Career Center

ABOUT GANN

Gann Academy is an independent Jewish high school serving 325 students in Grades 9-12. As the only pluralistic Jewish high school in the region, Gann draws students from as far north as New Hampshire and as south as Rhode Island. Gann students come from over 72 different middle schools and represent a mix of public, Jewish, and independent school graduates.

For 25 years, as part of its founding mission, Gann has aimed to ensure that students from all walks of Jewish life, whether religiously observant or not, find a place in the community and experience significant growth in the development of their knowledge, skills, and personal connection to Judaism. To this end, we are extremely proud of our commitment to financial accessibility. In 2022, over fifty percent of our students will receive financial assistance to attend Gann. Our programmatic budget reflects our deep commitment to accessibility.

Given our role as a community school, we are also proud to serve diverse learners, and our program reflects our desire to create individualized pathways to success. We are equally strong in serving students who are taking college-level mathematics and students who need learning support. We allow students to progress at their own pace and believe that all students have unique learning profiles. We believe that the diversity of our student population helps us continuously grow our skills in the areas of curriculum and pedagogy and, in fact, makes us stronger educators. We commit to families that their children will experience four years of growth across multiple dimensions, no matter the starting point.

Our program offers a world-class secular education combined with an outstanding Jewish education. We complement our academic program with an intense focus on the whole child, prioritizing students' well-being, health, and happiness along their journey. Our robust Jewish Student Life program is home to many social-emotional and wellness programs. We see a natural connection between Jewish values, Jewish education, and the development of the whole child.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Assistant Head (AH) is the individual at the school most responsible for the well-being of students. The successful candidate must be a fierce advocate for students and families and their diverse needs. They must first and foremost be a systems-thinker, eager to develop student support systems. Moreover, besides developing systems, the successful candidate must be able to effectively implement strategies to ensure that we proactively meet the needs of students in every corner of our institution.

The AHoS will be responsible for:

• Parent and Student Communication All systems to ensure successful, proactive, and transparent communication to parents and students
• Intake The transfer of information from the admissions process to the school program
• Counseling The development and day-to-day management of the counseling and support program
• Guidance and Course Registration/College Counseling Ensuring all students receive appropriate support during the course registration process eventuating in support during the college admissions process
• Discipline The development and implementation of a discipline system based on principles of restorative justice and strong, proactive communication
• Learning Supports The vision of the Learning Center and its integration into the larger academic program; all communication and systems related to LC students
• Student Culture Proactive systems and policies to continuously nurture an intentional culture
• Student Life All student life programming both during the school day and on some weekends

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Leadership

• Reacts to challenging situations with a calm, thoughtful, and measured demeanor
• Manages a large team of senior educators to ensure aligned goals, effective performance management, and a positive culture
• Serves as an outward-facing communicator to parents and students, problem-solving in partnership with all stakeholders, including faculty, staff, parents, and students
• In conjunction with the Head of School, make final decisions related to discipline and student enrollment (whether Gann is the right fit for a student)
• Together with the Head of School and Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, makes decisions on school policies
• Serves as an effective steward of school resources in decisions over hiring, compensation, and programmatic budgets
• Develops a strong team culture that prizes collaboration, teamwork, resilience, hard work, innovation, expansive thinking, and student success

Supervision

• Recruits talented, diverse, and mission-aligned faculty. Participate in hiring decisions in conjunction with the Head of School
• Supervises the following individuals:
• Director of Student Supports
• Dean of Students
• Learning Center Co-Directors
• College Counselors Co-Directors
• Wellness Educator and School Counselor
• Athletic Director
• School Nurse

Develops written goals for each direct report, provides formal and informal feedback on progress toward goals

Develops, in close collaboration with each direct report, a customized professional development and growth plan

Teaching and Advising

The successful candidate will truly enjoy working with teenagers all day. As part of our leadership philosophy, all senior administrators at Gann will engage in one teaching responsibility, whether serving as an advisor, teaching a class, or leading a Zman Kodesh (Sacred time/Spiritual time group).

REQUIRED SKILLS

The successful candidate:

• Is eager to receive ongoing feedback
• Is professional, calm, and measured in demeanor - Ability to be both confident and vulnerable
• Is a direct communicator and knows how to strike a balance between being compassionate but also being direct with parents, colleagues, and students
• Is efficient at managing multiple competing tasks on a tight timeline and prioritizing work efforts (does not get easily overwhelmed by the volume of work and unpredictability of work required of a senior administrator)
• Balances urgent/crisis-response work with strategic, long-term work
• Has excellent attention to detail and project management skills
• Has excellent written and oral communication skills
• Has excellent interpersonal skills and high EQ
• Monitors airtime in meetings and conversations and is respectful in using colleagues' time efficiently
• When challenges emerge with colleagues, knows how to resolve them directly with minimal conflict
• Ability to effectively lead others in managing relationships and interpersonal dynamics, navigates conflict well, and fosters a positive work environment
• Ability to maintain a sense of humor and positive outlook
• Interest in working hard and joining an extremely hard-working team

Applicants must submit a one-page cover letter along with their resume.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Physical demands include dexterity for office machine/supply operation, including but not limited to computers, telephones, copy machines, and printers. Stooping, bending, reaching for and carrying files or supplies, and sitting or standing for extended periods are common. Stooping, bending, reaching for and carrying files or supplies, and sitting or standing for extended periods are common.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Gann Academy is an equal-opportunity employer. It is the policy of the school to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression), and pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

ACCOMMODATION

External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, must be able to perform the essential job functions (as listed) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by management on a case-by-case basis.

E-VERIFY

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA), so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed Form I-9.

About Gann Academy

Gann Academy is a pluralistic Jewish day school that challenges students to cultivate their talents and interests in all areas of human potential: intellectual, artistic, spiritual, and physical. Our faculty made up of both Jewish and non-Jewish educators facilitate the student journey. We seek teachers who are committed to collaborating and growing in their teaching practice; supporting diverse learners in the classroom; and connecting with students outside the classroom, both formally and informally. In growing our department, we are particularly interested in expanding the diversity of voices in our literature faculty. We are also interested in candidates who can help the department envision opportunities for collaboration across the humanities.  BENEFITS Gann Academy is an independent high school in Waltham, MA that offers a competitive, and comprehensive benefits package featuring generous paid time off policies – paid vacation, paid sick days, and roughly 20 additional paid days off - based on the Jewish calendar. It is truly a unique and generous benefits package offered only at Gann! Employer match Retirement (403B), and Health and Dental insurance, are just a few of t...he benefits offered to eligible employees upon day one of joining the Gann community. Hungry? Gann has a full-service kosher dairy dining hall complete with a fresh salad bar and hot bar. Gann offers an attractive physical environment with bright spaces, FREE parking, and extensive fitness facilities available for our faculty and staff. Gann celebrates a community of smart, collaborative, and compassionate professionals; Gann staff/faculty tout the support and teamwork of their colleagues as a highlight of their Gann experience and one in which Gann is different from any other school or community. Come find out for yourself!

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Connections working at Gann Academy