Communications and Marketing Manager 2026
3 days ago
Kansas City
Job Description:\n\nSalary: Salary range $68,826 - $82,591 Crossroads Charter Schoolsis looking forhighlyeffective, highly qualified and highly motivated individuals to join our organization. Ideal candidates will have experience in urban education and be committed to ourfourcore values: High Expectations, Real World Learning, Creative Culture, and Equity. Crossroads Charter Schools organization is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor prohibited by law. Job Description: Communications and Marketing Manager Direct Supervisor: Chief Operating Officer or designee School Summary: At Crossroads Charter Schools, we Develop school environments where all students are actively and meaningfully engaged in rigorous instruction and authentic learning tasks.Interrupt the school to prison pipeline policies and practices that are directly and indirectly pushing the most at-risk students out of school and on a pathway to the juvenile and criminal justice systems.Engage families as partners in meaningful ways.Nurture an open, collaborative, and trusting environment because the work is enormous, deeply personal, emotional and often difficult.Engage in on-going job-embedded professional development through co-teaching and co-planning Position Summary: The Communications & Marketing Manager is responsible for leading a bold, innovative, and data-driven marketing and communications strategy that elevates the Crossroads Charter Schools brand across Kansas City and beyond. This role leads all internal and external communications for the organization and is responsible for ensuring clear, consistent, strategic, and engaging messaging across all platforms and stakeholder groups. The position serves as the districts lead strategist for marketing, storytelling, media relations, public relations, and organizational communications. This includes oversight of staff communications, family communications, community outreach, social media, website content, publications, branding, crisis communications, and district-wide messaging campaigns. The role ensures that all communications effectively reflect and advance the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities of Crossroads Charter Schools. This position designs and executes creative, multi-channel marketing campaignsespecially across digital and social media platformsto engage prospective families, staff, partners, donors, and the broader community. The manager will bring fresh, forward-thinking ideas to expand reach, strengthen audience engagement, and position Crossroads as a leader in public education. The Communications & Marketing Manager supervises the Community Engagement Coordinator and the Enrollment Coordinator. This position collaborates across departments to align communication strategies with organizational priorities, community engagement efforts, student and staff recruitment, family engagement, and district initiatives. The position works closely with the Development Manager to support fundraising visibility, donor communications, and philanthropic engagement efforts throughout the Kansas City community. The Communications & Marketing Manager also serves as the districts lead communication contact during emergencies and critical incidents, ensuring timely, accurate, and strategic communication with staff, families, media outlets, and the broader public through digital platforms, publications, reports, and media outreach. Position Responsibilities: Brand Strategy & Marketing Innovation Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, modern marketing strategy that positions Crossroads as a premier educational choice.Continuously evolve the Crossroads brand through compelling storytelling, visual identity, and innovative marketing campaigns.Identify emerging marketing trends and implement creative strategiesespecially across digital and social media platformsto increase reach and engagement.Serve as the organizations lead strategist for marketing, audience engagement, and brand positioning. Internal & External Communications Leadership Lead all internal and external communications for the organization, ensuring messaging is strategic, timely, consistent, and aligned with the mission and priorities of Crossroads Charter Schools.Develop and execute communication plans that support organizational initiatives, stakeholder engagement, crisis response, and district priorities.Oversee communications to staff, families, students, community partners, donors, board members, media outlets, and the general public.Manage communication platforms and tools, including websites, newsletters, email communications, publications, presentations, and digital messaging systems.Lead media relations efforts, including press releases, public statements, media inquiries, and proactive storytelling opportunities.Support school and district leaders in developing effective messaging and communication strategies for key initiatives and events.Develop and maintain communication protocols for emergencies and critical incidents.Monitor communication effectiveness and stakeholder engagement to continuously improve communication practices. Digital Marketing & Social Media Leadership Design and execute a high-impact social media strategy across platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.) that increases visibility, engagement, and interest from prospective families and employees.Create and oversee dynamic digital content, including videos, reels, stories, campaigns, and other multimedia storytelling assets.Analyze performance metrics and refine strategies based on engagement, reach, and conversion insights.Explore and implement new digital tools, platforms, and content strategies to stay ahead of trends. Community Engagement & Family Recruitment Strategy Lead a strategic, marketing-driven approach to community engagement that builds strong relationships with families, community partners, donors, and stakeholders.Supervise and coach the Community Engagement Coordinator in planning and executing outreach events, school tours, partnerships, and community-based experiences.Develop innovative in-person and digital engagement strategies that strengthen awareness, interest, and connection to Crossroads.Partner with school leaders to deepen community presence and strengthen local partnerships.Support engagement initiatives involving donors and the Board of