DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & ADMISSIONS - Candidate Brochure - RSAcademics

DIRECTOR OF
MARKETING
& ADMISSIONS
Candidate Brochure

Headmaster’s
Message
Thank you for your interest in applying for the role of          This is a particularly exciting phase in the Dragon’s
Director of Marketing and Admissions at Dragon School.           history. We have recently launched QUEST, an optional
As one of the country’s leading independent schools,             enrichment curriculum to replace the more traditional
the Dragon places high expectations on all its staff and         Saturday morning curriculum. QUEST is open to both day
demands that the whole community works together                  and boarding children and will provide the opportunity for
to ensure that the School remains at the forefront of            our young Dragons to experience a wide range of new and
educational excellence and innovation. Although the              inspiring activities. The academic and pastoral benefits for
Dragon is the UK’s largest co-educational boarding and           the children will be plentiful, whilst providing flexibility and
day preparatory school with around 600 day pupils and            choice to meet the diverse and evolving needs of modern
200 boarders, its deeply personalised approach to each           Dragon families. As with all adventures, QUEST will be
child, and its ethos of inclusivity, openness and tolerance,     driven by several key principles: discover new interests;
encourages day pupils and boarders to enrich each other’s        develop new skills; dare to do something new.
school experience.                                               Alongside QUEST, we are providing a more flexible
The Dragon is a school where the extraordinary is regarded       boarding offering. Whilst we remain committed to our
as ordinary. We believe in teaching children ‘how to learn’      flagship full boarding programme, which attracts families
rather than just ‘what to learn’ and our friendly and open-      from a diverse range of locations and backgrounds, we
minded ethos permeates across all areas of the School.           have recently introduced additional, more flexible, boarding
This approach, coupled with the School’s outstanding track       options for local families. This is proving to be highly
record of success, sets the Dragon apart. Our success can        popular, with 75 day children now undertaking some form
be measured in a number of ways: our innovative approach         of flexible boarding, alongside our vibrant full boarding
to learning; the number of scholarships awarded to leading       community. We will add weekly boarding to the offering
senior schools; a highly successful bursary campaign             from September 2020, and this is being matched by
that provides funding for a number of pupils every year          investment in the refurbishment of our boarding houses.
that otherwise could not afford to attend; and the School’s      If you enjoy belonging to a strong and mutually supportive
most impressive list of eminent alumni extending across          community and seek a leadership role that will help to
a range of sectors. The School also has a market-leading         shape the future of our School, we very much look forward
social impact programme which informs all areas of the           to hearing from you.
curriculum, introducing pupils to a wide range of initiatives,
including philanthropy.
                                                                 Dr Crispin Hyde-Dunn
                                                                 Headmaster

THE SCHOOL

Dragon School was founded in 1877 to educate the
sons of University of Oxford academics, or ‘dons’. From
these modest beginnings, the School has grown to be an
internationally renowned co-educational independent day
and boarding preparatory school for over 600 boys and
girls aged 8 to 13. In September 1995, Dragon School
(which has charitable status) opened a Pre-Prep School for
a further 200 children aged 4 to 7.
Located in North Oxford, Dragon School is regarded
as one of the UK’s leading independent schools. It has
achieved the highest recognition by the Independent
Schools Inspectorate and when last inspected was found
to be ‘Excellent’ in all areas of teaching and pastoral care
and ‘Exceptional’ with regard to ‘the quality of pupils’
achievements and learning’.
When pupils leave the Dragon at the age of 13, they move
on to a wide variety of the finest senior schools. A strong
and vibrant alumni community, known as Old Dragons,
ensures that former pupils (as well as staff and parents)
continue friendships into their adult lives whilst retaining a
strong link with the School.
An impressive and broad curriculum and co-curricular
programme, together with a vibrant weekend provision
for boarders, is set to expand further through the
introduction of QUEST in September 2020. The introduction
of weekly boarding at the same time will supplement the
current flexi/day and full boarding offer, allowing more
pupils to experience this exciting and important part of
Dragon life.
The School has embarked on an exciting new period of
development with further significant investment planned in
boarding and the building of a new music school in 2020.
This new chapter in the School’s history will coincide with
the School’s 150th Anniversary in 2027.

