Career Center

Position Summary
The Pingry School seeks a forward-thinking and experienced leader to serve as our next Assistant Lower School Director of Student Life. The Assistant Lower School Director of Student Life serves as the ambassador for Pingry’s Honor Code, sets a positive tone and fosters a healthy culture in the Lower School, and implements programs to promote character development, leadership, personal responsibility, and self-advocacy. They will oversee student life programming, disciplinary cases, day-to-day faculty duties, coordinate morning announcements, student assemblies, and community service projects. The Assistant Director of Student Life must have the ability to manage sensitive disciplinary issues, and a demonstrated willingness to work alongside students, teachers, and parents to reinforce the School’s Honor Code and to offer valuable guidance when teachable moments present themselves. Pingry strives to be an inclusive, diverse, and equitable community by honoring students, families, teachers, and staff individuality.  The Lower School Assistant Director of Student Life will report to the Lower School Director and is a member of the Lower School leadership team. 

Responsibilities

The Assistant Lower School Director of Student Life is expected to have experience in educational leadership and community development. The ideal candidate will:

Honor Code and Student Behavior

• Oversee disciplinary deliberations and processes, ensuring effective restorative practices are implemented. 
• Supports the faculty and staff in developing the student's leadership capabilities,  decision-making, agency, and ownership.
• Support students’ commitment to the Honor Code through restorative practices emphasizing growth opportunities for students and families within the division; develops constructive approaches to support an inclusive, respectful, and anti-racist climate and culture. 
• Serves as a point person for behavioral concerns and works closely with the Assistant Lower School Director for Social and Emotional Wellness to address students’ needs.  
• Serves as initial contact for faculty and parents when they report information about student discipline. 
• Coordinate grade-level guidance meetings to effectively partner with faculty to support students. 
• Serve as a resource to teachers in classroom management, pedagogy, and general school procedures. 
• Cultivates and monitors relationships with parents through proactive outreach and thoughtful responsiveness regarding student life, school policies, and programs.  
• Co-teaches the Decisions curriculum across grade levels.
• Models and reinforces Pingry’s Honor Code and Lower School Code of Honor. 

Community and Civic Engagement

• Leads the planning of student assemblies and community events with the assembly committee's support for the division’s goals.
• Coordinates student life programming and service learning opportunities in collaboration with homeroom teachers.
• Supervises and supports the Student Council Advisor and the Lower School DEIB Coordinator. 
• Will cooperatively and strategically advance Pingry’s inclusion efforts by evaluating all student programming for inclusivity and developing and implementing new initiatives
• Encourages student engagement and participation in co-curricular activities, visual and performing arts, and other school activities, empowering students to connect with each other, discover new interests, and hone existing talents.
• Partners with the Student Council Advisor to identify opportunities for student leadership, providing students with experience in community building, collaboration, public speaking, conflict resolution, and policy formation in the division.  
• Strives to build partnerships and collaboration between students in the Lower, Middle, and Upper divisions and support K-12 service and community initiatives.
• Coordinates morning student announcements.
• Prepares Lower School assemblies and communications regarding upcoming programming.
• Partners with the PSPA and Grade 5 in coordinating milestone activities for Fifth Grade. 
• Takes responsibility for the Short Hills Campus in partnership with the Assistant Lower School Directors when the Lower School Director is off-campus.

Community Relations and Engagement

• Coordinates teacher supervision duties beyond academic classes: lunch, recess, before, and dismissal duties.
• Partner with music and performing arts teachers to plan and schedule performances, rehearsals, and review cast lists.
• Assists the Lower School Director and Admissions Director with coordinating the New and Returning Student Orientation and community team-building events at the start of school.
• Responsible for enforcing required Child Abuse, Confidentiality, and Boundaries protocols training for Lower School personnel. 
• Supports the Lower School Director in coordinating Parent Engagement Opportunities.
• Assumes responsibility for other projects as assigned by the Lower School Director. 

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree is required. An advanced degree in education, school leadership, and/or an applicable field is strongly preferred.
• At least 5 years of teaching experience, preferably at different grade levels, and at least 2 years of leadership experience. 
• Enthusiasm for working with Elementary educators and students.
• Experienced mentor with the capacity to inspire teachers and cultivate new skills
• Outstanding leadership skills, including the ability to facilitate, collaborate, coordinate, and lead a project from inception to successful completion.
• Possesses strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail. 
• Has experience in prioritizing tasks and managing short-and long-term projects. 
• Has experience in collaborating effectively across grade levels and disciplines, creating robust partnerships, and curating resources.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to practice distributive leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to develop meaningful relationships with a broad range of constituents, including faculty, staff, students, and parents.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and tact.
• Experience and expertise in creating a culture of equity and belonging. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Comfortable with incorporating the latest technology, including video conference systems, learning management systems, and school databases.
• Skilled in navigating the Google Suite of applications (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc.)
• Has a positive and optimistic attitude and creative approach to problem-solving.
• Possesses a high level of social and emotional intelligence.
• Commitment to the mission, vision, and pillars of the Pingry School includes a commitment to DEIB and the requisite skills to work cross-functionally with diverse constituency groups across the organization.

About The Pingry School

The Pingry School, a K-12 coeducational, independent country day school, is recognized throughout the United States for its academic excellence, Honor Code, arts, athletics, and community and civic engagement. The school’s mission is to foster in students a lifelong commitment to scholarly exploration, personal growth, and social responsibility while preparing them to be global citizens and luminaries of the 21st century. Dr. John F. Pingry founded the school in 1861 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and today there are three campuses: Grades K-5 in Short Hills, Grades 6-12 in Basking Ridge, and a shared campus for Grades K-12 in Pottersville that focuses on experiential education. The diverse student body is composed of more than 1,100 students from nearly 100 towns in New Jersey and New York. For more information visit the school’s website, pingry.org, or follow The Pingry School on Facebook and Twitter.

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