Guided by CDS’s mission—to raise proud Jews, confident leaders, and accomplished learners who value excellence and prioritize community—the Early Childhood Director will oversee all aspects of Early Childhood education, ensuring a developmentally appropriate, nurturing, and rigorous program that supports the social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual growth of each child.

The Early Childhood Director reports to the Head of School and works collaboratively with the senior leadership team. This role complements and advances the Head of School’s strategic vision through outstanding program leadership, faculty development, and family engagement.

Key Responsibilities

- Provide visionary leadership for the Early Childhood program, ensuring alignment with CDS’s mission, values, and educational philosophy
- Supervise, mentor, evaluate, and support Early Childhood faculty and staff, fostering a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and continuous growth
- Manages employee hiring decisions and employment actions with support from the Head of School, including corrective actions and separations, in alignment with organizational goals and legal requirements.
- Oversee curriculum development and implementation grounded in best practices in early childhood education, play-based learning, and child development
- Partner with faculty to ensure thoughtful assessment, documentation of learning, and individualized support for each child
- Cultivate a warm, inclusive, and joyful school culture where children feel safe, known, and loved
-  Serve as a primary point of connection for Early Childhood families, maintaining open, responsive, and compassionate communication
- Collaborate with admissions, advancement, and marketing to support enrollment, retention, and outreach efforts
- Work closely with the Head of School and operations team to support budgeting, staffing, scheduling, and daily operations
-  Ensure compliance with all licensing, health, and safety regulations
- Uphold and model CDS’s Jewish mission, values, and commitment to excellence

Professional Growth

Individuals in this role are expected to actively engage in continuous professional development through Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and Prizmah offerings, ensuring alignment with best practices and current educational standards.
Additional professional opportunities may be available both nationally and locally for Early Childhood Directors at Jewish early childhood programs. Additionally, the individuals are invited to participate in the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Directors’ Cohort, comprised of the early childhood directors from each of the community’s 10 early childhood Jewish education programs.

Why CDS?

This is a rare opportunity to step into a school with strong momentum, clarity of mission, and a deeply collaborative leadership structure. CDS offers the chance to do meaningful work, lead with purpose, and make a lasting impact on students, families, and Jewish life in Pittsburgh.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with the candidate’s experience, skills, and the value they bring to the role. A comprehensive benefits package is offered, including partial tuition remission for children.
Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2026

Ideal Candidate
- Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Education Leadership, or a related field preferred
- 3-5 years of experience in Early Childhood education, including demonstrated leadership and supervisory responsibility
- Deep knowledge of early childhood pedagogy, child development, and best practices
-  Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills
-  Commitment to Jewish education and the ability to meaningfully integrate Jewish values, culture, and learning into Early Childhood experiences
- Warm, visible presence who connects authentically with students, families, and staff
- Proactive and forward-thinking leader with strong solution driven problem solving skills
-  Strong instructional leadership with the ability to coach, mentor, and develop faculty
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to partner effectively with administrators, teachers, and families
- Demonstrates sound judgement, emotional intelligence, and discretion in sensitive situations
- Organized and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic school environment
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive, values-driven school culture rooted in Jewish identity and community
- Experience managing personnel matters, including hiring, performance management, and employee relations, in collaboration with the Head of School
- Computer literacy, experience using G-Suite, comfortable learning the school's existing digital tools (mycomday, schoolpass, DOJO, Clever, Goguardian, Lexia, Math in Focus, Zoom…)

Apply Today

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter, and two professional references to:

Abby Lipsitz, Senior Principal Consultant

Partnership for Talent

abby@partnershipfortalent.com

Learn more about Community Day School at comday.org

About Community Day School

Community Day School is a Jewish day school that has a long tradition of outstanding education in general and Jewish Studies. We offer a warm, nurturing, and enriching Jewish community for students, families, and staff. Our students come from Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and unaffiliated families. Our staff is culturally and religiously diverse and we welcome the best applicants regardless of religion. Community Day School is strongly committed to serving a wide range of students, from the intellectually gifted to those in need of extra academic support. Our philosophy of Differentiated Instruction reflects our commitment to keep each child challenged, at his or her level, with the goal of preserving and nurturing a lifelong love of learning. Community Day School graduates are accepted into their desired high schools, take leadership roles wherever they go, and rank among National Merit Scholars and valedictorians in the high schools they attend. Many continue with Jewish learning and Jewish community involvement through high school, college, and into their adult years, returning to Pittsburgh to enroll their own children at the school. Located in Weste...rn Pennsylvania, the Greater Pittsburgh area is home to a vibrant and active 40,000 person Jewish community that supports a full range of Jewish institutions. Pittsburgh boasts strong arts, cultural, medical and educational opportunities, along with diverse neighborhoods and communities. Google, Rand Corp., and other world-class companies choose to make Pittsburgh their home. Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and numerous other colleges and universities populate Pittsburgh with ever youthful, engaged, and vital academic learning communities. Pittsburgh as a city has weathered the recession well with stable real estate values, urban development, and a growing job market. Nestled in the heart of Squirrel Hill, Community Day School’s seven-acre campus is the perfect environment for learning and spiritual growth. The focal point is a beautiful and historic stone building that houses classrooms, state of the art science and technology labs, performing arts spaces, a gymnasium, an art studio, and a music room. Surrounding the building are safe, state-of-the-art playgrounds, our multi-purpose field, a vegetable garden, and most importantly, room for expansion. Community Day School blends traditional architecture with contemporary facilities. We are affiliated with the Schechter Day School Network, the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools, the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Council, and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and we are accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools. We are a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

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Connections working at Community Day School