Grace Community School - Associate Head of School for Advancement

NextEd; Tyler (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Grace Community School in Tyler, TX seeks an Associate Head of School for Advancement to unify the Enrollment, Development, and Marketing & Communications functions under one strategic vision. Reporting to the Head of School, this leader oversees admissions, donor relations, and brand storytelling, guiding data-driven planning and a multi-phased campaign while upholding Grace's Christ-centered mission.

The role emphasizes collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team and the Business Office to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required; Master's degree preferred.
• Experience leading admissions, development, and communications is ideal.
• Proven success in enrollment and fundraising goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead Admissions, Development, and Marketing & Communications to unify enrollment and revenue strategy.
• Supervise directors and manage an integrated Advancement budget across three functions.
• Report fundraising progress to the Board and Development Committee.
• Align tuition strategy, financial aid, and recruitment with strategic plan.
• Protect and elevate the Grace brand in all communications and storytelling.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

CRM experience

Strategic planning

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

CRM/databases

Job description

About the School

Grace Community School is a private, Christ-centered, college-preparatory school in Tyler, Texas, committed to assisting Christian families in educating, equipping, and encouraging their children to influence the world for Christ. Founded in 1973, Grace serves students from early education through twelfth grade and has grown to become the largest private school in East Texas, integrating academic excellence with spiritual formation through a biblical worldview.

At a glance: 1,500+ students 229 faculty/staff 12:1 student-faculty ratio 100% college acceptance rate 4,400+ annual community service hours. Both the high school and elementary school have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Exemplary Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Grace is accredited through ACSI and Cognia - one of only two schools nationwide to receive exemplary accreditation in its inaugural year with ACSI - and is a member of CESA and TAPPS.

About the Opportunity

Grace seeks a strategic, mission-driven Associate Head of School for Advancement to unify and lead the school's enrollment, fundraising, and brand efforts under a single, coordinated vision. Reporting directly to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, this role provides direct oversight of the Admissions, Development, and Marketing & Communications departments, aligning inquiry generation, donor engagement, and storytelling into one integrated Advancement function.

This leader will be responsible for improving on an already-healthy, high-performing Advancement division that grows enrollment, deepens philanthropic investment, and protects and elevates the Grace brand of "Teaching Jesus-Living Grace" in service of the school's Christ-centered mission. Grace has secured more than $11 million over the past five fiscal years, grown its Annual Fund goal to $1.2 million (coming in closer to $1.5 million in the most recent fiscal year), and is preparing for a large-scale, multi-phased campaign that will ultimately unify its K-12 operations on one property.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership of the Advancement Division

• Serve as the unifying leader for Admissions, Development, and Marketing & Communications, ensuring the three functions operate from a shared enrollment and revenue strategy, with shared goals, dashboards, and a common calendar rather than in silos
• Directly supervise, coach, and evaluate the Directors of Admissions, the Chief Development Officer, and the Director of Marketing & Communications, and manage an integrated Advancement budget across all three functions
• Represent Advancement on the Senior Leadership Team and serve as a key advisor to the Head of School on enrollment and philanthropic strategy

Development & Fundraising Oversight

• Partner with the Chief Development Officer to set and reach Annual Fund, capital, and major gift goals, building a sustainable culture of giving and overseeing the school's major capital campaign initiatives alongside the Head of School
• Cultivate and steward relationships with key donors, board members, and volunteers, participating directly in cultivation and solicitation, and ensure donor communications and stewardship remain consistent with the Grace brand and mission
• Provide the Board and Development Committee with regular, accurate reporting on fundraising progress toward goals

Enrollment Management & Admissions Oversight

• Partner with the Directors of Admissions to set and achieve enrollment, retention, and yield goals aligned with the strategic plan, overseeing the family journey from inquiry through enrollment and retention with a consistent, mission-aligned experience
• Use enrollment data and market analysis to guide tuition strategy, financial aid deployment, and recruitment priorities in collaboration with the Business Office, ensuring Admissions and Marketing share one inquiry-to-enrollment funnel

Marketing, Communications & Brand Stewardship

• Ensure marketing and communications strategy serves enrollment and fundraising goals, protecting a consistent Grace brand voice and visual identity across all school-wide communications
• Oversee the translation of the Grace mission into compelling storytelling - featuring students, families, alumni, and donors - and maintain the Advancement division's "sources of truth" (mission, vision, key messaging, brand standards)

Systems, Data & Innovation

• Establish shared CRM and data practices across Admissions and Development for a single, accurate view of each family and donor relationship, including unified marketing analytics and attribution reporting tied to enrollment outcomes
• Leverage AI and emerging tools to increase efficiency and build institutional memory that outlasts any one staff member, without replacing human relationship-building, and monitor market and giving trends to identify growth opportunities and risks

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred, in a relevant field such as nonprofit management, business, marketing, or education
• Preferred progressive leadership experience across admissions, development/advancement, or marketing - preferably in independent or Christian schools, higher education, or mission-driven nonprofits
• Preferred demonstrated success in setting and achieving enrollment and/or fundraising goals as a senior leader, not solely as an individual contributor
• Proven experience supervising, coaching, and developing director-level staff and managing a multi-department budget
• Comfortable representing the school to donors, prospective families, the Board, and the broader community, including public presentations and direct solicitation
• A cohesive understanding of brand management, enrollment funnels, and donor cultivation, with an eye for high-quality execution across all three
• Familiarity with CRM/database systems and AI tools, and their application to admissions and development workflows
• A growing, mature Christian faith and wholehearted commitment to the mission and doctrinal statement of Grace Community School