Career Center

Dean of Students

JOB TITLE: Dean of Students

REPORTS TO: Head of School

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

SALARY RANGE: $125,000-$175,000, based on experience

Marin Academy seeks a visionary leader to serve as Dean of Students beginning July 1, 2023.

The Dean of Students is a senior leadership position, and ideal candidates will be those who focus on the social and emotional growth and learning of students and who strive to enact student support through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The next Dean of Students will be a collaborative, student-centered progressive educator who believes in and helps cultivate the promise in each student.

By example and in action, the Dean of Students will be called upon to support our school’s mission and policies, building programming and opportunities for student leadership, communicating expectations and ensuring that students are adhering to successfully navigating our community’s expectations for integrity; and enacting restorative and disciplinary responses to promote student growth, accountability, and learning.

Institutional Leadership

• Serves on Senior Administrative & Leadership Teams
• Creates and implements a mission-aligned vision for the student experience and student leadership that keeps MA current, relevant, and innovative
• Supports and collaborates with Dean of Academics, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Equity and Inclusion
• Keeps diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as a priority and lens in all work
• Stays current with and engages in best practices, ideas, trends, and the overall landscape around adolescent development, well-being and community building
• Organizes and oversees the advisory system and co-curricular programming in partnership with the Dean of Equity and Inclusion and the Dean of Academics.
• Chairs committees and task forces related to the role of Dean of Students
• Serves on Board committees as requested

Parents/Guardians/Families

• Establishes and oversees cooperative working relationships with parents/guardians
• Communicates and works with families around student support
• Presents to current or potential parents/guardians as needed or requested, including at MAPA (Marin Academy Parent Association) meetings, admissions events, and more

Students

• Oversees and maintains student behavioral policies
• Working with the Dean of Academics, oversees and maintains student academic policies
• Works in concert with Dean of Academics, Director of Learning Services, Director of Student Inclusion and Belonging, and class deans to support students
• Coordinates referral of students with emotional/psychological needs
• Advises student senate
• Collaborates with the Dean of Equity and Inclusion and the Director of Student Inclusion and Belonging to develop programming in support of a culture of inclusion and belonging

Faculty and Staff

• Chairs the Student Support Team
• Supervises and collaborates with the grade-level deans in identifying and addressing students’ emotional and psychological needs
• Oversees the administration of student activities
• Oversees the co-curricular programming including Minicourse, outings (including Wilderness Quest), clubs, student organizations, co-curricular plays, and other activities
• Partners with the Dean of Faculty and the Dean of Equity and Inclusion to design, plan, and deliver professional development related to student support to faculty and staff
• Coordinates, in partnership with the Dean of Faculty and the Director of Human Resources, the school’s policies and protocols around adult/student relationships in an educational environment
• Serves as a resource, advisor, and leader for the faculty and staff

Academic Leadership

• In coordination with the Dean of Academics and Dean of Equity, and Inclusion, establishes appropriate level of expectations for students’ academic performance
• In coordination with the Dean of Academics and Dean of Equity and Inclusion, designs and implements appropriate measures for addressing students’ academic difficulties
• Teaches one class and advises

Administrative Leadership

• Manages Dean of Students budget
• Coordinates and updates the Student/Family handbook
• Keeps employees, families, and students informed of program goals, policies, and activities
• In coordination with the Dean of Academics and Registrar, organizes annual Back-to-School Night and conferences
• Serves as school liaison to MA Parents Association (MAPA)
• Coordinates student transportation and student parking (busing, carpooling, and parking)
• Coordinates school assemblies

Cultural Leadership

• Models and cultivates a shared sense of purpose in order to create a culture of engagement and investment among all members of the community
• Models encouragement and compassion through interactions with all members of the community
• Models transparency in an effort to foster a culture of collegiality
• Serves as a resource, advisor, and leader for advisors and deans as it relates to student concerns

Represents School

• Represents student life at admissions events: Admissions Coffees, Open Houses, Welcome Day, Revisit Week
• Attends parent outreach events and gatherings
• Attends Advancements events such as MACelebrates, alumni events, and Founders Circle
• Attends students’ activities such as athletic events, performances, and dances

Direct Reports

• Class Deans
• Director of Outings
• School Counselor
• Advisors
• Director of Athletics

At Marin Academy, we believe equity and inclusion are at the core of our mission,

which calls on us “to think, question, and create in an environment of encouragement

and compassion.” In challenging us “to accept the responsibilities posed by education

in a democratic society,” the MA community seeks to envision and to manifest a more

just world and to grapple with the inequitable systems and structures that persist

around us. These values are embedded in our teaching and learning. At MA, we

recognize that creating an inclusive school is not a one-time act—it’s an ongoing

process that requires continual attention and evolution. While we work to represent

diverse voices within the curriculum, we also engage in reimagining our practices and

culture to consider students’ lived experiences and needs.

At present, MA is deeply engaged in the work outlined in our ambitious strategic plan

which emphasizes interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and learning,

competency-based assessment, and equity and inclusion. Candidates eager to work

toward these strategic goals will be prioritized in our search progress. Furthermore, we

welcome candidates who are eager to grow in their professional lives and who

demonstrate a willingness and an ability to engage in reflection on their practice.

The qualifications and personal attributes of the next Dean of Students include the

following:

• A spirit of curiosity that pursues and creates best practices in education;
• The ability to articulate vision and strategy as well as the tactical skills to manage systems and enact change;
• A leadership style that embodies confidence, humility, and a sense of humor;
• A demonstrated ability to make decisions that hold integrity and what is best for students as core values;

The school is a vibrant and increasingly diverse community, and students and teachers

alike continue to work towards furthering an inclusive and supportive school.

Marin Academy is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through

diversity, and people of color and women are encouraged to apply. For more

information about Marin Academy, please visit our website (www.ma.org).

To Apply:

Please send the following to , Head of School Travis Brownley (travis@ma.org)

• A cover letter expressing interest in the Dean of Students position
• A current resume
• 5 professional references with all contact information provided (references will not be contacted without the candidates permission)
• A two-page statement articulating how you would use competency based learning to shape a student centered culture of growth and leadership.

About Marin Academy

MA is a progressive high school in the San Francisco Bay Area emphasizing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and learning, competency-based assessment, and equity and inclusion. MA values the inclusion of many voices and perspectives, and candidates should have the inclination and experience to work in a diverse community focused on issues of equity and social justice. In addition, we highly value the student-teacher relationship. Individuals with a demonstrated desire to play roles across the school including but not limited to advising, leading student activities, coaching, and/or supporting other key programs are encouraged to apply. Marin Academy’s mission statement “asks every individual to think, question, and create in an environment of encouragement and compassion, and challenges each person to accept the responsibilities posed by education in a democratic society.” The school is a vibrant and diverse community, and students and teachers alike continue to work towards the furthering of an inclusive and supportive school. Marin Academy is an equal-opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity, and people of color and women are encouraged to apply. For more information about Marin Academy, please visit our website (www.ma.org).

Connections working at Marin Academy