Senior Leadership Position: Position is open - start date will be coordinated with qualified candidate
Reports to: Head of School

Position Overview:

Community Day School in Pittsburgh seeks an energetic, experienced, and transformational leader to inhabit the role of Head of Jewish Life and Learning. We are searching for an inspired and inspiring educator who will lead us as we engage the next generation in shaping the Jewish future.

Located on a six-acre wooded campus in the heart of Pittsburgh’s iconic Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Community Day School is Pittsburgh’s only pluralistic, egalitarian, independent, co-ed Jewish day school for students in Early Childhood through Grade 8, distinguished by an exceptional academic program rooted in Jewish values.


We are a community of professionals and lay leaders who are united and focused on our mission to inspire young Jewish families to say “yes” to Jewish life and learning for the 21st century and beyond. We invite applications from candidates who will embrace being part of our vibrant, dynamic learning community, where kindness, social justice activism, and “menschy” behavior are fundamental to our daily life. 

The person inhabiting this senior administrative position will lead the school’s faculty, staff, students, and community in all domains pertaining to Hebrew and Jewish studies and the Jewish life of the school. 

Overall Responsibilities:

• Oversee, promote, and enhance the school’s commitment to excellence in Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
• Identify curricula and assessments for Hebrew language and Jewish Studies and ensure ongoing professional development for staff.
• Identify and champion the opportunities for innovation that have arisen during the collective experience of educating through a pandemic.
• Establish benchmarks and ensure that Hebrew language and Jewish Studies subject exit skills and proficiency criteria for CDS graduates are met.
• Lead and create a culture around tefillah (prayer) that is inspiring while being welcoming to all the ways in which prayer may be approached.
• Oversee daily tefillah, Kabbalat Shabbat, holidays, and the tefillah curriculum schoolwide.
• Act intentionally to build and nurture relationships with parents, students, and faculty.
• Create and manage the annual budget for the Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department in conjunction with the Head of School and Chief Financial Officer.
• Manage the day-to-day activities of the Hebrew and Jewish Studies department.
• Oversee the planning and supervision of our annual 8th Grade Israel Trip (currently two weeks including travel).
• Hire, support, nurture, supervise, and evaluate Hebrew and Jewish Studies faculty.
• Work closely with Prizmah and other Jewish and independent school professional organizations to ensure that the school is exceeding standards for best practice.
• Partner with the senior leadership team, school based counselor, academic and emotional services department, teachers, school nurse, food manager, and families to meet academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of CDS students.
• Facilitate proactive communication and aligned expectations between teachers and parents.
• Support engagement opportunities for families and the larger community around Jewish learning, Jewish life cycle, Jewish holidays, and social justice activities. 

We seek a leader with these professional credentials, experiences, and dispositions: 

• Masters Degree or higher in Education, Jewish Studies, related field, and/or Rabbinic ordination 
• Fluency in Hebrew and mastery of Jewish texts, rituals, and liturgy
• Demonstrated passion for progressive Jewish education that illuminates the places where original texts, Jewish values, ethical leadership, and social justice intersect
• Demonstrated commitment to inspiring a special connection with ancient and modern Israel, including age-appropriate inquiry and exploration into Israel’s historic and current geopolitical realities
• Experience (5+ years) in an educational setting and a successful record of teaching in relevant subject areas
• Experience (3+ years) leading/supervising Hebrew and Jewish Studies in a Jewish educational setting (can be concurrent with teaching)
• Track record of success in leading an educational setting that had to pivot to remote instruction and/or in-person instruction with mitigation during the pandemic
• Track record of success in leading and/or facilitating tefillah (prayer) in a Jewish setting
• Track record of success in building positive relationships with and among faculty, parents, and students
• Track record of success in driving school culture, curricular transformation, and innovative education in a pluralistic environment
• Track record of success in meeting the needs of a wide diversity of learning styles, abilities, and social-emotional needs among students (i.e., understands differentiated instruction, growth mindset, etc.)

To Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials to Stacey Parker,  Executive Assistant to Mrs. Avi Baran Munro, Ed.M., Head of School: 

Email: sparker@comday.org

• Cover letter expressing interest in this specific position 
• Current resume
• Statement of philosophy of education
• A list of five professional references with contact information with name, phone #, and email address (we will only contact with candidate’s permission)

We offer compensation commensurate with experience and a benefits package that includes staff tuition discounts and a retirement plan. 

Community Day School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, tuition assistance and scholarship programs, athletics, or other school-administered programs.  Community Day School is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic community and strongly encourages applications from people of color, LGBTQ candidates, and women.
 
Our campus is tobacco-free.

Substitute Teachers

Daily substitute teachers for all grades and subjects are also needed. These positions require elementary certifications for Lower School general studies and secondary certifications in major subject area for Middle School, as well as a minimum of two years of teaching experience. 

Art
Hebrew and Jewish Studies
Elementary School
Early Childhood
Support and Gifted Services
Music
Computers
Library
Gym
Middle School subjects including Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Support, Science, and Spanish

Email cover letter, resume, references, and current clearances (if available) to hr@comday.org.

Community Day School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.