Career Center

The Position:

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Academic Dean provides both visionary leadership and day-to-day management of the academic program. By statute, MSSM is exempt from many requirements typical of a public school, allowing us to hire teachers from a diverse range of educational and professional backgrounds (with or without certification or formal teacher training). With talented and experienced classroom teachers, many with advanced degrees in their content area, MSSM affords a high level of academic freedom to our teachers in the design and execution of their courses. A successful candidate will be able to balance the needs of the institution with this tradition of independence, valuing the talents, interests, beliefs, and agency of diverse and involved faculty and student bodies.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Coordinate academic program, including curriculum design, student support, program of studies, college counseling, and special education;
• Act in a supervisory/evaluatory role for teaching faculty, department chairs, registrar, special education coordinator, and college counselor;
• Make frequent executive decisions on academic matters, taking all constituents into consideration;
• Promote an atmosphere of collaboration and collegiality within our school community;
• Lead teacher recruitment and retention efforts, serving on all academic hiring committees;
• Coordinate course offerings, daily schedule, student placement, and academic calendar;
• Work with the Director of Residential Life to ensure all aspects of student life are attended to in our campus systems;
• Work closely with Department Chairs to support both disciplinary and transdisciplinary learning;
• Oversee dual-credit partnership with UMaine system, and cultivate new partnerships in higher education;
• Maintain strong relationships with our sister schools within the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools, and pursue collaborative opportunities with other K-12 schools;
• Oversee student assessment and standardized testing (in cooperation with college counselor);
• Supervise collection, retention, privacy, and reporting of student records and other academic data;
• Cultivate, design and implement professional development, staff trainings, and other opportunities for professional learning;
• Direct the three-day Summer STEM Educators Camp; Supervise academic budget and expenditures;
• Serve on the Administrative Team and Admissions Review Committee;
• Act as weekend Administrator on Call on a rotating basis;
• Teach a class as needed/desired;
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Qualifications:

• Masters degree or higher;
• 8+ years successful experience as a teacher and/or educational leader;
• Strong knowledge of pedagogical best practices across academic disciplines;
• Demonstrated success in a teacher supervisory role.

Key Competencies:

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including empathetic, collaborative leadership and accountable management/coaching skills;
• Ability to write, speak, and digitally communicate effectively in an organized and inspiring manner;
• Excellent organizational, time management, and multi-tasking skills;
• Sensitivity and skill in supporting students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and those with special circumstances requiring leave from campus or other accommodations;
• Joint attention to both the big picture and the minutiae of a school’s many systems;
• Openness and ability in giving, soliciting, and receiving feedback;
• Ability to work effectively with highly intelligent, independent, and opinionated young people (and adults);
• Flexibility, work ethic, and dedication to the school and community, sometimes requiring work outside the traditional hours or typical expectations of a school;
• Desire to engage fully in building a student-centered culture of collegiality, support, and respect;
• Willingness to support the intellectual, emotional, and social growth of students, a responsibility that goes beyond the expectations at most traditional high school or colleges and requires a full commitment to participate in the MSSM Community;
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all forms, as well as specific sensitivity to the unique, multi-dimensional identities of our community.

Other Information:

• The Academic Dean is a year-round position, with most responsibilities concentrated during the school year. Flexibility in the summer and ample vacation time allow for personal time to be taken as needed while attending to any summer program or hiring needs.
• MSSM benefits include employer-supported medical insurance, optional dental, vision, and life insurance, MainePERS retirement benefits, rent-free single family housing adjacent to campus, free meals, MSSM room and board waivers for dependents, personal use of recreational facilities, and professional development opportunities.