Head of School

Location: On-site (primary)

Hours: 40 per week; occasional overtime as agreed in advance

Rate: Dependent on experience

Total package: Salary, 401k, health insurance

The Head of School at PlayThrive School for Mandarin whole child education is responsible for fostering a positive learning environment that develops students socially, emotionally, physically and academically. They oversee curriculum design and implementation, teacher hiring and development, and partner with the Campus Director to bring PlayThrive’s vision to life.

The ideal candidate will enjoy connecting and networking with parents and educators to share the value that PlayThrive brings to the community. They have the ability to teach, mentor, and coach children and teachers to realize their full potential. PlayThrive’s Head of School will always demonstrate behavior that is positive, professional, ethical, and responsible.

The role is accountable to the PlayThrive Board of Directors and attendance and reporting at monthly meetings may be required.

Responsibilities: School strategy

• Ensure program alignment to PlayThrive’s mission and strategic goals
• Engage with parents to communicate strategic objectives, report on program performance, and share upcoming events
• Advocate to Campus Director and PlayThrive Board for strategic changes to further advance the school and its programs, including but not limited to changing student-to-teacher ratios, adding new enrichment activities, and facilities changes
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with members of multiple subsets of the RCSD community, including School campus partners (principal, teachers, custodians, food service personnel), Partners from other on-site programs, Representatives from the RCSD district office (Board of Education, Facilities, School Site Council)
• Support school events

Responsibilities: Educational success

• Design & deliver a multidisciplinary curriculum based on PlayThrive principles (Whole Child, Responsive Classroom, and Social Emotional Learning) that aligns to the school’s mission and strategic goals
• Ensure a positive trend on student performance as well as engagement
• Advancement of whole child and social and emotional learning objectives
• Incorporate additional enrichment activities/classes as needed to support whole child education
• Plan and deliver annual end-of-year summer camp and return-to-school activities
• Observe classroom activities and implement changes as necessary
• Participate in registration planning including but not limited to new family recruitment, student/teacher ratios, and facility capacities

Staff recruitment & development

• Recruit & manage teachers, including for part-time, substitute, or enrichment roles, to ensure the school is staffed to the appropriate student/teacher ratios
• Evaluate & manage performance, provide coaching, and identify professional development opportunities for teacher growth & retention
• Maintain accurate records, including but not limited to attendance records, timesheets, and incident reports
• Engage with the Campus Director and Board of Directors on HR-related issues or concerns

Fiscal responsibility

• Partner with Campus Director to monitor & report on budget set in collaboration with the Board
• Parent engagement
• Ensure teacher adherence to parent communication including updates on student academic or behavioral performance
• Maintain regular communication and engagement with parents of all students through school-wide announcements and updates to new program developments or curriculum changes
• Provide direction to the School Administrator to answer parent questions in a timely and accurate manner as needed
• Oversee school tours for prospective families and new family orientations

Skills & Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience in a leadership role at an educational institution (public or private)
• A growth mindset
• A passion for coaching, learning and development
• Familiarity with the principles of Social & Emotional Learning
• Experienced with language learning
• Fluency in both Mandarin and English
• Willingness to travel as required for trainings or conferences as requested by the Board (up to 5% of time)
• Excellent communication and organization skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working at a non-profit
• Experienced in Mandarin immersion teaching
• Trained in the principles of Social & Emotional Learning
• Experienced with implementing distance learning
• Experience setting and managing budgets