APPOINTMENT OF

MARKETING &

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

OCTOBER 2017

www.meoncross.co.uk

AN INTRODUCTION TO MEONCROSS

Meoncross School is a co-educational independent school, offering an outstanding

academic journey from Nursery to Sixth Form, located on the south coast of Hampshire.

Our aim is for every pupil to realise their full potential and where every child is an

individual.

The school motto ‘Luctor et emergo’ underpins all we do here at Meoncross; the Latin

phrase which appeared on the original school badge in 1953 and is best translated as

“I strive and I emerge”.

We seek to embed this ethos into the daily life of the school by teaching our pupils that

only through hard work will they achieve success. We do this through the challenges

set in every lesson, to those experienced on stage and the sports field and in the

opportunities for leadership that they have at every age. We want to build their

resilience and their willingness to test themselves since those qualities are at the heart

of our core values and are essential to a rewarding and happy adult life.

We strive to understand the challenges faced by each child by getting to know them

very well indeed. Our staff keep a close eye on the progress of each individual,

discussing them by name at regular formal and informal meetings. Only in this way can

we tailor the support we offer them because every child has their own challenges to

overcome. We strive to help them as individuals rather than as a cohort. To this end,

we introduce academic mentors as they enter the Upper School. Most importantly, we

look to celebrate their successes in school or outside it; supporting them to achieve

their ambitions.

The quality of our teaching has been independently judged as ‘outstanding’ and is

underpinned by meticulous planning to ensure that our high standards of academic

attainment are maintained. When you combine this with our approach to building a

lifelong set of values and a determined work ethic, it is small wonder that we are proud

of our leavers.

Mrs Sarah Ebery, BSc(Hons), Med

Headmistress

www.meoncross.co.uk

SAFEGUARDING

All young people deserve the right to live and learn in a safe and happy environment.

All Meoncross School, staff share the responsibility to promote and safeguard the

welfare of children and young people for whom they are responsible or with whom

they come into contact. In doing so, staff are expected at all times to adhere to and

ensure compliance with the School’s Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.

The job holder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children

and young person’s for whom s/he is responsible, or with whom s/he comes into

contact will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the relevant Cognita

Safeguarding; Child Protection Policy and Procedures at all times. If in the course of

carrying out the duties of the role, the job holder identifies any instance that a child is

suffering or likely to suffer significant harm either at school or at home, s/he must

report any concerns to the School’s Child Protection Officer/Designated Safeguarding

Lead or to the Head or indeed to the Regional CEO so that a referral can be made

accordingly to the relevant third party services.

Cognita Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this

commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will

be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

www.meoncross.co.uk

MARKETING MANAGER

The Marketing Manager is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the

Meoncross School marketing strategy which is crucial to supporting the school’s image and

reputation within the local market. Central to the role is the ability to understand the local market,

needs of current and prospective parents, and to identify strategies and initiatives which enable

Meoncross to meet these needs in the short and long term. Through the implementation of

creative and customer focused multi-channel marketing campaigns, the Marketing Manager

supports both parent recruitment and retention and works closely with the Schools Senior

Leadership Team and Admissions Manager to deliver a highly effective customer experience which

meets or exceeds parent expectations.

www.meoncross.co.uk

www.meoncross.co.uk

KEY INFORMATION

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Training Requirements Customer Experience Workshops and Training.

Word Press Content Management System

Languages English

IT knowledge Microsoft Office Suite / Social Media Platforms

Experience Strategic Planning/ Consumer Marketing / Digital Marketing / Events

management / PR / Content Marketing

Job Title: Marketing & Communications Manager

Reporting To: Direct report: Headmistress

Dotted Line report: Cognita UK Marketing & Admissions Manager

Department: Marketing and Admissions

Working hours:

Year round (52 weeks), Upto 37.5 Hours per week, primarily between

8.15am & 5.15pm. Some occasional evening and weekend working will

be required.

Checks: Enhanced DBS, Overseas Checks and Employer References

www.meoncross.co.uk

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing

Develop the whole school marketing strategy including product development, fees structure,

multi-channel communications plans, community engagement programmes, business to

business networking, event management and parent engagement programmes to support

enrolment growth across the whole school

Develop an in-depth knowledge of parent needs and of local market trends and developments

to inform school marketing strategies

Apply customer and market insights, combined with creative thinking, to define and shape the

school proposition and marketing plan to maximise appeal and relevance within the local

market

Monitor and report on competitor activity

Define effective parent engagement strategies and own the overall parent experience across

all marketing and admissions touch points

Liaise with Admissions Officer regarding all matters pertaining to recruitment and retention of

pupils

Manage the marketing budget and ensure activities are planned within agreed budgets

Marketing execution

Implement the termly marketing plan to deliver on the Marketing strategy to support optimum

pupil recruitment, conversion and retention utilising the appropriate marketing mix

Develop and execute effective PR initiatives across digital and off-line channels which build

positive brand awareness

Responsible for the proactive communication and advertising of all school recruitment events

and open days

Manage the school website and social media platforms; ensuring accuracy, reporting on traffic,

running campaigns and exploring opportunities for school enquiry generation.

