Sierra Canyon School is a non-profit independent, non-denominational, co-educational day school in the northern San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. For over 30 years, the School has been a leader in quality elementary and middle school education and in early 2005 opened an academically rigorous upper school. Now, with an enrollment of over 1,000 students in grades PK-12, Sierra Canyon School has two campuses spanning over 40 beautiful, rustic acres, the newly renovated Lower Campus for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through Six and the state-of-the-art Upper Campus for students in grades Seven through Twelve. In the middle, sits a beautiful athletic complex which is home to Baseball, Soccer, Lacrosse and Football.  There are over 550 students in the Upper School and 450 students in the Lower School.  Our students reside in 98 area zip codes, students of color comprise 43% of the student body, and 10% are international students.

Sierra Canyon School is an academically excellent college preparatory school committed to an empowering environment in which students realize their greatest intellectual, creative, ethical, and physical promise. We are defined by an energized, attentive, and diverse student and teacher culture.

Our academic and extracurricular programs encourage the broadening of student perspectives and provide an exposure to both the surrounding cosmopolitan nature of Los Angeles, and the wider world. Our faculty prepares each student for a lifetime of learning and active citizenship with a curriculum designed to cultivate skills and prepare students to face the challenges of a fast-changing world. In addition, our experiential learning and travel opportunities form a healthy, challenging part of Sierra Canyon School’s program.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The director of diversity, equity, and inclusion will:

• Report to the Head of School and serve as a member of the Leadership Team.
• Provide strategic leadership in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Promote best practices with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.
• Develop and implement a diversity strategic plan, based upon the school's mission and long-range plan.
• In collaboration with the Head of School and division heads, improve effectiveness and success in recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff.
• Work with the admission office to recruit, welcome, and retain students from diverse backgrounds; and review and implement the mentoring program for new families on an annual basis.
• With the Director of Studies, department chairs, and faculty members, evaluate, advise on, and support development of an inclusive and multicultural curriculum across the divisions.
• Serve as a member of the Stewardship Team and Curriculum Committee.
• Create co-curricular DEI programming and serve as a resource for faculty with respect to program design and student support, via avenues like the School’s assembly program and Lower Campus Responsive Classroom and Middle/Upper Campus Advisory curriculum and/or exploratory classes.
• Support and develop student diversity leadership. Organize participants for the Pollyanna and SDLC Conferences. Oversee Sierra Canyon’s DEI Certificate program.
• Teach a required Diversity, Equity and Inclusion course for the Upper Campus.
• Give periodic presentations to the board of trustees.
• Act as liaison to and develop strong relationships with the various diversity and inclusion-related groups in the school, such as the Parent Association’s DEI Committee, and respond to diversity and equity related issues among the student body as they arise.
• Work together with the Advancement Office to regularly update the School’s DEI webpage, resources page, and weekly Trailblazer emails.
• Plan, develop, and market diversity and inclusion-focused education, programs, and events for faculty, staff, students, and families, and professional development workshops and programming for faculty and staff.
• Act as a liaison between the school and local underrepresented groups to serve these communities better and to support the school’s outreach and admissions marketing and recruitment programs.
• Network with diversity coordinators at other independent schools as well as off-campus cultural resource organizations.
• Represent the school at local, regional, and national multicultural events as determined in conjunction with the Head of School.
• Pursue professional development opportunities; attend conferences and professional meetings in order to remain current with diversity and inclusion issues that may affect the school and best practices.
• Assume responsibility for other projects as assigned by the Head of School.

Required Qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree required/Master’s degree preferred. Teaching experience preferred.
• Outstanding communication skills including writing, listening and public speaking.
• Demonstrated leadership ability with adults, both individually and in groups.
• Commitment in a school or university setting to diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
• Personal commitment to professional growth.
• Demonstrated knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices.

To Apply:

Interested candidates are asked to submit a cover letter, current resume, and statement on philosophy of diversity, equity, and inclusion to Deborah Monroe, Associate Head of School dmonroe@sierracanyonschool.org and Steve Burnett, Director of Student Advancement sburnett@sierracanyonschool.org.

Sierra Canyon School is committed to equal employment opportunity. We do not discriminate based on an individual's race, sex, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, registered domestic partner status, veteran status, sexual orientation, age, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), genetic characteristics and information, or any other basis prohibited by law.