Chief Innovation Officer

Dwight-Englewood School seeks a Chief Innovation Officer with a track record of implementing both a strategic and tactical vision for innovation across departments and divisions that aligns with our school’s mission and vision.  Understanding of the culture of independent school education and the intentional community at its heart would be deeply valued.  The candidate we seek will care both about our faculty, staff, and student community as well as the institution, giving considerable thought to both the challenges and opportunities inherent in managing the diverse needs of an independent school.

Dwight-Englewood School is an independent school serving 1,035 students in grades Preschool 3 through 12.  We enroll students from approximately 120 zip codes.  We are located on a 45-acre campus in Englewood, NJ, just 5 minutes from the George Washington Bridge.  Twenty percent of our students receive financial aid totaling just over $6 million and 45 percent are students of color.  100 percent of our graduating seniors go to 4-year colleges and universities across the United States and abroad.  We seek to prepare students to meet the challenges of a changing world and make it better.

Major Functions and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of School, the Chief Innovation Officer is a member of the Senior Administration Team and is expected to work with School leadership to prioritize and accomplish the technology and innovation needs of the School:

• Provide thought leadership and partnership around innovation initiatives for the entire campus;
• Respond in real time to the innovation needs of the entire campus by working collaboratively with school leadership to identify, address, and resolve problems faced by individual and multiple departments;
• Evaluate and establish technology best practices, policies, and procedures across the School’s many departments, including IT planning and the budgeting process;
• Review resources and organization of the technology group to create more efficient, synergistic technology support for academic and administrative groups;
• Manage the IT department’s staff members and hire, mentor, develop, and retain effective and expert staff as needed;
• Serve as a trusted innovation partner for division heads and key departments;
• Act as a liaison between various departments of the School, brokering consensus on technology planning and solutions regarding Google Classroom, Blackbaud, and other platforms;
• Facilitate regular communication with the School community regarding innovation plans, projects, policies, and procedures (including training);
• Lead and develop the tech team to excel at providing quality and reliable information technology services and resources, at providing customer service, at communicating effectively, and at adopting operational best practices;
• Participate in and support the implementation of technology infrastructure for the campus as a whole.

Preferred Qualifications and Qualities

• Undergraduate degree (master’s preferred) in a relevant field and a minimum of seven years of managing technology, preferably in an educational environment;

• Personable, engaging, and comfortable being the “face of innovation;”
• A commitment to Dwight-Englewood’s mission and values;
• Ability to think strategically and create vision, while executing effectively;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Have established a well-regarded presence and reputation as a technology professional – interested in being a national leader in the field;
• Strong ability to connect technology with innovation in curriculum and business/administration processes;
• Has integrity and is a consensus builder among staff, faculty, and students;
• Excellent organizational skills and project management experience;
• Strong leader and manager; actively promotes professional development and mentors the technology team to foster individual growth and align skillsets with the School’s needs;

Dwight-Englewood School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, religion, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or military veteran status. The diversity of our student body supports our commitment to employ a diverse faculty and staff. Educators from all backgrounds who bring knowledge and expertise in equity, diversity and multicultural education are encouraged to apply.