Director of Strategic Advancement
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Strategic Advancement provides strategic leadership and operational coordination for ACPA's enrollment, student recruitment and retention, marketing, communications, fundraising, community engagement, alumni relations, and external partnerships. The Director will establish and maintain the systems, written procedures, annual calendars, workflows, and performance measures needed to coordinate these functions, strengthen organizational growth, and support long-term sustainability. Working with the Superintendent, Principal, Board of Directors, staff, families, alumni, and community partners, the Director will connect people, programs, and resources to advance ACPA's mission and expand opportunities for students.
Department: Strategic Advancement | Reports to: Superintendent | Position Type: Administrative Leadership
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Enrollment, Recruitment, and Retention
- Develop and implement an annual enrollment strategy with measurable recruitment, enrollment, and retention targets.
- Establish consistent processes for prospective-family inquiries, follow-up, tours, applications, registration, onboarding, and family communication.
- Maintain enrollment pipelines and tracking systems; monitor inquiry-to-application and application-to-enrollment conversion. • Review enrollment trends, withdrawals, family feedback, and retention data; document reasons for departure and develop strategies to reduce preventable losses.
- Coordinate outreach with feeder schools, arts organizations, and community partners to communicate ACPA's educational model and attract prospective families.
- Collaborate with the Enrollment Director and Enrollment Support staff.
- Marketing, Communications, and Brand Management
- Develop a coordinated marketing and communications plan, including website content, social media, newsletters, promotional materials, media outreach, and school storytelling.
- Maintain consistent branding and messaging that highlights ACPA's mission, arts-integrated model, student achievements, and community impact.
- Establish an annual communications calendar and clear procedures for content development, review, approval, publication, and evaluation.
- Monitor marketing reach, website engagement, inquiries, and campaign effectiveness; coordinate sensitive communications with school leadership.
- Collaborate with Department Heads, Principals, and the Arts Team.
- Institutional Advancement and Fundraising
- Develop and manage a fundraising plan that may include an Annual Fund, Board Give/Get initiatives, major gifts, planned giving, endowment growth, scholarships, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
- Establish donor-management processes for prospect identification, relationship tracking, solicitation, gift acknowledgment, recognition, stewardship, and reporting.
- Cultivate individual donors, foundations, businesses, and philanthropic organizations; coordinate grant calendars, submissions, and reporting with appropriate personnel.
- Work with authorized finance and school personnel to ensure gifts, restricted funds, expenditures, and fundraising records follow approved policies and financial controls.
- Report fundraising activity, revenue progress, donor engagement, and opportunities to the Superintendent and Board as requested.
- Collaborate with the Superintendent, Treasurer, Principals, and Board.
- Community Partnerships, Alumni, and Student Pathways
- Build and maintain relationships with businesses, civic and nonprofit organizations, arts institutions, colleges, universities, and workforce partners.
- Create a centralized partnership tracking process documenting contacts, commitments, communications, follow-up, and outcomes. • Develop alumni engagement and graduate-success processes, including contact records, communications, events, mentorship, networking, and graduate outcome tracking.
- Expand student access to dual enrollment, internships, job shadowing, career exploration, scholarships, mentorship, and workforce opportunities in collaboration with school personnel.
- Collaborate with the Superintendent, Treasurer, Principals, and Board.
- Systems Development, Operations, and Process Improvement
- Establish the Office of Strategic Advancement's annual work plan, priorities, operating procedures, workflows, and responsibilities. • Create and maintain written standard operating procedures for recruitment, enrollment, retention, marketing, communications, fundraising, donor relations, partnerships, alumni engagement, and external relations.
- Implement approved contact-management, enrollment-tracking, donor-management, communications-planning, and project management systems with appropriate privacy and access controls.
- Develop shared calendars, timelines, approval steps, documentation standards, and follow-up expectations to ensure work is consistent, coordinated, and sustainable.
- Review current practices, identify gaps or duplication, and recommend improvements in efficiency, accountability, continuity, and service quality.
- Develop budget proposals, monitor approved spending, and assess the effectiveness and value of advancement activities in coordination with authorized personnel.
- Strategic Planning, Reporting, and Accountability
- Translate ACPA's strategic priorities into annual goals, implementation plans, assigned responsibilities, timelines, and measurable deliverables.
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, reporting templates, and regular review cycles for enrollment, retention, marketing, fundraising, partnerships, and alumni engagement.
- Provide timely reports to the Superintendent and, as requested, the Board of Directors on progress, challenges, outcomes, and recommend next steps.
- Use data and stakeholder feedback to evaluate effectiveness, guide resource decisions, and recommend continuous improvement.
- Work with administrators and the Superintendent to align the Strategic Plan with program goals.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications, education, nonprofit management, public relations, or a related field; relevant experience in enrollment, recruitment, marketing, fundraising, advancement, community engagement, or operations; demonstrated ability to build systems and manage projects; strong communication, organizational, analytical, and relationship-building skills; and a commitment to ACPA's mission.
Preferred:
Master's degree in a related field; experience in a school or nonprofit setting; experience with fundraising, grants, donor relations, enrollment management, digital communications, CRM or enrollment platforms, and performance dashboards.
COMPENSATION
Compensation will be commensurate with the selected candidate's relevant experience, education, and qualifications. Consideration will be given to the depth and scope of experience in enrollment management, marketing and communications, fundraising, community partnerships, and organizational systems development, as well as relevant leadership and project-management experience. Final compensation will be determined through ACPA's authorized approval process.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
- First 30 days: Audit current enrollment, recruitment, retention, marketing, fundraising, communications, alumni, and partnership practices; identify gaps, existing resources, and immediate priorities.
- Days 31-60: Draft written procedures, annual calendars, tracking systems, workflows, and baseline performance measures for priority functions.
- Days 61-90: Present a Strategic Advancement action plan with measurable enrollment and retention goals, marketing and fundraising priorities, partnership targets, reporting cycles, and implementation timelines.
- First 6 months: Implement priority systems and launch coordinated recruitment, retention, donor, marketing, and community-engagement initiatives.
- First year: Evaluate results against established baselines and goals; report progress and recommend adjustments and priorities for the following year.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
Performance will be evaluated through an annual work plan and mutually established goals. Measures may include enrollment and retention results; inquiry and conversion rates; completion and use of written procedures; marketing reach; fundraising and donor participation; grants and sponsorships; active partnership outcomes; alumni engagement; student college, career, and workforce opportunities; and timely, accurate reporting.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND GENERAL STATEMENT
The Director collaborates with the Superintendent, Principal, Board of Directors, staff, students, families, alumni, donors, volunteers, and external partners while respecting established administrative authority and Board-approved policies. Duties are not exhaustive; other consistent responsibilities may be assigned by the Superintendent. The Director must exercise sound judgment, maintain professional and ethical standards, protect confidential information, and represent ACPA positively.
The position's purpose is to create a coordinated, measurable, and sustainable approach to enrollment growth, student retention, institutional advancement, and community impact. Final approval of contracts, expenditures, gift acceptance, and Board policy remain with the appropriately authorized school or Board personnel.