Head of School

The Head of School Role
Politz is seeking a Head of School to begin in July 2021. This is an opportunity for an individual with a passion for Jewish children and Jewish education, the vision to grow and guide an institution, and the drive to lead. We seek a leader who can set long-term goals, manage day-to-day operations to achieve the larger objectives, and bring other stakeholders along with him/her.
Building Culture & Community - The school has always defined itself as Modern Orthodox but in the past ten years, the student body has become much more diverse, growing to include the children of Chabad shluchim, the children of the faculty of Foxman Torah Institute, our local Chofetz Chaim high school, families who are beginning their journeys in Jewish observance, and kids from across the Orthodox spectrum. The school needs to reflect the uniqueness and diversity of the Cherry Hill Jewish community. To achieve this, we are looking for a Head of School who can build culture and community. We seek a leader who believes in the specialness and individuality of each student, who honors each child’s personality, background, and learning style, and who can cultivate this mindset throughout the school community.

The school culture that the Head of School manifests should be one where students are happy and excited to come to learn each day. The experience at school should teach our students to love learning, to feel happiness and pride in their religious observance, and to see themselves as valued members of the school community. Such a school culture can unite the range of viewpoints in our Orthodox community and position Politz as a community Torah day school that can serve as a big tent with room for all our families without abandoning our commitment to an excellent Judaic and general education or our staunch support for Israel and religious Zionism. To achieve these goals, the Head of School will need to be an excellent communicator and relationship builder who can express achdut and shared values in presenting the school’s curriculum, programs, and educational goals.

Educational Excellence - We are also looking for an educational leader who can create and sustain a culture of academic excellence. The Head of School should be someone whom our students (and parents and faculty) will respect as an academic and religious role model, who embodies the aspiration of lilmod, l’lamed v’la’asot - learning, teaching and doing - and a paragon of integrity who models the ideal of tocho k’varo, that they are the same on the inside as they appear on the outside. The Head should have a vision - built upon knowledge of state requirements - of what students should know across Jewish and secular subjects as they grow and progress through the school. They should have an understanding of different theories of learning and bring that knowledge to bear in practice so that all children have a place at Politz. They should be a strong mentor who can help each teacher to shine. They should be motivated by their love of children and learning and that passion should be palpable to all.

Effective Systems - The Head of School should be an effective executive and a systems thinker. We need a leader who can work with faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees to establish effective structures for meeting the operational and strategic goals of the school. This includes coaching and mentoring, staff evaluation, development. financial management, marketing, recruiting, and retention. The Head must be able to manage their schedule and the school calendar, making time to ensure that Politz is meeting its strategic goals.

Job Responsibilities Include:

Executive Leadership: Strategy and Planning
Foster trust and maintain positive morale among all faculty and staff members.
Chief Executive Officer in charge of all hiring, supervising, evaluation, and support for administrators and teachers.
Serve as a resource and provide opportunities for professional development for teachers and administrative staff.
Conduct reviews, performance evaluations, and ongoing performance feedback to staff.
Ensure that proper HR policies are in place.

Student Achievement: Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum
Responsible for setting, managing, and assessing the K-8 curriculum and expectations for academic achievement and social and emotional development.
Work collaboratively with the school leadership to envision and implement an innovative and rigorous academic and educational program.
Ensure that Politz meets the needs of a diverse array of learners and is committed to assuring an excellent educational experience for the full range of students, including those with accelerated learning needs as well as those requiring learning support.
Ensure that student discipline is consistent and compassionate, with a focus on conflict resolution, integration of all stakeholder viewpoints, and articulating a clear plan of action.

Organizational Responsibility: Fiscal Management, Board Partnership, and Fundraising
Responsible for collaboration with the Politz Board of Trustees, including attendance at Board meetings, advising Board committees, and communicating with the Board promptly.
Responsible for all financial matters, including financial planning and sustainability, resource allocation, the identification of new sources of income, the monitoring of expenditure to ensure that it is within appropriate levels, ensuring the linking of resource allocation to strategic and operational planning, and compliance with approved financial policies
Partner with the Board to periodically update and revise the school’s Strategic Plan and track performance against the objectives in the Strategic Plan.

Community Engagement: Parent and Giver Relationships
Maintain visibility and accessibility on campus and at school activities and community events.
Serve as chief spokesperson for the school.
Participate directly in fundraising activities including the cultivation and stewardship of donors and the solicitation of major gifts.
Provide timely, warm, “customer-centric” communication with parents regarding programs, activities, classroom/curriculum changes, policy decisions.
Meet with the Parent Association regularly or as requested.
Build and maintain meaningful connections with all constituencies of the school community.

Operational Excellence: Administration, Campus, and Facilities
Ensure that the school complies with legal requirements and educational policies in health, safety, data protection, and data retention.
Actively partner with the admissions department in the recruitment and retention of students.
Communicate with students, faculty, parents, and school leadership about any facilities, safety, and security issues.
Serve as a liaison between the school and community agencies and institutions.
Enhance the integration of the school into the fabric of the communities it serves, and with other appropriate community organizations and agencies.

Desired Qualifications
Successful work history in Jewish educational settings.
A minimum of 3 years of increasing administrative responsibility and/or institutional leadership, in Jewish educational settings.
Knowledge of and personal commitment to - Jewish ideals, values, rituals, and practice.
A practical understanding of educational theories and strategies through advanced study, certificate programs, mentoring, or equivalent.
Financial literacy and experience with institutional budgets.
Strong proficiency in the Hebrew language is a plus.
Ability to communicate clearly and thoughtfully both verbally and in writing.
Comfort soliciting input from others while still being decisive and independent in the decision-making process.
Excellent people skills with a warm, honest, and fair approach to dealing with others.
Ability to maintain composure and effectiveness under pressure and to approach work with creative energy, enthusiasm, and humor.

Please send cover letter and resume with 3 references to search@politz.org