Director of Intermediate and Middle School Grades (Grades 4–8)

The Director of Intermediate and Middle School Grades is a mission-driven, equity-centered leader who stewards the Grade 4 through Grade 8 program with vision, warmth, and purpose. As a core member of the school’s senior leadership team, the Director plays a pivotal role in shaping an educational experience that is intellectually rich, developmentally responsive, and rooted in the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging (DEIJB).

This leader builds meaningful relationships with faculty, students, and families, ensuring that each member of our school community is seen, valued, and supported. In partnership with colleagues across academics, admissions, and student experience, the Director ensures that the Grades 4–8 program is joyful, inclusive, vigorous, and aligned with the school’s progressive mission and child-centered philosophy.

The Director is a visible and engaged presence in the daily life of the school, leading through relationships, modeling equity-informed practices, and serving as a bridge between classrooms, families, and leadership.

Core Responsibilities

Relational Leadership & Daily Operations

• Foster an inclusive, identity-affirming learning environment across Grades 4–8.
• Be a consistent and visible presence in classrooms, hallways, and student spaces.
• Respond to challenges through a restorative, student-centered lens.
• Maintain open and transparent communication with the Head of School and senior leadership team.
• Collaborate with student support staff to ensure culturally responsive, holistic care for all learners.
• Represent the division at weekly leadership and team meetings.
• Actively participate in and support school-wide programming, celebrations, and events.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of School.
  
  

Supervision & Faculty Development

• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and supporting faculty who reflect and affirm the diversity of our student community.
• Observe, coach, and evaluate faculty through an equity-focused lens that encourages reflection and growth.
• Coordinate job responsibilities and teaching loads with attention to workload equity and professional interests.
• Lead and support ongoing professional development, including DEIJB learning and reflection.
• Read and edit all student reports to ensure alignment with inclusive, strengths-based language.
• Ensure adequate pre-approved staffing coverage and support for faculty wellness and retention.

Curriculum & Program Stewardship

• Oversee the academic, emotional, and social development of students in Grades 4–8.
• Collaborate with faculty to design and implement an anti-bias, anti-racist curriculum that reflects diverse voices, histories, and identities.
• Partner with the Director of Early Childhood and Primary Grades to ensure continuity of curriculum and pedagogy across the school.
• Lead division-wide and cross-divisional initiatives in curriculum review and renewal.
• Collaborate with the Student Support Team Coordinator to ensure all students are equitably supported through screening, data analysis, and intervention planning.
• Facilitate team meetings focused on equity of access, support, and enrichment opportunities for all students.
• Collaborate with the SST Coordinator to implement and review screenings at every grade level- review results and identify individual, grade level, and cross-divisional patterns and areas for growth and commendation.  Share relevant information with appropriate coordinators and teachers. 
• Lead regular team meetings with teachers, the SST, and the AST Coordinator to identify and support students of concern.

Community Engagement & Belonging

• Plan and lead curriculum nights, storytelling assemblies, and learning exhibitions that celebrate diverse perspectives and voices.
• Communicate with families regularly and model culturally responsive communication practices for faculty.
• Partner with the Baker Family Organization to elevate parent voices and ensure a welcoming, inclusive school culture.
• Build intentional systems for family communication, including conferences, progress updates, and informal check-ins.
• Foster and sustain relationships with community-based organizations that reflect our school’s DEIJB commitments and enrich our students’ learning experiences.
  
  

Enrollment & Admissions

• Serve on the Admissions Committee with a lens toward equitable access, inclusion, and representation.
• Participate in family interviews, Open Houses, and admissions-related outreach.
• Support the Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid in welcoming new families and ensuring their sense of belonging in the Baker community.
  
  

Budget Oversight

• Manage the division’s budget in alignment with equitable program delivery and student access.
• Monitor spending on materials, programs, and resources to ensure alignment with division and schoolwide values.
  
  

Candidacy Requirements

The Ideal Candidate will demonstrate:

• Personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• An authentic commitment to innovation, collaboration, and diversity.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• A commitment to innovation and collaboration.
• Substantive, relevant, and successful professional experience.
• Ability to relate to and work closely with diverse school constituencies.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a professional team to advance the mission of the School
• Ability to listen carefully and understand constituents' needs, both internally and externally, and proactively respond to those needs in a consistent and timely manner.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, take initiative, think creatively, problem solve, and react and adapt to changing situations appropriately.

The Ideal Candidate Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education or related field required.
• School leadership experience is required; independent school experience is preferred.
• Personal and professional ethics aligned with Baker’s Community Values.
• Experience within the independent and/or parochial school landscape and communities across and within the Chicago area.
• Proficiency with software and hardware–and the ability to learn or implement new systems.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace

About Baker Demonstration School

Baker Demonstration School is an independent day school, committed to providing an exemplary Preschool, Elementary and Middle School education to our 200 students. We believe that children learn best in an inclusive, creative community that encourages individual risk-taking and values different ways of learning. Baker’s experiential approach nurtures the development of the whole child enabling each student to be fully prepared for intellectual, artistic, physical and social/emotional challenges well beyond Baker. We cultivate our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and their active participation in the learning process. We foster excellence through critical thinking and integrated connections across academic and artistic endeavors. We promote collaboration while developing personal leadership. We foster citizenship by encouraging students to develop self-awareness and compassion for others. Baker celebrates individual, family and cultural differences and graduates students who appreciate diversity in all its forms. Baker Demonstration School does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, or sexual identity in its hiring ...processes and actively promotes the principles and practices of diversity throughout the school community. We offer competitive compensation and a progressive community dedicated to learning and engaged citizenship.

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Connections working at Baker Demonstration School