Assistant Head of School

University School of Nashville • Nashville, TN

20h • Onsite

About The Position

University School of Nashville is seeking a highly relational and responsive Assistant Head of School to serve as a critical force in the school's continued forward movement and a key partner to the Director (Head of School). This role plays a central part in the academic operations of the school, ensuring the smooth, efficient, and strategically aligned day-to-day functioning from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Assistant Head will provide vision, coordination, and oversight for delivering the highest quality academic programming, ensuring that structures, strategies, and systems for curricular and co-curricular programs are aligned, adaptive, consistent with current best practices, and in sync with USN’s culture of curiosity and collaboration. The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who manages complex operations, leads through empowering others, and fosters unity and excellence throughout the school. This is a newly configured position, and specific direct reports and responsibilities will be shaped in consultation between the Director and the Assistant Head.

Requirements

• A deep understanding of and appreciation for the joys and compelling qualities of a multidivisional school and experience leading in a large and complex educational organization, preferably with experience that includes serving as a division head.
• Personal and professional alignment with a progressively influenced school that emphasizes student and teacher independence, voice, and personal agency.
• Experience recruiting, hiring, and supporting faculty in a broadly diverse school environment that intentionally strives to mirror the demographics of its city.
• Depth of experience necessary to shepherd the school’s academic program, providing instructional leadership in partnership with division heads and continuing to build on USN’s excellent academic program.
• Documented history of transforming organizational practice and culture in a sustainable manner, informed by research and data and moderated by a skillful and sensitive approach to change.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate orally and in writing with inspiration and clarity to both internal and external audiences.
• The ability to articulate vision and strategy, the tactical skills to build and deftly manage the systems and processes necessary to implement strategy, and the organizational fluency to manage multiple streams of information and respond to situations as they emerge.
• Personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and the requisite skillfulness to support student and faculty growth in this area and to facilitate critical conversations in the design of ever-more inclusive curriculum and programs.
• The relationship-building skill to develop deep trust across all constituents, including students, families, faculty, and staff.
• A capacity to balance a school ethos that prioritizes the agency of the individual while recognizing the importance of school-wide coherence and community.
• A spirit of curiosity that fuels the pursuit of evolving best practices and current research on curriculum, pedagogy, and the future of education.
• A motivated, energetic, and collaborative colleague who takes joy in team success.
• A commitment to hard work and creative problem solving, while demonstrating humility and the willingness to learn from and with one’s colleagues.
• The ability to navigate complexity and adopt a lens of systems thinking, recognizing the interplay of internal and external systems and prioritizing and delegating as necessary.
• Courage to make difficult decisions, upholding the highest standards of integrity.
• A joyful countenance and desire to actively engage with students, parents, and faculty, and the willingness to prioritize presence and visibility.

Responsibilities

• Serving as a key thought partner to the Director and participating as a collaborative, curious, and engaged member of the Leadership Team.
• Supporting, refining, and augmenting USN’s excellent academic program.
• Providing leadership and support to the Lower School, Middle School, and High School Division Heads as they administer the curricular and co-curricular programs and personnel in their division, ensuring that structures, strategies, and systems for teaching, learning, and professional development are aligned, adaptive, and consistent with current best practices.
• Supporting the smooth functioning of the school by serving as a liaison for parent, faculty, and student concerns and communication as needed.
• Working collaboratively with the Director of Diversity and Community Life, learning specialists, and counseling team to construct inclusive and healthy learning environments for all students.
• In partnership with Division Heads and Department Chairs, recruiting, hiring, and developing faculty and staff, including strengthening the evaluation program and creating a workplace culture that makes USN a destination of choice for top talent.
• Supporting and nurturing the professional community, including through planning of schoolwide professional development.
• Engaging actively with the Board of Trustees and serving as administrative liaison to Board Committees, as requested by the Director.
• As necessary, representing the Director at internal and external meetings, presentations, and committees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior