Director of the Research + Design Center

Beaver Country Day School is searching for a future-focused passionate educator who can nurture a culture of innovative thinking in the area of research and design. The Director of the Research + Design Center is a full-time administrative position that will report to the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation and the Director of Technology and oversee 7 dedicated members of the R+D Team. The R+D Center at Beaver is both a physical space that serves as an extension of the classroom, and a concept that weaves research and design into the Beaver curriculum in grades 6 through 12.
 

About Our School & Our People:

 We are not your typical independent school. Education is not traditionally seen as forward-thinking. But that's not the case at Beaver. We welcome change and seek feedback to continuously improve. Our "Launch, Test, Refine" mindset promotes flexibility, risk-taking, open-mindedness, and innovation. Our business is providing a future-focused education rooted in real-world context and experience and our clients are our students. 

 The Beaver mindset and approach to teaching place our students at the center of learning experiences in all settings, curricular and co-curricular.  

• Our students in grades 6-12 are interesting and passionate individuals, who, above all, are genuinely happy to be at Beaver. We provide students with opportunities to be co-creators of their learning, making it a deeper, more meaningful experience.  We are committed to providing an educational environment in tune with the real world and doing authentic work.  

• Our teachers and educational leaders are committed to—and excited about— expanding the nature of school, and igniting and fueling the passions of all our students.  

• Our mindset is to make excellent mistakes, launch/test/refine, and not be defined by binary thinking. Instead, we look to approach things from a both/and outlook: tradeoffs don’t have to be the answer and instead, that’s where creativity comes in. We are a community of creative thinkers and doers. 

• Our values include collaboration, partnership, and above all, creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for our community. This work is a priority and steadfast commitment. It is never “done”, and we will always make decisions with this at the core of who we are. For all Beaver students to feel a sense of belonging, it’s important that they see themselves reflected in the community, curriculum, and all our programming. 

• Our goal every day is to create a school that is making an impact – for our students, and for education as a whole. We don’t take that work lightly, we need people that are relentlessly committed to it and excited to do this work—together. 

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate on developing and implementing the strategic vision for the R+D Center in partnership with the Head of School, Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation, Director of Technology, and other key administrators 

• Create a welcoming and inclusive environment that ensures a diverse population of students and exposes all Beaver students to R+D concepts

• Lead, manage, and supervise the R+D Team

• Manage the budget, safety, logistics, and inventory for the R+D Center

• Collaborate with academic departments around curriculum, programming and projects

• Collaborate with administrative departments on projects, events, and initiatives involving the R + D Center as needed

• Inspire teachers and students to use the research and design process to develop projects both in and outside of the classroom

• Support and coach teachers on brainstorm, design, and implementation of ideas and projects

• Participate in R+D continuous improvement and implementation of new technologies

• Teach in an area of expertise modeling the research and design process

• Serve as a liaison to NuVu

• Create and maintain relationships with external organizations to provide students with opportunities for “real world” experiences

• Collaborate creatively with the Director of Summer Camp to infuse research and design into camp programming

•  And other responsibilities as assigned

Approach to teaching and learning:

The successful candidate will have a commitment to:

• Aligning the work of the R+D Center to the BVR Mindset and New Basics as critical to the Beaver Student Experience

• A future-focused education with an understanding of the complexity and ever-changing nature of the world our students are inheriting

• A “next practice” mindset that understands how teaching and learning are changing and how practices should adapt 

• Student-centered, culturally proactive, and responsive pedagogy in which all students are met where they are, and see themselves represented and valued

Additional things to know:

● We take cleaning and building safety seriously. You can feel confident in an attentive and flexible model of work that prioritizes our community health at every step.

● Generous Benefits (Health, Dental and more). For more information visit our website.

●   Breakfast and lunch provided, as well as coffee and snacks.

●   Free parking and close to the MBTA Green Line D.