Senior Director of Brand & Marketing

About Achievement First

Achievement First (AF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting 39 public charter schools across New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. For more than 25 years, AF has been recognized as one of the top tuition-free public charter school networks in the country. We are committed to creating schools of academic excellence within nurturing environments — schools that prepare students to be college-ready and to pursue and succeed in whatever paths they choose in life.

The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families, many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Across our network, we employ more than 2,200 staff members — 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color — who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence and Cranston, RI.

Our mission is to prepare every student to excel in college, career, and life; deepen their understanding of self and community; and lead lives of purpose. We believe in the limitless potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society. That belief drives our deep commitment to student achievement: we aim to set a high bar for learning and create warm, demanding classrooms where rigorous instruction is paired with the care, encouragement, and consistency every student deserves.

We are looking for a strategic and dynamic Senior Director of Brand & Marketing to join our Public Affairs team.

 

Your Impact

The Senior Director of Brand & Marketing is a strategic enterprise leader responsible for elevating Achievement First’s brand, strengthening our visibility across regions, and ensuring more families and educators understand and choose AF as a place where students thrive and adults grow. This leader drives the network’s external marketing strategy to support student enrollment, teacher recruitment, and community pride — ensuring our message lands, our brand resonates, and outreach translates into real hiring and enrollment impact.

They will guide a multi-year brand evolution, develop compelling storytelling that centers our communities, and build scalable in-house marketing capabilities so that the majority of AF’s brand and marketing needs can be met internally. This leader manages and grows a small but mighty team, including the Manager of Graphic Design and Manager of Marketing & Digital Strategy, and partners closely with the Senior Director of Communications to deliver cohesive and data-informed campaigns across all channels.

Success in this role means our brand is clearer and stronger, families and educators feel confident choosing AF, and our marketing engine becomes a sustainable, high-performing function that supports every school, every region, every year.

Reporting directly to the Associate Chief of Public Affairs, you will be responsible for:

Recruitment Marketing & Community Engagement

• Partner with student and teacher recruitment teams and school leaders to deeply understand regional needs, recruitment cycles, and community perspectives
• Design and execute data-driven marketing strategies that drive student enrollment and teacher recruitment outcomes
• Create localized campaigns that reflect community priorities and clearly articulate AF’s value proposition
• Monitor and optimize performance against recruitment KPIs and growth goals

Brand Development & Integrity

• Lead ongoing brand evolution and ensure consistent application of AF’s visual and messaging standards across all schools and regions
• Develop and maintain brand guidelines, templates, and training to support strong, localized brand execution
• Integrate market research and competitive insights to refine brand positioning and increase impact

Build & Strengthen In-House Marketing Capacity

• Develop scalable systems and processes to deliver the majority of marketing needs internally, reducing reliance on external agencies
• Manage and develop the Manager of Graphic Design and Manager of Marketing & Digital Strategy to ensure high-quality execution and continuous improvement
• Implement project management tools and performance metrics to monitor workflow efficiency, measure ROI, and report outcomes
• Partner with Systems & Data to build and refine marketing data infrastructure and performance dashboards

Storytelling & Integrated Communications

• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Communications to align brand, marketing, and organizational storytelling across channels
• Lift up school-based achievements, student success, and educator impact to strengthen AF’s community narrative and reputation
• Analyze content effectiveness and adjust strategies to increase engagement and conversion

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Branding, Communications, Business, or a related field required; advanced degree strongly preferred
• 8+ years of progressively responsible brand strategy, marketing, or communications experience, including 3+ years leading teams or major initiatives
• Demonstrated success creating and executing multi-year brand or marketing transformation strategies
• Proven ability to leverage data and insights to optimize recruitment and enrollment campaigns and strengthen community engagement
• Experience leading in-house marketing operations, including managing designers, content creators, and external specialists (e.g., SEO/SEM, media buying)
• Deep understanding of brand development, visual identity systems, and integrated marketing channels
• Strong project and team leadership skills with the ability to manage complex workflows and build scalable processes
• Analytical thinker with comfort using digital tools and market research to drive decision-making and refine audience targeting
• Exceptional communicator and collaborator who builds strong cross-functional partnerships and aligns stakeholders toward shared goals
• Experience in mission-driven or educational environments a plus, with an enthusiasm for serving students, families, and educators

In addition, the following characteristics are required to be successful on this team:

• Strong ethics and ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality 
• Confident in interacting with and influencing individuals at all levels within the organizations 
• Ability to thrive in a fast‐paced, entrepreneurial environment; flexible, able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed 
• Ability to multitask, exceptional detail and follow up skills, and is organized 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proactive communication style
• Belief in the Achievement First mission and educational model 

 

Travel Expectations 

This is a hybrid role. The expectation is that the person in the role would be able to come into the Network Support office (NYC, CT, or RI) at least 1 day a week. There may be additional travel to regions outside of your own on a monthly basis. 

Compensation

Achievement First sets salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on the requisite skills, education, and experience relevant to the role.  The salary for this position is $130,842 In order to uphold our commitment to equity, Achievement First does not negotiate pay.  Additionally, Achievement First offers to all regular, full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match, and paid Family Leave.