THE ROLE

The Director of Marketing and Admissions is a new
role with responsibility for the planning, development
and implementation of marketing and pupil recruitment
strategies for all points of entry to Dragon School. Reporting
directly to the Headmaster, the Director of Marketing and
Admissions will be a full member of the School’s Senior
Leadership Team and will manage their own marketing and
admissions department.
Within the Admissions Office, the Registrar, Admissions
Assistant, and Admissions Secretary oversee the day-to-
day admissions processes. In addition, the Dragon has an
established Development and External Relations Office,
which is engaged with regular school communications,
events and fundraising. The Development Office connects
with current parents, as well as alumni, known as Old
Dragons (ODs).
The role of Director of Marketing and Admissions has a
significant strategic element. The successful candidate will
provide senior-level marketing and admissions expertise
to develop and deliver outstanding marketing and pupil
recruitment strategies.
The postholder’s primary responsibility will be to embrace
the future vision of the School and support its ambition to
be market-leading, as the school of first choice for parents
locally, nationally and internationally. In consultation with
the Headmaster and Bursar, the postholder will create
a strategy which draws together the marketing and
admissions strands of the School and delivers a plan to
drive the Dragon forward, engaging new markets and
extending the reach of the School. Based on appropriate
research and data analysis, these plans will set out both
the short and long-term targets, priorities, timetable and
resourcing of marketing and admissions activities.
This will be supported by the articulation and promotion
of the Dragon brand, conveying the School’s distinctive
qualities and provision to prospective parents and pupils,
both in the UK and overseas.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of
success in marketing and admissions in a strategic
leadership role in an independent school. However,
applicants who can demonstrate strong experience in
strategic marketing, communications, general management,
customer relationship management and people leadership
in a comparable organisation are also warmly encouraged
to apply. The successful candidate will have knowledge or
understanding of the educational landscape in the UK and
a keen sense of the factors which lead parents to consider
and invest in independent day and boarding education
for their children at a prep school level. Knowledge or
experience of international pupil recruitment would be
advantageous, although is not essential.
The successful candidate will have empathy with the
Dragon’s ethos and aims and will be comfortable with
placing this at the heart of the School’s marketing and
recruitment approach. A progressive thinker, he/she
will be highly numerate and proficient in analysing and
interpreting data, drawing strategic insight from information
to identify market trends and direct the future marketing
and admissions priorities of the School. He/she will have
an engaging and persuasive personality, will be able to
engender confidence and forge a team, and will have the
gravitas to convince a wide range of stakeholders in a warm
and charismatic way.
The successful candidate will be an excellent ambassador
for the Dragon, both in the UK and overseas, and will adopt
a solution-driven approach to the application of marketing
and admissions principles for the School. He/she will
consider the perspectives of target audiences and the
dynamics of the highly competitive marketplaces in which
the Dragon operates for recruiting both pre-prep and prep
school day and boarding pupils.

Responsibility Areas                                            • Undertake regular market and competitor research and
                                                                  analysis to inform future plans.

To develop and create a marketing and admissions strategy       Working closely with the Registrar:
which derives from the School Development Plan and              • Meet and, where possible, exceed the School’s targets
delivers strategic thinking for the marketing and admissions      for pupil recruitment, establishing an effective recruitment
processes, as well as the customer journey, and hence:            strategy across all year groups and geographies.
• Create and implement key marketing and admissions             • Oversee the management of all correspondence with
  initiatives which align with the developed strategic            prospective families from initial point of enquiry to
  marketing and admissions plan and which focus on driving        admission/rejection, ensuring timely and appropriate
  enquiries to the School (sales-driven marketing) and            contact with prospective families is maintained throughout
  maximising conversion rates (admissions best practice).         the admissions journey.
• Develop and execute pupil recruitment strategies to           • Ensure effective follow-up systems for all enquiries, tours,
  ensure the School’s targets are met (by entry point and         registrations and offers are in place and applied.
  type) and a first-rate customer experience is provided.       • Monitor, and respond to, key market trends in
• Research and develop new opportunities and                      pupil recruitment.
  channels for marketing the School in Oxfordshire and          • Analyse, forecast and report on key pupil admissions
  neighbouring counties, London and the rest of the UK,           data and statistics, revising strategies and tactical plans
  and internationally.                                            where appropriate.
• With a focus on external recruitment marketing, develop       • Systematically and regularly review and develop
  a coherent and cost-effective strategy which articulates        admissions procedures after monitoring the results and
  the School’s key messages and raises its profile in             effectiveness of all activities.
  relevant markets.
                                                                Management and relationships will include:
• Develop an effective and appropriate feeder school
  strategy which manages these relationships through a          • Line management responsibility for the existing team
  programme of visits and activities, and establish and           with potential to expand, in agreement with the
  manage an efficient feedback system to these schools            Headmaster and Bursar, to meet the strategic and
  regarding their former pupils’ progress.                        operational objectives.

• Develop and implement an internal marketing programme         • Lead, motivate and develop the Marketing and
  to maximise retention and manage the seamless transfer          Admissions team, providing support and mentoring
  of pupils from one part of the School to the next.              as required.

• Manage all elements of the brand to ensure that it reflects   • The postholder will also work closely with the Director of
  the values, ethos and objectives of the Dragon and that it      Development and External Relations whose department
  is consistently implemented across all media.                   is in the process of establishing further links with former
                                                                  pupils and implementing fundraising initiatives.
• With a focus on recruitment and retention-driven
  marketing, manage the School’s current ‘advertising year’     • Accountability for all the budgets associated with
  and make recommendations for when, where and how to             marketing and admissions activities, reporting regularly
  advertise, both in print and online.                            on progress to the Headmaster and Bursar.

