Dean of Student Life & Culture
Location
McLean, VA | United States
Job description
The Dean of Student Life & Culture will have the opportunity to design and cultivate a future-facing residential and immersive community – focusing on deep and meaningful student engagement, social-emotional learning, connection, and collaboration. Essential responsibilities include:
Leadership
- Work with the Head of School to curate a joyful, equitable, and inclusive community while developing and managing social policies, protocols, and practices that serve to support student development, learning, health, and safety in non-coercive ways
- Promote high standards and expectations for student engagement, student leadership, personal integrity, and community responsibility
- Build a positive, supportive team environment, working collaboratively with other departments and leaders throughout the School.
- Provide leadership for student life programs and personnel; guide decision-making, approve budgets, and be informed of all major issues in these program areas
- Develop and implement an innovative residential life program that aligns with and embodies the School’s values and which results in a healthy student community
- Oversee Madeira’s evolving Advisory program and mentor/guide the Class Deans in curating a culture of belonging
- Work collaboratively with other Madeira departments as they overlap with student activities and services, including the Business Office, Development, Buildings & Grounds, Admissions, Security, and Athletics
- Manage, mentor, and supervise the Student Life & Culture office, Health & Wellness Center, and Residential Life Program
Program and Project Management
- Lead professional development and learning for campus residential staff and others as they participate in the Residential Life Program; ensuring the appropriate onboarding, training, and mentoring of all dorm related faculty and campus residents
- Oversee the non-academic life of boarding and day students, including dormitory life and the student activities and programs
- Facilitate ongoing student events and traditions for all grade levels
- Oversee revisions to official student forms, permission slips, policy acknowledgements, and the annual Student-Family and Staff Resident Handbooks
- Work collaboratively with the Housing Committee to allocate campus housing
- Oversee the evaluation of each campus residential staff member on a yearly basis, providing feedback, mentoring, and counseling out of the residential life program as appropriate
Professional Qualities
Madeira is seeking candidates who can embrace, articulate, and promote Madeira's mission to launch women who change the world and have this mission reflected in the culture of Madeira. In addition to excellent communication and organizational skills, successful candidates will have many, if not all, of the following strengths and will have the ability to think creatively and strategically about the holistic student experience:
- Maintain clear and consistent communication about student life and culture with students, the Head of School, Senior Administrative colleagues, all faculty & staff, and parents.
- Navigate difficult conversations with diplomacy and appropriate sensitivity
- Work with the Communications Office to share important student life information to all constituents
- Ability to discern, communicate, and maintain appropriate professional boundaries
- Ability to balance the needs and values of the community with those of the individual
- Ability to exercise discretion when dealing with sensitive or confidential information
- Ability to maintain perspective and be reflective in challenging situations
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain meticulous records
- Ability to use, evaluate, and establish effective digital systems
- Interest in and appreciation for adolescent development in residential and day school settings
- Positive outlook with a healthy sense of humor
- Caring and appropriate role model for adolescents
- Creative and flexible problem solver
- Confident and self-reflective
- Curious, continuous learner and joyful culture creator and sustainer
- Minimum of five years working in an educational setting or with adolescents
- Previous classroom teaching experience and student life or academic leadership
- Boarding school experience, preferred
- Master’s degree, certificate, or credential
About The Madeira School
Founded in 1906, The Madeira School is one of the nations’ top secondary schools for girls. Located just outside Washington DC, Madeira enrolls approximately 330 boarding and daygirls in grades 9-12. The school has a long tradition of rigorous academics and one of the country’s oldest Experiential Learning programs, currently known as Co-Curriculum. As an all-girls college preparatory boarding and day school, The Madeira School is dedicated to providing girls with a top-notch education and the skills to lead lives of their own making. At Madeira, you will find an extraordinary faculty that engage and challenge the minds of our students.
Connections working at The Madeira School
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