Responsible for the content and images used across the school’s offline, online and social

media platforms as well as the running of digital marketing campaigns (recruitment and

retention) working closely with the Cognita School Support Centre Digital Marketing team

Relationship Management

Develop effective parent engagement programmes and regularly interact with parents to build

insights and positive relationships

Identify relevant community-based initiatives in which the school can play a relevant part, to

support awareness / positive brand perception etc.

Work collaboratively with school colleagues and Cognita central marketing and admissions

team, contribute to sharing of best practice with other schools in the Cognita group

To be the key point of contact for school staff with regards to advice on best-practice parent

communications, school branding, content generation and photography.

Attending Cognita meetings and training days, where required, often involving travel to Milton

Keynes or other UK sites

www.meoncross.co.uk

Communication

Take a lead role in producing, and administering timely, relevant, and appropriate

communications to parents including:-

o Sending whole school and cohort specific text messages

o Sending whole school and cohort specific emails

o Preparing and sending Prospective parent communications in association with the

Admissions Manager

o Assisting the Educational Visits Co-Ordinator, Coastal Co-Ordinator, PE Dept, and other

departments as necessary in communicating important information as and when

appropriate, including trip information and club information and booking forms.

o Working with the Assistant Head (Co-Curricular), in producing extra-curricular information

for parents.

Other

Set agenda, chair and minute fortnightly internal strategic marketing meetings with the Senior

Leadership Team

Any other duties, as required regularly or occasionally, to ensure the smooth running of

marketing, admissions and the Schools, and the constant development of marketing and

communications within the School Community.

Principal working relationships

Internal

Headmistress, Meoncross School

Admissions Manager, Meoncross School

Business Manager, Meoncross School

Cognita UK Marketing & Admissions Manager & Marketing & Admissions Director

External

Prospective and current Parents/Carers

Community groups

Local businesses and International Agents

Local Media

Creative Agencies

www.meoncross.co.uk

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Person Specification

Excellent strategic thinker with the ability to translate insight into strategies Essential

Excellent visual and written judgement for the development of creative marketing

campaigns

Essential

A creative thinker, able to bring new ideas to established processes Essential

Have an excellent standard of spelling, punctuation and grammar, and a keen eye

for detail with the ability to write in a clear, concise and engaging way for the target

audience.

Essential

Excellent interpersonal and communications skills including the ability to relate well

to people on all levels with sensitivity, tact and diplomacy

Essential

Evidence of a pro-active approach to planning and prioritising work, with the ability

to use initiative appropriately. Demonstrating strong organisational skills

Essential

Ability to work calmly under pressure and within a small dynamic team. Essential

Excellent ICT skills e.g. confident and adept in use of Microsoft applications e.g.

Word, Excel and Outlook

Essential

Excellent command of written and spoken English Essential

High levels of accuracy and attention to detail Essential

Qualifications/Attainment

Educated to at least “A” level standard or equivalent with a Marketing qualification

preferred

Essential

Excellent IT and database skills (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and social media

platforms

Essential

Experience

Experience working in a senior level marketing role in a consumer, service driven

environment

Essential

Previous experience of working in a complex, busy, service-driven environment Essential

www.meoncross.co.uk

Digital and social media literate, experience of running social media channels and a

practical knowledge of Word Press CMS although training will be given

Essential

Good knowledge of PR and ability to write targeted Press releases Essential

Attitude/Approach

Personal integrity, honesty, energy, stamina, enthusiasm, resilience, creativity Essential

Commitment to personal development and life-long learning Essential

The ability to work unsupervised and to prioritise work during peaks of commitment Essential

The ability to work as part of a team and to assist others where required Essential

Well-presented appearance and professional manner Essential

Understanding of the importance of confidentiality Essential

A willingness to work flexibly as the needs of the role dictate (including weekends

and evenings on occasion)

Essential

The post holder is expected to:

Ensure a thorough awareness and practical application of the policies and procedures for Meoncross

Operate safely in the Meoncross School workplace and at external facilities, maintaining a high

standard of Health and Safety practice

Behave professionally at all times and maintain confidentiality of information

Values Based Behaviours - The behaviours associated with our company values

Excellence

Respect

Integrity

Collaboration

Accountability

www.meoncross.co.uk

SALARY AND PENSION

Salary will be dependent upon experience.

Staff receive a midday meal free of charge during term time.

The school is committed to staff development: there is an annual performance management

scheme and regular opportunities for in-service training. We run an Induction Programme for all

new staff.

A reduction in school fees from Nursery onwards is available to full-time staff; for part-time staff,

the fee reduction is calculated pro rata.

Employees will be auto-enrolled into the relevant Pension Scheme on commencement of role.

HOW TO APPLY

A letter of application together with a completed application form for the attention of Miss Sue

Watson, to recruitment@meoncross.co.uk

Applicants selected for interview will be informed within a week of the closing date for application.

Applicants who have not heard from the School by this time must assume that, on this occasion,

their application has been unsuccessful. Candidates short-listed for interview will be required to bring proof of qualifications and their right to work in the UK to interview.

Closing Date: 23 October 2017 – 5pm

Interviews: 1 November 2017

www.meoncross.co.uk

Meoncross School

Burnt House Lane

Stubbington

Hampshire

PO14 2EF

01329 662182

recruitment@meoncross.co.uk

www.meoncross.co.uk