-wide enrollment events (partnering with building principals and front office staff), such as Kindergarten Roundup, school choice showcases, and neighborhood information sessions.
Analyze feeder K-8 schools, local demographics, and historic enrollment trends to forecast future enrollment numbers and identify areas of vulnerability.
Supervise enrollment and marketing staff, including the exercise of independent judgment related to the evaluation, discipline, hiring, and dismissal of enrollment and marketing staff.