For a boarding school in 2026 to search for a Director of Spiritual Life is an assertion that a spiritual life is real and important for adolescents to attend to even as there is no single or broadly shared assumption today about what that looks like in an intentionally diverse, pluralistic community. Taft seeks an engaged, practical leader for the upcoming 26-27 academic year, a person excited to nurture the spiritual life of the school community, providing pastoral care, fostering interfaith dialogue, and creating inclusive opportunities for reflection, ethical growth, and service. The ideal candidate will inspire students to explore questions of meaning, purpose, and belonging through programs that honor diverse traditions and perspectives. Taft seeks a dynamic educator and leader who will be an active participant in our academic, co-curricular, and residential life programs.

Taft has been devoted to educating the whole child since its founding. We believe that human beings, including students and adults, are constituted of mind, body, spirit, and emotion in ways that are integrated and ultimately impossible to fully tease apart. Therefore, we see it as part of our responsibility to ensure that students are supported in exploring and growing in the life of the spirit as an essential part of their experience at Taft. Taft does not have a particular faith commitment as a school and is an intentionally diverse, pluralistic community. The Director of Spiritual Life must support the particular commitments of individual students and groups of students while also equipping the entire community to explore and understand spiritual life and practices in ways accessible to everyone. Moreover, as a boarding school, Taft is committed to helping students understand life as an integrated whole–we live where we learn, work, play, and grow and all of these moments are imbued with formative potential. Adults at Taft bring diverse skills, experiences, and expertise and share responsibility for creating a rich teaching and learning ecosystem for whole-student learning and growth. Only the Director of Spiritual Life, however, has explicit responsibility for fostering individual and community wide learning and growth in the realm of spiritual life. This is a unique opportunity and challenge and requires active participation in all areas of school life. Students and adults at Taft will benefit from learning about spiritual practices that can equip us to navigate–and the spiritual “lenses” that may help us understand more fully–the particular social, technological, cultural and existential dynamics of the second quarter of the twenty-first century.  

Spiritual Life Leadership & Responsibilities

• Embodied spiritual life leadership: Participate regularly in all-school events such as Assembly, all-school meals, Convocation, Commencement, and other events as appropriate to integrate multi-faith practices to heighten awareness among students and adults of relevant spiritual life ideas 
• Pastoral care and counsel: collaborate with colleagues in Student Life, Counseling and other departments to provide confidential support to students, including guidance during times of grief, transition, and crisis; serve as a steady presence in dorms and student life.
• Physical spaces: create physical spaces and times dedicated to individual and spiritual practices such as meditation, reflection, and worship. Collaborate with colleagues in Arts for vision and care for Woodward Chapel.
• Multifaith collaboration: design programming that welcomes all traditions and those who claim none; partner with student leaders and affinity groups to support belonging and equity in spiritual life.
• Education & programming: offer talks, and workshops on ethics, purpose, leadership, and wellness; develop student experiences that connect spirituality with whole life learning, growth and community engagement.
• Community liaison: cultivate relationships with local faith communities and relevant professional organizations to expand resources, learning, and care across traditions.
• Communication & partnership: identify opportunities to integrate spiritual awareness and practices into the Taft student experience broadly–academics, arts, athletics, service, residential life; build unity around complex issues through effective listening, facilitation, and mediation; advise faculty/staff on supporting students of all faith backgrounds.
• Equity & belonging: advance equity and inclusiveness through spiritual life programs that align with Taft’s community, justice, and belonging commitments. 

Faculty Duties Include:

• Teach two sections of a course in ethics, religion, or philosophy (or equivalent contribution to academic programming).
• Collaborate with student leaders and affinity groups to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in spiritual life.
• Collaborate with leaders of the school’s Skills program to integrate spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga into student skill building across all four years. 
• Serve as a resource for students navigating questions of identity, purpose, and well-being.
• Participate fully in evening and weekend duties, advising, and community events.
• Two seasons, or equivalent involvement, in Taft’s afternoon program (co-curricular) activities.
• Attend weekly faculty meetings and other gatherings as required by school leadership.
• Serve on Student Life Team and School Meeting + Speaker Series committees.
• Additional responsibilities and duties as directed by the head of school.

Portrait of an Educator Alignment:

• Strive for Wisdom – Model ethical decision-making and reflective practice; bring the wisdom of spiritual and philosophical communities from across time and geography to bear on pressing questions of the moment.
• Find Joy in Purpose – Inspire meaningful connections through shared values and service; illuminate how cultures across time and geography have thought of and practiced joy and purpose, particularly in the face of challenge.
• Nurture Relationships – Foster empathy, inclusion, and belonging across diverse faith traditions.
• Build Resilience – Support students in navigating life’s challenges with adaptability and hope; articulate ways in which spiritual practices may build resilience.
• Practice Humility – Embrace dialogue and learning across differences; demonstrate ways in which different people groups over time have understood themselves corporately and individually relative to their community, history, and the divine.
• Pursue Excellence – Create programs that elevate spiritual and ethical growth.
• Live with Honor – Act with integrity and accountability in all aspects of community life.

Strategic Plan 2030 Alignment:

This role directly advances Taft’s Strategic Plan 2030 by:

• Belonging and Well-Being: Creating inclusive spaces for reflection and dialogue that cultivate wisdom, strengthen individual resilience and community bonds.
• Leadership Development: Guiding students in ethical decision-making and service leadership.
• Global Citizenship: Promoting interfaith understanding and respect for diverse worldviews.
• Human Flourishing: Supporting emotional, spiritual, and moral growth as integral to student success.
• Innovation in Education: Integrating spiritual life into curricular and co-curricular programs to prepare students for the inevitable complexities of life–as adolescents and as young adults.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience in a boarding school or similar total institution environment
• Demonstrated commitment to the tenets described in the school’s Portrait of a Learner and Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Master of Divinity or equivalent advanced degree.
• At least three years of relevant professional experience in chaplaincy, counseling, or spiritual leadership.
• Technology skills inclusive of general proficiency with Google Suite; familiarity with Canvas LMS and Veracross preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of students and employees to support and expand programmatic and institutional goals.
• Authorized to work in the United States of America.

About The Taft School

Founded in 1890, The Taft School is a boarding school for 600 students in grades nine through post-graduate. Living where they learn, academically talented students from all over the world are guided by an extraordinary faculty on a 220-acre campus in western Connecticut. With the motto “Not to be served but to serve” as a foundation for the inclusive and service-minded community.

Connections working at The Taft School