Head of School

Description

The Head of School will oversee all Program Directors, office, and support staff. The ideal candidate for this role will bring together exceptional educational outcomes, quality customer service, and leadership expertise to grow Merryhill Schools, ensuring that our unique culture is inculcated in the daily operations. Additionally, the ideal candidate will possess strong business acumen, customer focus, and talent development.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Promote Cultural Alignment with Merryhill Values:

• Promote the mission, core values, and spirit at the center of all leadership /management decisions
• Ensure a warm and nurturing environment for all students, families, and faculty
• Provide and model impeccable customer service 
• Serve as the key spokesperson and model for positive public relations, including families and the community/neighborhood; create outreach and partnership opportunities within the community

Deliver Key Business Outcomes:

• Ensure the effective day-to-day operational leadership of the school, including all campus-level talent management, enrollment and budget management activities to sustain profitability 
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly reporting of key business metrics
• Drive recruitment and retention activities at the campus level and in the community
• Maintain a safe, clean environment; recommend campus and facility improvements

Ensure Exceptional Academic Outcomes:

• Provide engaging leadership in the delivery execution of a high-quality program; follow Merryhill School’s curriculum while providing a supportive environment for creative approaches by teaching staff
• Ensure accurate and timely academic reporting, conferencing, and record-keeping by all campus staff
• Hire the best talent; professional outstanding coaching; support professional development opportunities
• Ensure compliance with all local and state licensing regulations
• Maintain all necessary activities and records to ensure ongoing WASC accreditation

Competencies: 

The Head of School will be a dynamic, engaging, self-reliant and entrepreneurial senior leader, accustomed to managing with a collaborative, fact-based approach, with articulate communication and interpersonal warmth.  He or she will have demonstrated the ability to build strong and open working relationships characterized by mutual respect between superiors, peers, and subordinates within the school. This leader will be openly communicative of ideas with others and inviting and considering input from the school, his/her peers, and their direct reports. 

The Head of School will be accessible and approachable, respecting intellectual integrity and valuing individuality, building and fostering working relationships with school partners from a variety of functions and geographies, thus enabling a partnership mentality with the entire Merryhill team.  He or she will be motivated by his/her impact on students and the organization rather than personal career advancement.  This will be a self-confident individual with his/her ego well in check.  As a collaborative team player, he/she will demonstrate the proven ability to appropriately delegate key responsibilities and transfer some of his/her own duties and decisions as to the direct/indirect reports’ number and skill sets grow.   Open to feedback, he/she will be a senior leader who promotes continuous learning and is committed to ongoing self-improvement. 

Key leadership characteristics include:

• Charismatic Leadership: inspire and motivate others to perform well and accept feedback
• Sound judgment and problem-solving skills: able to identify problems, gather information, and resolve concerns in a timely, effective, customer-focused manner
• Integrity and ethics:  able to maintain confidentiality and professionalism in all activities
• Highly effective oral and written communication: speak and write clearly and persuasively one to one and in groups
• Exceptional interpersonal skills: interact well with others at all levels and builds rapport easily with others
• Efficient multi-tasker: can work on multiple conflicting priorities with ease and delegate appropriately
• Independent, while also being a team player: can act without supervision as needed while working collaboratively and cooperatively  with a variety of groups 
• Goal-oriented and self-motivated with strong organization and time management skills

Skills/Knowledge/Education:

BA degree required; Master’s preferred
Prior Head of School experience preferred
Private School for-profit experience a plus
Administrative education and/or experience preferable
At least four years of teaching experience; at least four years of principal experience or equivalent
Proven effectiveness in resolving escalated issues