About Pingry
The Pingry School, a prestigious K-12 coeducational, independent day school with a rich history dating back to its founding by Dr. John F. Pingry in 1861, stands at the forefront of academic excellence in the United States. With campuses located in Basking Ridge, Pottersville, and Short Hills, New Jersey, Pingry is celebrated for its academic programs, a student-written Honor Code that underpins our community values, and a comprehensive commitment to arts, athletics, community, and civic engagement. Our mission is to inspire in our students a lifelong passion for learning, personal development, and social responsibility, preparing them to be global citizens and luminaries of the 21st century. Rooted in relationships and guided by our foundational philosophy, Pingry is a vibrant community of more than 1,200 students hailing from over 90 towns across New Jersey and New York. At Pingry, we are united by a love of learning and a commitment to preparing students to navigate the complexities of the 21st century with confidence and integrity. For more information, we invite you to visit our website at pingry.org or connect with The Pingry School on Facebook, X, and Instagram to discover why we love school.

Position Summary
The Pingry School seeks an experienced, creative, and forward-thinking Lower School academic leader to help oversee the K–5 academic program. Reporting to the Lower School Director and serving as an integral member of the Lower School leadership team, the Assistant Lower School Director of Academics functions as the center of gravity for academic life in the division by cultivating a culture of adult learning through clear structures for feedback, coaching, classroom walkthroughs, and ongoing professional growth. The ideal candidate combines strong instructional judgment with deep care for people and knows how to strengthen teaching and learning across K–5 by coaching adults well, building coherent systems for feedback and growth, and keeping curriculum, assessment, and reporting aligned across grades and disciplines. Highly relational and highly organized, they spend meaningful time in classrooms, follow up consistently, and communicate clearly with faculty and families, especially when situations are complex, bringing a steady presence, strong collaboration skills, and a commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive practice that supports every child’s learning and belonging.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Lower School Director of Academics is expected to have experience in curriculum development, instructional leadership, and culturally responsive instructional approaches. This role drives curricular and pedagogical innovation and leads collaborative change across grades and disciplines in the Lower School. This includes designing and implementing a coherent professional development plan, guiding teacher evaluation and growth processes, and overseeing curriculum mapping, schedule considerations, and academic reporting.

Anchoring all of this work is deep relational engagement with faculty through regular 1:1 touchpoints, active listening, and trust-building so that academic priorities and classroom practice are aligned in support of students and the broader K–12 curricular framework.

Instructional Leadership

• Model and reinforce the Pingry Honor Code and Lower School Code of Honor.
• Keep current with best practices in elementary education, with a focus on foundational student competencies.
• Articulate and advance research-based pedagogical strategies in a K–5 setting.
• Support alignment and developmental progression of standards in the K–5 curriculum.
• Support the implementation of multiple modes of student assessment.
• Lead ongoing cycles of curriculum review and assessment practices to ensure coherence and effectiveness across K–5.

Faculty Support

• In partnership with the Lower School Director, assist with designing the faculty teaching schedule, student homerooms, and class schedules.
• Direct Lower School curriculum coordinators and specialists to support alignment in the K–5 academic program.
• Partner with faculty to design and implement an academic program that advances cross-cultural perspectives and an appreciation for differences in our community.
• Observe and coach faculty to support instructional growth.
• Serve as the hiring partner for Lower School roles, collaborating with HR on job descriptions, assembling interview teams, reviewing resumes, conducting first-round interviews, and facilitating candidate debriefs.

Academic Oversight and Reporting

• Direct Lower School specialists in scheduling and administering standardized tests (for example, ERBs).
• Oversee school-to-family communication related to academics, including report cards, newsletters, curriculum overviews, and classroom updates.
• Monitor student academic progress in collaboration with classroom teachers, specialists, and families, and coordinate supports or interventions when concerns arise.
• Review grades and report card comments, and participate in parent-teacher conferences when needed.
• Build strong partnerships with families through clear, proactive communication about student learning and the Lower School academic program.
• Design and deliver parent-facing presentations and information sessions that deepen family understanding of the academic program and instructional approaches.
• Design, manage, and adjust student and faculty schedules in ways that support program priorities and student needs.
• Serve on Lower School admissions committees as needed, with attention to academic readiness and program alignment.
• Support Lower School admissions weekends and information sessions in partnership with the Admissions Office.

K–12 Alignment

• Partner with the Lower School Director and Middle School Director to facilitate a cohesive transition of students from Lower School to Middle School.
• Serve on the K–12 Academic Committee to advance curriculum alignment and support curricular and programmatic initiatives.
• Assist the K–12 Academics Team in designing professional growth opportunities; serve as a resource for inclusive and equitable instructional strategies, assessment, and evaluation.
• Collaborate with the Experiential Education Team to align and advance K–12 experiential education initiatives across three campuses.
• Collaborate with the DEIB Department to align and advance K–12 DEIB initiatives across three campuses.

Lower School Leadership Team Collaboration

• Partner with the Lower School Director to set and implement annual K–5 academic priorities and align supervision, feedback, staffing, and professional growth to those priorities.
• Partner with the Assistant Director for Student Life to ensure classroom culture, community norms, and student-life programming support teaching and learning.
• Partner with the Dean of Students to monitor student learning and wellbeing, coordinate interventions, and co-lead student support meetings.
• Collaborate with the leadership team to design and facilitate effective grade-level and team meetings centered on student learning, data, and consistent practice across K–5.
• Work closely with the Lower School Director and Assistant Director for Student Life on parent communication in complex academic or SEL situations to ensure clear, aligned messaging.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Lower School Director.

Summer Academics

• Assist with curating summer academic resources in partnership with curriculum coordinators and specialists.
• Help to identify opportunities for summer academic programs in the Lower School.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Teaching experience, preferably across lower and upper elementary grade levels.
• At least 5 years of school leadership experience, including people management.
• Enthusiasm for working with elementary educators and students.
• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to facilitate, collaborate, coordinate, and lead projects from inception to completion.
• Demonstrated success in elementary curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Experience mentoring teachers through observation, coaching, and professional learning.
• Ability to think strategically and lead faculty professional development.
• Ability to work effectively across grade levels and disciplines, building partnerships and connecting resources.
• Strong relationship-building skills across faculty, staff, students, and parents.
• Strong interpersonal skills, a positive outlook, and a creative approach to problem-solving.
• Commitment to intellectual engagement, stewardship and sustainability, and an inclusive school community; ease in working with diverse constituencies.

Qualified candidates are invited to apply online at https://www.pingry.org/careers. 

We will review resumes through January 5, 2026, and first-round phone interviews will begin that week.

About The Pingry School

The Pingry School, a prestigious K-12 coeducational, independent day school with a rich history dating back to its founding by Dr. John F. Pingry in 1861, stands at the forefront of academic excellence in the United States. With campuses located in Basking Ridge, Pottersville, and Short Hills, New Jersey, Pingry is celebrated for its academic programs, a student-written Honor Code that underpins our community values, and a comprehensive commitment to arts, athletics, community, and civic engagement. Our mission is to inspire in our students a lifelong passion for learning, personal development, and social responsibility, preparing them to be global citizens and luminaries of the 21st century. Rooted in relationships and guided by our foundational philosophy, Pingry is a vibrant community of more than 1,100 students hailing from over 90 towns across New Jersey and New York. At Pingry, we are united by a love of learning and a commitment to preparing students to navigate the complexities of the 21st century with confidence and integrity. For more information, we invite you to visit our website at pingry.org or connect with The Pingry School on Facebook, X, and Instagram to discover why we love school.

Connections working at The Pingry School