Director of Health and Wellness (DHW)

Charlotte Country Day School•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

The inaugural Director of Health and Wellness (DHW) will establish and lead a comprehensive, developmentally informed, and mission-aligned health and wellness vision for the school. The DHW will build and oversee a health and wellness team and will collaborate closely with faculty, staff, administrators, and families to cultivate a culture of well-being across all divisions (JK–12). The Director will design and steward an integrated, whole-school health and wellness framework that aligns strategy, culture, processes, and communication, and that reflects current research and best practices in student wellness. Programming will promote physical health, mental and emotional well-being, social connection, and health education, while being developmentally and culturally responsive. In addition to student programming, the DHW will play a key role in supporting adult wellness, guiding prevention and early-intervention efforts, and using data-informed approaches to assess needs, evaluate impact, and continuously strengthen the school’s wellness ecosystem.

Requirements

Master’s degree as well as state licensure and/or certification in health and wellness related disciplines, including but not limited to School Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, or a related field. (LPC, LMFT, LCSW, NCSP, etc.)
Additional training certification in wellness programming, student support services, or preventive health education.
5 – 10+ years of experience working in schools or youth serving environments.
Demonstrated track record of high levels of professionalism, discretion, and ethical practice in managing confidential and sensitive situations.
Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating health and wellness programming for students, faculty, and families.
Experience building cross-divisional systems for counseling, crisis intervention, and student support services.
Experience with collaborating with teachers, administrators, school nurses, school counseling, learning specialist, faculty/staff, and outside medical clinicians.
Familiarity with crisis prevention, threat assessment, and risk management practices in a school setting.
Ability to respond calmly and effectively in crisis or emergency situations.
Demonstrate strong analytical and reflective practice, applying current research, data, and professional judgement to design evaluate, and clearly communicate health and wellness initiatives to diverse stakeholders.
Engage students, families, faculty and staff with authenticity, approachability, and professionalism, build trust and credibility across divisions and disciplines.
Model ethical leadership, sound decision-making, and healthy professional boundaries, serving as a visible and consistent role model for both students and adults with the school community.
Exercise the capacity to make complex, high-stakes decisions related to student well-being, risk management, and crisis response, and communicate decisions, rationale, and next steps with clarity, transparency, and care.
Demonstrates cultural competence and sustained commitment to equity, belonging, and inclusion, ensuring the health and wellness programming is developmentally appropriate, accessible, and responsive to the needs of a diverse JK-12 community.
Energetic and eager to engage actively with students and parents.
Able to make difficult decisions and effectively communicate them to the community.
Appreciation for diversity and committed to the goal of maintaining an authentic, inclusive community.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a comprehensive JK-12 health and wellness vision and program aligned with the school’s mission and strategic plan.
Develop and lead the school’s inaugural health and wellness team and its meetings.
Assess and analyze health and wellness needs across grade levels/divisions.
Coordinate a developmentally appropriate health and wellness curriculum.
Coordinate effective schoolwide programming - preventative, proactive, and comprehensive: in the areas of social-emotional learning and development, mental health and well-being, neurodiversity and instructional differentiation, and healthy social engagement.
Collaborate with the Chief Information Officer to develop and implement student, faculty, staff, and family education on healthy and responsible technology use.
Collaborate with the Director of Diversity Planning to develop and implement student, faculty, staff, and family education at the intersection of DEIB and health and wellness.
Collaborate with the Director of Risk Management and Security and the divisional counselors to develop protocols for disseminating approved, age-appropriate resources for faculty, staff, and parents in the wake of any crisis or tragedy.
Support a coordinated approach to mental health that includes prevention, education, early identification, and intervention.
Guide and ensure consistent practices across divisions.
Oversee the alignment of JK-12 advisory programming/curriculum to ensure coherent and developmentally appropriate approach to student health, wellness, and social-emotional learning.
Support Health and Physical Education Teachers (JK-8) to research, develop, implement, and align curriculum and lessons as defined by SHAPE Health and Physical Education Standards.
Make sure that programming is inclusive of all students and their needs.
Research best practices through professional development and educational organizations.
Visit peer institutions doing good work around student health and wellness.
Ensure compliance with school policies and state and federal regulations as defined for school nurses (JK-12) and school counselors (JK-12).
Support faculty and staff wellness through programming and other initiatives.
Other tasks as assigned by the Director of Athletics, Health, and Wellness