Warrensburg , Missouri
San Antonio, Texas
San Mateo, California
Posted: 10-Dec-24
Location: Corte Madera, California
Type: Full Time
Salary: $155,000-170,000/yr DOE
Preferred Education:
Title: Director of Technology
Reports to: Head of School
Status: Professional Full-Year Staff
Schedule: Full-Time/Exempt (6/2025 Start)
About Marin Country Day School
MCDS is an independent, K-8, co-educational day school enrolling approximately 600 students from across the Bay area, primarily from San Francisco and Marin.
Our mission at MCDS is to create an inclusive community of learning that inspires curiosity, empathy, and action.
We actively seek diversity in our administration, faculty, and student body. As a school, we affirm that human diversity includes but is not limited to age, family structure, gender, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, physical ability, and learning style. As our Statement of Community and Inclusion indicates, “Ours is a community that would be uncomfortable without diversity and, therefore, has been intentional about creating and nurturing a diverse group of adults and children who share the core values of respect, responsibility, and compassion.”
At MCDS, every employee is integral to creating a learning community. All seek to improve as practitioners, learners, and team members, and we support our outstanding faculty and professional staff through our strong professional development program.
Position Overview
Marin Country Day School seeks a technology leader who is passionate about serving K-8 families, teachers, and colleagues. This position reaches a wide set of students, employees, and families; and serves across administrative departments, as well as on the Senior Leadership Team. The role includes regular teaching-times with students, and frequently demands that this person speak publicly to adults about our technology practices. As such, we seek a candidate with strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment with constituents of various ages, backgrounds, roles and responsibilities.
The Director of Technology is responsible for the overall planning, organizing, and execution of all technology functions at Marin Country Day School. In addition to overseeing technology that supports teaching & learning, as well as academic records and student information, the Director of Technology supervises tech operations, to ensure ongoing data security; smooth internal / external digital processes; healthy / balanced tech use among the community; and AI literacy among students, teachers, and parents.
Responsibilities
Team management and mentorship:
- Lead and inspire a high-performing technology team including: Registrar / Director of Student Information Systems, Technology Integration Specialist (Computer Science & Ed-Tech Integration), Media and Systems Engineer, System Administrators and Help Desk Technicians
- Lead the technology team in adopting best practices, methodologies, and industry standards to ensure high-quality, scalable, and secure systems.
- Provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and support to team members, promoting a culture of continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration within the technology team and across the organization
Team lead and collaboration:
- Participate, lead and collaborate as a critical member of multiple teams, including:
? Technology Team (lead)
? Teaching Team: Social/Emotional Learning and Computer Science ? Data Integrity and Security Team (co-lead)
? Tech Advisory Committee (lead)
? Senior Admin Leadership Team
- Set priorities, agendas, and boundaries for the work within these teams and departments
- Lead the community in a well articulated vision of tech for the school
Academic Technology Program:
- Set and maintain boundaries and practices for responsible tech use among K-8 students
- Model and train best practices for tech use among faculty / colleagues
- Survey academic technology (hardware and software) for safety and efficacy; budget and administer accordingly
- Lead the community in terms of our approach to generative AI
- Support and deliver community education around digital parenting as well as AI
- Attend grade-level parent roundtables as the expert on the unique challenges / opportunities of technology at each age
- Consult with teachers, advisors, and parents, in support of student development as it relates to technology
- Support / supervise the Technology Integration Specialist, to ensure alignment of technology curriculum and implementation across grades
- Support families in establishing tech landscapes at home that allow the family to engage with the school
- Serve as a voice of educational-technology leadership on the Senior Admin Team and among the community
Academic Records and Student Information:
- Support / Supervise the Registrar / Director of SIS, to ensure smooth integration of student records across systems
- Manage / supervise data cleanup, merging, and migration processes as needed
- Lead trainings to support community literacy within digital systems
- Build queries and reports related to attendance; demographics; enrollment history; etc.
- Communicate with constituencies using database platforms
- Manage roles and access-rights within databases
- Ensure academic records (including teachers’ notes, etc.) have appropriate privacy settings
- Use discretion handling sensitive data
- Support / oversee digital-onboarding of new students, parents, and employees
- Train students and employees on the best ways to keep their information private and secure
Infrastructure and Operations:
- Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of systems, services and technical infrastructure
- Test and ensure network operations are smooth and continuous
- Oversee long-term planning for network upgrades
- General knowledge of network software platforms
- Ability to solve technical problems around hardware and software promptly and in a friendly manner
- Expertise in Apple; PC; and Chrome operating systems
- Oversee campus AV systems; support AV for school events, including occasional evenings and weekends
- Understanding of phone systems–VOIP and analog
- Oversee local servers: printing; public address system; security cameras
- Ensure high availability, security, and scalability of systems, including APIs, databases, and web services
- Develop and manage technology budgets, vendor relationships, and effective resource allocation
- Identify opportunities for process optimization, efficiency and resource allocation
- Manage and support administration of cell phones and mobile coverage for the subset of employees who use school-issued mobile phones
Experience
- Masters Degree (preferred, not required)
- Experience working with K-8 students & families
- Management and leadership experience
- Extensive database skills and experience
- Comprehensive knowledge of data security practices
- Curriculum design
- Teaching experience - primary & middle school students
- Administrative experience
- Leading trainings & workshops
- Technology operations & logistics
- Budgeting and budget management
- AI & Computer Science literacy and leadership skills
Essential Qualities
- Collaborative nature; team player
- Communication skills – written and public speaking
- Value for inclusion & belonging; alignment with school mission
- Love of children and families
- Ability to manage many requests to fill a wide range of competing priorities and interests
- Commitment to professional growth, reflective practice, and growth mindset
Perks of working at MCDS
MCDS is set back in the beautiful hills of Marin County, with a gorgeous view of the San Francisco Bay. We are surrounded by all sorts of wildlife varying from swans on the grass field to frogs jumping from one succulent to another. Our staff enjoy year-round gardens that produce amazing vegetables. We are fortunate enough to enjoy these vegetables throughout the academic school year through the farm to table meals our Chefs and kitchen prepare daily for all students and staff.
The setting and meals are just a few of the amazing parts of Marin Country Day School. The inclusion, warmth and passion exuded from faculty, staff, families and the children are unique to Marin Country Day School and makes this a very special place to work.
We offer a generous benefit and paid time-off package and believe in a healthy work/life balance for all employees.
Salary range for this position $ 155,000-170,000/yr DOE.
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and philosophy statement to: employment@mcds.org. Application deadline is December 31, 2024.
MCDS is an equal opportunity employer and promotes the principles and practices of diversity throughout the school community.