• Direct, manage and produce external marketing collateral      • The postholder will attend SLT, bursary and governors’
  including the prospectus, promotional literature, digital       meetings and report on aspects of marketing and
  marketing campaigns and the website.                            admissions activity, making strategic recommendations
                                                                  and tactical adjustments as required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

A graduate or someone with equivalent professional               • Intelligence and commercial acumen with the ability
experience. The key skills, abilities and knowledge sought         to take a strategic view. Fluency in presenting and
will be an appropriate balance of the following:                   defending a case, with clarity of analysis, expression and
• An understanding of the aims of independent                      reasoned argument.
  education in general and the Dragon in particular, with        • A depth of knowledge and understanding of the
  a willingness to place the School’s vision at the heart of       power of branding, image and style - recognising what
  any communication approach.                                      influences customers and persuades families to choose
• Highly developed leadership skills with the gravitas,            a school for their child. An appreciation of how to use
  energy and ability to direct, motivate and guide others          different media to best effect with different audiences.
  and to bring about change in an inclusive and fruitful way.    • The ability to adapt to new situations, address
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrable ability            problems from new perspectives and manage change
  to build rapport and communicate persuasively with               in a thoughtful, positive and inspiring way.
  people from different backgrounds, possessing a natural        • Reliability: attention to detail, meeting deadlines and
  instinct to listen and to empathise. The capability to write     budgets; persistence in following through multiple
  and verbalise key messages in a clear, convincing and            projects over long periods.
  inspiring manner.                                              • Competence in standard Office software
• Proven experience in marketing and preferably                    (word-processing, presentation and spreadsheet
  admissions. In-depth knowledge of best practice in               packages). An understanding of, and an ability
  marketing, admissions and/or customer service, together          to interpret, databases and their use in customer
  with a demonstrated ability to establish and implement a         relationship management. Familiarity with social
  sound marketing and customer-facing strategy.                    media platforms and their effective use in a
• An analytical and intelligent mind, capable of                   communications strategy.
  undertaking independent research into areas such as
  competition, the market and customer needs for boarding
  and prep schools and to use this insight to develop
  strategies and approaches.

REMUNERATION &
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

Salary
An attractive and competitive package dependent on prior
skills and experience but commensurate with the seniority
of the post. Negotiable for the right candidate.

Hours of work
This is a full-time, year-round position with the hours of work
broadly determined by the requirements of the post. It is to
be expected that occasional weekend and evening work will
be required as an integral part of the role. Some overseas
travel will also be necessary.

Benefits
• Paid holiday entitlement is 30 days per annum plus bank
  holidays, the majority of which is to be taken during the
  school holidays
• Potential for fee remission for children of the successful
  candidate, where relevant
• Contributory pension scheme with Scottish Widows, with
  a minimum of 4% up to a maximum of 12% employer
  contribution
• Life insurance 3 times gross salary
• Meals provided during working hours in term time
• Access to the swimming pool during school terms
• Access to Cycle to Work scheme vouchers
• 24-hour health support line

APPLICATION PROCESS

To find out more about the post or the School in the first     Dragon School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the
instance, please contact Nina Lambert at RSAcademics for       welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and
                                                               volunteers to share this commitment.
a confidential discussion:
                                                               Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening
Tel:     07764 185745                                          appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and
Email:   ninalambert@rsacademics.com                           the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Applications are encouraged as early as possible.
An application form can be downloaded from
www.rsacademics.com where the post is listed under
Current Vacancies.
Candidates should complete the RSAcademics application
form and email it together with a covering letter of
application (both as PDF files please) to Jonathan Barnes at
applications@rsacademics.com. Jonathan can be reached
by calling the RSAcademics Head Office on 01858 383163
should you have any queries.
Applications should be accompanied by a covering letter,
not exceeding two pages, which clearly outlines your skills
and experience for this role and the reasons why you are
interested in applying. Please address your covering letter
to Dr Crispin Hyde-Dunn, Headmaster, Dragon School.

Closing date for applications:
10.00am on Monday 3rd February 2020
Preliminary telephone interviews:                              Founded in 2002 by Russell Speirs, RSAcademics specialises
                                                               in schools, in the UK and internationally, advising on marketing
7th – 11th February 2020
                                                               strategy and research, leadership consultancy and the search
First round interviews at the Dragon:                          and selection of Heads and senior staff. Comprising a team of
w/c 2nd March 2020                                             top schools marketing professionals and respected former
                                                               school leaders, RSAcademics provides a high-quality service
Second round interviews at the Dragon:                         to schools with rigour, experience and warmth. Please visit
w/c 9th March 2020                                             www.rsacademics.com for more information.