The Rivers School — a 6-12 co-ed independent day school in Weston, MA, just outside Boston — seeks professionals who are looking to join a dynamic, innovative, and welcoming school community.
The Upper School Dean of Student Life reports to the Head of Upper School with significant lateral connections to our Equity and Engagement, Learning, Wellness, Athletics and Performing Arts functions as well as the Middle School student life team. This position serves as the lead person on student voice, charged with caring for our students and the student experience, overseeing all divisional student activities, the advising system, community citizenship, academic integrity expectations, and discipline. The Upper School Dean of Student Life is expected to embody "Excellence with Humanity" by leading with integrity, energy, observing the highest standards of best practices with respect to equity and inclusion, and developing authentic relationships of trust with students, faculty, administrators, and families in the campus community. This is a school year position with some planning and administrative duties over the summer (i.e. updating the Student Handbook, communicating with deans and advisors about orientation trips and the start of school) that can generally be completed remotely at the discretion of the division head.
The Upper School Dean of Student Life is expected to:
Student Life Office and Advisory System
* Lead the 9-12 student life team, consisting of grade deans and the assistant dean of students
* Oversee budget and planning for orientation programs and other student life activities and trips
* With class deans, oversee the advisory program, advisors, and advisor mentoring
* Oversee organization, staffing and budget for student life programming, clubs and publications
* With assistant dean of students, take responsibility for daily attendance
* Coordinate with the Director of Parent Programs and Office of Marketing and Communications on parent programming and communication related to student life
Student Leadership
* Oversee all aspects (application, selection, programming) of student leadership, including student council, student advisors, and leadership training program
* Collaborate with other campus offices (DEI, Wellness, Athletics) to develop and support all student leadership functions
Student Support
* Lead weekly student support meetings with student life and wellness teams, and quarterly student support meetings with teachers and advisors
* Collaborate regularly with school counselors, school nurse, and director of learning services to coordinate student support plans, including medical leaves
Community Citizenship & Discipline
* Serve as leading voice on and role model for community values, rules, and expectations
* In collaboration with class deans and assistant dean of students, investigate and lead response to school rule violations by students
* Lead the Disciplinary Committee (DC) and its operations, training, and procedures
* Collaborate with the Director of DEI Programming on training and implementation of the Bias Incident Protocol
* With MS Dean of Student Life, update the Student Handbook on an annual basis as needed
Administration
* Represent the student life perspective on the Upper School Administrative Team, which collaborates weekly on all policy and program decisions affecting the Upper School
* Collaborate with Middle School administrators on the 8th to 9th grade transition and MS Dean of Student Life on cross-divisional experiences
Other
* Be a visible and prominent presence around campus and at school events, which include evenings and weekends from time to time
* Serve as an advisor
* Participate in spring course counseling for an additional stipend based on load
* Fulfill an additional 0.2 FTE, generally through teaching one section of a course
A great candidate will have a steady compass and a gentle approach, a strong aptitude for organizing, executing and following through on a variety of projects at once, as well as considerable experience teaching and advising, participating in and leading student life functions, and implementing leadership programming. A bachelor's degree is required; a master's degree is preferred. Candidates must value professional development as well as possess the ability and desire to collaborate effectively with colleagues to develop the program's goals and those of the institution. A team-first attitude, a sincere care for student well-being, and a commitment to advancing the school's DEI Mission are also essential qualities for a successful Rivers professional.
Rivers encourages interest from candidates who will enrich the diversity of identity, experience, and perspectives among our professional and school community. We recognize that skilled and innovative individuals follow a variety of pathways in life, and we enthusiastically invite applications from those who may have experience that meets our qualifications in non-traditional ways. Rivers offers BIPOC affinity, LGBTQ+ affinity, and white allyship spaces for professionals, as well as institutional professional development to support and enrich our work around equity and access. In addition to mentorship from peers and direct supervisors, all professional community members benefit from a year-long onboarding program.
Rivers Mission Statement & Core Values
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