The Waverly School seeks a dynamic and inspired champion to join its community and serve as its next Head of High School. This permanent position follows an intentional and productive transition year under the leadership of an Interim Director, who will complete her service in June 2025. Waverly is currently completing the final stages of a strategic planning process, and the new Head of High School    will be a meaningful collaborator in implementing and breathing life into the plan. The school is in a strong position and the Head of High School will have the enviable opportunity to join a community ready to build out the next phase of academic, programmatic, and cultural growth.

The successful candidate for this position has a demonstrated understanding of progressive education and social justice education and has the ability to express these values in their professional relationships at and beyond the school. They must also possess the ability to animate and embody the values of the school to faculty, students, staff, prospective families, and community partners. Previous experience as a successful classroom teacher and academic leader is required. The candidate must also have a commitment to building a mission-aligned, diverse, and inclusive community, reflective of the socio-economic, racial, ethnic, varied family structure, and gender diversity of the greater Los Angeles area.

The successful candidate possesses a demonstrated track record of working collaboratively with a diverse range of constituents, managing complex projects, meeting deadlines, punctuality, communicating with honesty and integrity, and successfully supporting a community of learners and educators. Skill in working with passionate, thoughtful, independent students is of great value and will power the successful candidate to success. A demonstrated capacity for empathetic problem solving, engaging multiple perspectives, listening with empathy, and strong judgment are required.  While not required, the ability to communicate effectively in Spanish, Chinese, Armenian, French, Hindi, Urdu and/or Korean will be particularly useful in this diverse region of California.

The Head of High School reports to the Head of School and manages the high school program and works together with the Director of Student Life to support the development of high school students in grades 9-12. The Head also works as a member of the administrative team and may teach one class in the high school. Evening and weekend work is required in order to attend theatrical events, sports contests, parent education nights, and admissions events. The Head is also responsible for managing the high school division budget in collaboration with the Director of Finance and Operations and demonstrates a commitment to fiscal responsibility.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Supervision of high school faculty members across the full scope of their professional practice including ongoing evaluation and enhancement of curriculum and pedagogical approaches to effectively deliver an educational experience that will lead to success in learning objectives and are consistent with the school’s mission.
• Work in partnership with the Heads of the Elementary and Middle Schools to create and maintain professional and pedagogical consistency for members of the teaching faculty.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Middle School to align 7-12 programming and curriculum.
• Oversight of ongoing development of faculty via meaningful professional learning opportunities, coaching, observation, and evaluation to support effective implementation of a wide range of pedagogical tools and strategies appropriate to each developmental stage.
• Commitment to student-centered teaching, inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, implementation of a wide array of pedagogical approaches to support divergent learning styles, and a variety of assessment methods.
  Supervise and evaluate faculty and staff, upholding professional expectations and evaluating all high school curriculum, teaching, and learning.
• Regular observation of teachers and providing timely and appropriate feedback to enhance the student experience.
• Collaboration with division heads and other administrators to design, facilitate, and oversee special events and programs across the preschool to 12 program.
  Partner with the college counselor to ensure that students and families receive proper guidance and instruction regarding course selection, the college process, and graduation from Waverly.
• Partner with the Athletic Director to maintain an equitable, accessible, and rewarding athletic experience for all high school students.
• Partner with the Student Support Team to help create a supportive mental health climate for all students.
• Work with Waverly parents and students to develop and maintain a thriving, healthy, and supportive high school culture.
• Facilitate regular meetings with faculty, students, and staff.
• Effective articulation of the mission of the school and high school division programs to all constituencies; faculty, students, current and prospective parents.
• Host and facilitate Parent Education Nights.
• Student outreach for the admissions program. Including, but not limited to attending high school admissions fairs, open houses, community events, interviewing prospective students, and reading admissions files.
• Other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
  Experience as a high school administrator, optimally in a progressive school environment.
• Exceptionally strong organizational, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven success working with all constituencies in an independent school setting: students, families, faculty, and other colleagues, with wisdom, warmth, empathy, humor, and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Strong commitment to anti-racist and inclusive practices that support students of all backgrounds to succeed, to collaborate, and to attain self-reflection and personal growth.

Physical Requirements:

• Work in person, on campus.
• Prolonged periods of standing and walking throughout classrooms and between several campus locations, including the school Farm.
• Work with frequent interruptions.
• Maintain emotional control under stress.
• Regularly spend long hours sitting and using office equipment and computers.
• Must be able to stand, lift, push, pull, stoop, and bend for short periods of time.
• Regularly work on repetitive tasks.
• Occasionally lift 15-45 pounds.

Other Requirements:

• Initial and continued employment background investigation required – fingerprints via Live Scan
• Initial and continued TB Assessment required for employment in CA schools.
• Completes required training each year including but not limited to Pediatric CPR/First Aid/AED, CA mandated reporter training, and as required by state licensing.
• Adhere to school policies and procedures as outlined in the Employee and Faculty Handbooks

Job Type: Full Time – 12-month year, exempt
Typical Hours per week: 40 – 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Salary Range: $140,000 – $160,000

Procedure to Apply:

The Waverly School is an equal oppor­tu­nity employer dedi­cated to a policy of non-discrim­i­na­tion based on the race, color, creed, reli­gion, sex, gender, gender iden­tity, gender expres­sion, marital status, pregnancy, trans­gen­der, trans­sex­u­al­ism, sexual orien­ta­tion, age, national origin, citi­zen­ship, primary language, mili­tary or veteran status, phys­i­cal hand­i­cap, disabil­ity, medical condi­tion, mental disabil­ity, genetic char­ac­ter­is­tic or infor­ma­tion, ances­try, or based on any other consid­er­a­tion made unlaw­ful by federal, state, or local laws.

Interested candidates should submit via https://bit.ly/Waverly_HSHead_AppForm the following materials confidentially in one, single PDF file:

• A cover letter indicating the candidate’s particular interest in and qualifications for the position
• A current resume
• A statement of educational philosophy
• The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references, including at least two recent supervisors. References should speak to the applicant’s ability to be an effective educator and administrator, to work successfully with children, and to work collaboratively and collegially with adults (references will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission). Please indicate your relationship with each reference (i.e. supervisor, colleague, or direct report).
  Timeline:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a priority to those submitted by Friday, January 24, 2025.

Start date: July 1, 2025

School Information

The Waverly School is a nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory, progressive day school that spans preschool through high school. Waverly provides an experience-based, cross-disciplinary education in which students are expected to work to their highest potential. Waverly is dedicated to helping students become confident, curious, resourceful learners who demonstrate intellectual engagement, critical and creative thinking, respect for individual differences, and a strong sense of personal and social responsibility. The Waverly School has three campuses and a one-acre organic farm, all within walking distance of one another, in Pasadena, CA.