Suffolk, Virginia
Miami, Florida
Waunakee, Wisconsin
Posted: 30-Oct-24
Location: Hightstown, New Jersey
Type: Full Time
Categories:
The Assistant Head for Student Life is a senior leadership position at Peddie and reports to the Head of School. This person is responsible for leadership and management of student life outside of the academic and athletic programs and is, therefore, a key school leader responsible for building and maintaining the distinctive and positive culture of Peddie.
The Assistant Head supervises the Office of Student Life, which includes providing guidance and support to an administrative assistant, three class deans, director of health services, director of student activities and leadership development, and the director of residential life. Along with the class deans, the assistant head administers the discipline system of the school while also taking the lead on maintaining a vibrant school spirit.
Leadership Responsibilities:
- Maintain a close alignment between the student life programs and the strategic direction of the school. Monitor the alignment between what we are teaching, how we are coaching and advising, and how we expect our students to be living.
- Coordinate training, oversight, and evaluation of the faculty advisors in their role.
- In cooperation and coordination with the Associate Head, evaluate and support each member of the faculty so that he or she is contributing to individual and collective student success, their own professional growth, and Peddie’s success.
- As a member of the senior leadership team, takes part in planning and execution of broad school initiatives.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Oversees department budget.
- Provide for and monitor the safety, security, good conduct, health and happiness of the student body during the school year.
- Ensure that the school’s expectation of each student is clear, that the regulations and consequences of misbehavior are clear, consistent, and aligned with the mission and philosophy.
- Ensure that accurate records of disciplinary policies, decisions, and communications are kept for both individual students and for the purpose of monitoring changes and maintaining consistency of mission.
- Schedule and attend necessary meetings with students, faculty, and parents to ensure that policies and practices align with each other.
- Keep the students informed of expectations, programs of interest, and their responsibilities to the Peddie community.
- Ensure that parents are informed of their children’s non-academic progress through both direct communication with the appropriate dean and communication through the advisors.
- Keep the faculty informed of trends, concerns, and their own roles in supporting school culture.
Other Responsibilities and Operating Tasks:
- Serve as an administrator on call.
- Organize Disciplinary Committee meetings.
- Serve as a member of the Curriculum and Logistics Committees.
- Organize Presentations for Trustee Community Affairs Committee meetings on Board Weekends. (three times a year); attend meetings of the Building and Grounds Committee.
- Spearhead programming for Community Life course.
- Build the Health Center Driver Calendar.
- Teach and/or coach as agreed upon with Head of School.
Qualifications and Skills
At a minimum, a bachelor’s degree is required along with significant experience in teaching as well as working in programs of student life or leadership.
The most qualified candidate will have the ability to facilitate difficult conversations with and between students, families, and faculty, express themselves well through the written and spoken word, and have demonstrated a commitment to the residential experience and classroom teaching.