Director of Engagement

The Inter-Community School Zurich, is the oldest international school in the Greater Zurich Area. Proudly an IB World School, ICS is renowned for the community it has created over the past six decades. Located in the picturesque village of Zumikon, only 18 kms from the old town of Zurich.

The Engagement Team at ICS Zurich incorporates a number of connected school functions that support the school in the achievement of its mission. Working with a dynamic team and in collaboration with a wide range of school stakeholders, the Director of Engagement has strategic responsibility for the each of the following:

• Brand and reputation management
• School admissions and enrolment management
• Marketing & communications (both internal and external)
• Alumni relations
• Fundraising and community engagement

The Director of Engagement is also responsible for creating a coherent, meaningful, and engaging experience for a variety of stakeholders as they move through each stage of the Lifecycle of School Experience.

Reporting to the Head of School, the Director of Engagement is a member of the Leadership Team.

Specific Responsibilities

The Engagement team

• Recruit, lead, and develop the ICS Engagement team in support of the school’s Mission and in the delivery of agreed key performance indicators.
• Set budgets, allocating resources and people to agreed priorities and areas of focus.
• Conduct annual appraisals and ensure that all members of the team have access to appropriate professional development opportunities.
• Synthesise the operations of the team in a regular report to key stakeholders, including the ICS Board of Trustees.
• Oversee the development of key policies, strategies, and practices that are in line with all Board policies and schoolwide agreements.

The ICS experience

• Understand best practices in Experience Design and disseminate this knowledge across the Engagement team.
• Map the ICS “customer journey” and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop feedback strategies that gather data on how stakeholders experience the school at different stages of the life cycle.
• Advocate for the school’s “customers” at all times.

Brand and reputation management

• Represent ICS to a range of external stakeholders in support of the school’s brand and reputation.
• Coordinate all crisis communications on behalf of the school.
• Budget, organise and supervise external relations in order to ensure a strong positive image of ICS both regionally and internationally.
• Act as spokesperson for the school for all matters related to the Press.

School admissions and enrolment management

• Oversee the admissions process in accordance with the school’s Admissions Policy.
• Design the experience of admissions at ICS to enhance the school’s reputation.
• Meet enrollment targets as outlined in the annual budget and school’s long-term plans.
• Provide data-informed reports on enrolment, as well as broader market trends.
• Lead the periodic review of the Admissions Policy, in collaboration with the Advancement Committee.

Marketing & communications

• Oversee all school communications in accordance with the school’s Communications Policy.
• Maintain and communicate clear guidelines on the school’s brand, as well as the use of social media, and official publications.
• Budget, organise and supervise all marketing and promotional activities for the school.
• Maintain and develop the school’s website and all other communication platforms (internal and external).
• Regularly gather feedback from all stakeholders by means of a coordinated feedback strategy.

Fundraising, alumni relations, and community engagement

• Build and engage the school’s alumni network in support of the school’s mission and priorities.
• Budget and oversee all school reunions, both local and international, and school anniversaries.
• Meet fundraising targets as outlined in the annual budget and school’s long-term plans.
• Liaise with the school’s Parent Association to ensure that there is an effective exchange of information and feedback on the experience of life and learning at ICS.

The successful candidate will have:

 Leadership Experience, Skills, and Qualities

• A passion for learning and leading and a demonstrated capacity for leadership.
• A commitment to innovation as a strategy for continuous improvement.
• An understanding of, and commitment to, the ICS mission and vision.
• A future focus, thinking about the school that ICS is required to be today and tomorrow.
• An effective listener to the many voices that contribute to the story of our school.
• An ability to energize and inspire others with a personal presence that instills trust, confidence, and warmth.
• A coherence-maker, seeing patterns and trends, as well as communicating these effectively to those within and outside of the team.
• An ability to embody the school’s core dispositions of respect, responsibility, reflection and provide an example to others in terms of commitment, empowerment and drive.
• A proficiency in aligning people’s strengths with roles, responsibilities, and positions.

Personal Qualities

• Understanding of and supportive of the work of other team members.
• Focused on designing the experience of life and learning at ICS.
• A systems thinker and problem solver.
• Develops good relationships with colleagues (collaborative team-player).
• A high level of communication and organisational skills.
• Flexible and adaptable and able to work in a changing, multicultural environment.
• Fluency in English and, preferably, local language(s).
• Strong technology literacy.

Terms and Conditions

The generous salary and range of benefits will be commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate, with the overall package reflecting the importance of the position.

Applications should be addressed to:

Interested candidates should email a full letter of application, a statement of personal educational philosophy, a detailed resume/curriculum vitae, and three referees. The Head of School reserves the right to apply directly to the writers of open testimonials for confidential statements.

Applications should be addressed in PDF format to:

 Ms. Lucy M. Gowdie

Head of School

We are looking forward to receiving your online application.