Primary Objective

Under the direction of, and in close consultation with the head of school, this assistant head for academic and student life provides leadership and oversight for all academic and student life areas (academics, athletic, arts, service, and student leadership) of Whitefield Academy. This person is charged with ensuring that all programs are unified and aligned to advance our unique, Christ-centered college preparatory mission, as well as providing a high level of quality and excellence resulting in academic and programmatic distinction. In conjunction with the leadership team, the assistant head of academic and student life leads and manages implementation of strategic initiatives in all programmatic areas while also contributing to the strategic vision, planning, and improvement in the ongoing development of the school.

Responsibilities

Christ-centered Leadership

• Lead and model a clear commitment to living a life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
• Integrate the Christian faith and biblical principles in all decisions and actions in both word and deed, as well as providing clear and explicit leadership that promotes others to do the same.
• Bolster our diverse community by leading in a manner consistent with our diversity vision aiming at unity in Christ.
• Oversee intentional PreK through grade 12 Christian formation of students in the context of a college preparatory setting.

Personnel Leadership

• Oversee and engage in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, development, and retention of faculty and staff in all programmatic areas, while partnering with division leads, human resources, and head of school.
• Provide mentoring, coaching, evaluation, and planned professional growth opportunities to develop faculty and staff.
• Communicate openly and clearly with direct reports regarding performance, and in conjunction with HR and division leaders, engage in professional improvement plans, nonrenewal or termination of faculty and staff who are not meeting essential expectations.

Academic and Student Life Leadership

• Execute and refine the overall academic and programmatic strategy of the school with the goal of upholding the mission and promoting excellence.
• Oversee the academic leaders (principals, academic dean, department chairs, etc.) in ensuring curriculum integrity, mission alignment, and coordination across all three school levels, while providing for seamless transitions for students and families among various division levels.
• Provide leadership in faith integration and best practices in curriculum and pedagogy.
• Oversee development and updating of key success metrics for academic and other programmatic areas; define new success measures as appropriate.
• Utilize data while leveraging market research and best practices to cultivate innovation within the school’s programs.
• Lead teams to assess program areas to determine strengths and areas of growth, creating compelling reasons for change when necessary. Coach others in how and why to make practice refinements.
• Collaborate among leaders, faculty, and staff in order to make program recommendations for expansion of offerings and/or improvements.
• Monitor program area budgets to ensure maximum return on investment.
• Oversee the master calendar for the school to ensure coordinated alignment divisions and areas.

Teamwork, Representation and Communication

• Serve as a visible, engaged presence in the daily life of the school, including but not limited to, classroom observations, attending school events, “walking the halls,” and partnering with others to promote morale across all areas of the school.
• Participate in weekly leadership team meetings, as well as lead and manage other meetings, task forces, and teams.
• Speak publicly about school programs and represent the head of school as needed.
• Engage effectively with all stakeholders - students, families, faculty, and staff – to inspire, support, build trusting relationships, hold people accountable to our mission, and address issues that arise and areas of needed improvement.
• Collaborate horizontally in order to ensure coordination, alignment, and support for development, enrollment management, finance, human resources, and operations.
• Attend board of trustees meetings to assist with the head of school report to the board.
• Monitor processes and academic personnel facilitating school accreditation and institutional reviews.
• Complete other tasks and duties as assigned by the head of school.

Professional and Personal Attributes, Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

Professional

• Advanced degree in education or relevant field required.
• Successful experience in independent school senior leadership with a minimum of 10 years of education experience and 5 years in school leadership
• Demonstrated excellence in strategic leadership, including highly developed skills to plan and drive the continued improvement, growth, and development of the school.
• Broad and deep knowledge of school program areas to include academic, athletic, arts, Christian life, service, and student leadership.
• Understanding of instructional technology tools and their application to learning.
• Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal skills through effective communication and conflict management.
• Effective listener, speaker, and writer with the ability to positively inspire and influence others.
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google applications.

Christ-centered

• Commit to living his/her life under the lordship of Christ.
• Model a consistent daily walk with Jesus Christ, and be a Christian role model in speech, actions, and attitudes, which contributes to the spiritual atmosphere of the school.
• Believe and affirm the school’s Statement of Faith.
• Commit to exhibiting Whitefield’s core value for our students to experience diversity that reflects the body of Christ and support the school’s diversity vision that aims at unity in Christ.
• Demonstrate evidence of consistent spiritual activities such as worship at a local church, fellowship with the body of Christ, personal devotional time with the Lord, and individual study of Scripture.
• Evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in the nurturing of relationships with other staff members, students, families, and the community at large.
• Be actively involved in a local church.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. A request for reasonable accommodations must be submitted to the HR department.

Work for this position will take place primarily in an office, and secondarily in a classroom. The physical demands of this position include lifting up to 10 pounds regularly, and between 10 and 50 pounds intermittently; carrying up to 10 pounds regularly, up to 25 pounds intermittently, and up to 50 pounds rarely; stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling rarely; pushing/pulling, climbing/balancing, and bending, intermittently; reaching, sitting, walking, and standing regularly. To perform this job the person must be able to work for extended periods of time at a computer/keyboard; must be able to talk, hear, stand, sit, and/or walk for extended periods of time; and must possess normal manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

Nothing in this job description restricts the School’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. This job description is subject to change at any time.

This full-time position will begin July 2023. To apply please go to www.whitefieldacademy.com under About Us/Employment. Whitefield Academy is an equal opportunity employer.