Directors, including technical support for board meetings.Use engagement data and feedback to continuously improve outreach effectiveness and family experience. Enrollment Systems & Operations Oversee the full enrollment process from application through onboarding, ensuring a seamless, efficient, and family-centered experience across all schools.Supervise and coach the Enrollment Coordinator, establishing clear expectations, timelines, and accountability for high-quality execution.Design and continuously improve enrollment systems, workflows, and procedures to ensure efficiency, consistency, and strong customer service.Ensure all enrollment practices align with district policiesTrack and analyze enrollment data, trends, and projections; provide regular reports to leadership to support planning, staffing, and decision-making. Content Creation, Campaigns & Audience Growth Lead the creation of compelling content that highlights student success, staff excellence, and community impact.Oversee website content strategy and ensure a modern, user-friendly digital experience.Design and implement multi-channel marketing campaigns that increase brand awareness, community engagement, and interest among prospective families and employees.Partner with school leaders and internal teams to align marketing efforts with organizational priorities and recruitment initiatives.Strengthen Crossroads presence in the Kansas City community through targeted outreach, storytelling, and brand visibility efforts.Collaborate with the Development Manager to support fundraising campaigns, donor engagement, and special events.Partner with the Director of Human Resources to develop and communicate a compelling Employee Value Proposition and support talent recruitment and retention marketing efforts. Data, Analytics & Performance Marketing Use data and analytics to drive decision-making and improve marketing, communication, and engagement effectiveness.Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) related to brand awareness, campaign performance, audience engagement, and outreach efforts.Provide actionable recommendations based on data insights and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve strategies and outcomes. Team Leadership & Collaboration Supervise and coach the Community Engagement Coordinator to ensure high-quality execution of outreach initiatives and partnerships.Establish clear goals, expectations, and metrics aligned with the overall marketing and communications strategy.Foster collaboration across departments to ensure cohesive messaging, strong alignment, and effective execution of organizational priorities.Build a culture of creativity, responsiveness, innovation, and continuous improvement within the marketing and communications function. Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by their supervisor. Skills and Qualifications: BA/BS Degree in communications, marketing, economics, development, journalism or related fields preferredAt least 5 years of relevant experience in marketing and communications; development, and/or education preferredExperience in the areas of crisis prevention and recovery is an asset;Demonstrated success in the areas of external affairs/communications/public relations/education and development;Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and an ability to keep multiple stakeholder groups, including parents, teachers, staff, volunteers and partners, informed of critical issues, activities and schedules.Excellent teamwork skills and an ability to collaborate closely in a multicultural team environment with colleagues and partners to identify challenges and to design and implement solutions.Display maturity, flexibility, comfort with ambiguity and a sense of optimism/can-do attitude.Participate in meetings, training and professional development.Assist in coordinating staff events throughout the year.Meet professional obligations through efficient work habits such as: meeting deadlines, honoring schedules, coordinating, etc.Meticulous attention to detail and passion for well-run processes.Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends.Demonstrated experience mentoring and working with volunteers, faculty, and staff.Desire to continue professional developmentExcellent organization skills and an ability to coordinate multiple tasks and activitiesAn ability and enthusiasm for promoting the school and its mission to a broad and diverse group of people.Excellent work ethic, positive attitude, flexibility and willingness to perform tasks assignedDemonstrates ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students and teachers in school environment and community.Must pass an extensive background check. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This job requires that the employee be able to: sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use hands, fingers, reach with hands and fingers; bend, stoop, kneel and crouch and lift objects of at least 25 pounds. Visual ability requires mono and color vision, close vision, distance vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. WORK ENVIRONMENT:The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud and is a standard acceptable level for this environment. Is directly responsible for students safety, work output and well-being. All applicants must apply on the Crossroads website at: Key Working Relationships in Addition to Supervisor: Teachers, Students, Parents, Volunteers, Office Staff, Support Staff, Assistant Principals, Principals, District Leadership Team, Central Office Team Both federal and state law requires all public school personnel to submit to and pass a criminal background check prior to employment by the school. Crossroads Charter Schools is required by law to exclude from employment any person who has pleaded to or been found guilty of a felony or crime involving moral turpitude under the laws of the State of Missouri, any other State of the United States or any other country, whether or not a sentence is or was imposed. Please be advised that Crossroads Charter Schools does not seek information related to the conviction of crimes unrelated to those described in this question. Your conviction of a crime not otherwise listed above is not an automatic disqualification from employment consideration. The school will consider the nature of the offense and the relationship between the offense and the position for which you are applying.