Electives Academic Department Chair

Who We're Looking For:

Laurel Springs is looking for a highly organized, collaborative, energetic, and positive school leader for the LSS Electives Department. The LSS Electives Department focuses on delivering personalized, high-quality asynchronous curriculum in fine arts, business, family consumer science, PE/Health, and a wide range of other electives courses for grades 6-12. To be successful in directing this work and supporting teachers, students, and families, an Electives Academic Department Chair must have a passion for educating young people, strong leadership experience (school administrator experience preferred), excellent collaborative leadership skills, and excellent people skills. The Electives Department Chair will work closely with a close-knit team of Academic Department Chairs and the Dean of Upper School and is an integral part of the Teaching & Learning program at LSS. For more information, check out the ADC Job Description and look Laurel Springs up online. We can't wait to find the next member of our team! 

The Academic Department Chair (ADC) is responsible for overseeing the educational programs including curriculum, professional development, assessment, evaluation, and quality assurance in his/her academic department.  The Academic Department Chair reports to the Dean of Upper School for Laurel Springs School. This is a virtual full-time position with up to 25% of the calendar year spent traveling to attend in-person meetings, conferences, events, and to work collaboratively with managers, specialists, coordinators, and teachers in the field.

What We Offer:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to our full-time employees, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid holidays and sick days
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Tuition discounts for your children
• Professional development opportunities
• Education reimbursement and partnerships

Job Duties:

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supervising and evaluating remote full-time and part-time employed faculty assigned to that department.
• Participating in hiring processes for employed faculty with the Dean of Upper School.
• Onboarding and providing ongoing mentorship, coaching, and professional support for new employed faculty.
• Liaising with, training, supporting, and offboarding independent contractor teachers as needed for that department.
• Managing teacher assignments for courses in that department.
• Managing the billing process for independent contractor teachers in that department.
• Working closely with teachers and the Curriculum team to ensure course quality and troubleshoot technical issues students may encounter within their courses.
• Quality control and data collection related to teaching and learning practices within the department, including feedback strategies, family/student communications, grading practices, etc.
• Working closely with the Curriculum Team to support development of curriculum materials, recommend and consult on curriculum content, and ensure that LSS curriculum guidelines reflect both national standards and current educational research.
• Implementing departmental goals in alignment with Laurel Springs mission and school goals that benefit students and leverage the opportunities for content exploration and skills development for students in an online, primarily asynchronous learning environment.
• Working closely with the Teaching and Learning Team on school-wide academic initiatives, team projects and goals, and professional development for employed faculty.
• Working closely with the Advising and Counseling teams as needed regarding student support, placement, accommodation, and discipline matters.
• Working closely with the Community Engagement team and coordinating with department teachers to support student life programming.
• Supporting the strategic plan for Laurel Springs School education and curriculum.
• Actively supporting student retention and acquisition efforts, including regular attendance at Laurel Springs Virtual Open Houses, Upper School virtual events, and other events as assigned.
• Participating in any accreditation process for Laurel Springs School.
• Working closely with the Teaching and Learning Team to gather and present department data and information on a regular basis and when requested.
• Representing Laurel Springs at educational conferences and associations as requested.
• Performing other duties as assigned. 

Requirements:

• Advanced degree in education or an applicable content area with a strong background or experience in curriculum and instruction and best practices in education.
• Demonstrated excellent leadership experience and skills; successful experience as a collaborative school administrator is strongly preferred.
• Excellent collaboration, interpersonal communication, presentation, and conflict management skills, including the ability to engage professionally with parents, students, and staff via video and audio calls.
• Previous experience teaching in K-12 schools (public and/or private) and in working effectively with stakeholders of those schools; experience with online learning and/or educational leadership is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience, knowledge, and passion in the applicable department content area.
• Keen understanding of the requirements of a for-profit business.
• Experience with educational research, data collection, and educational product/program implementation and development.
• Extremely proficient and comfortable with productivity and educational technology tools, including Learning Management and Student Information Systems; expertise with G-Suite strongly preferred.