Chief Information Officer

Overview of the School

Mission Statement:

Presbyterian Day School strives to glorify God by developing boys in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Luke 2:52

Founded in 1949 by Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN, Presbyterian Day School (PDS) is one of the country’s outstanding independent schools, serving 580 boys in Young Knights (two-year-olds) through the 6th grade. A warm and welcoming Christian environment not only helps boys to develop the skills, habits and mindsets that they will need to thrive and lead as scholars and citizens in a dynamic world, but also offers them significant opportunities to nurture their faith, values and character. PDS is intentional about developing a godly vision of manhood within our boys. Both academic excellence and a deep commitment to Christian education characterize the school.

A school of great traditions and strength that could have rested on successes, PDS has instead relentlessly and courageously pursued a path of questioning, research and study about the nature of learning, schooling and boys. Building on its remarkable commitment to professional development and its talented faculty (nearly 90% of whom have attended Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education), PDS has thoughtfully developed an innovative curriculum and progressive pedagogies that are relevant for today and also intentionally boy-friendly.

PDS has collaboratively developed academic principles to guide and shape its educational programs. Building on necessary and important foundational skills, the predominant long-term focus of the academic program at PDS is on the development of critical and creative thinking skills and is increasingly customized to the learning profile of each boy.
 A 1:1 laptop school with interactive whiteboards in every classroom, PDS extensively utilizes cutting-edge technologies in an integrated manner to not only reinforce basic foundational skills, but also to allow boys to collaborate, communicate and create. PDS leverages technology and its other assets in flexible and creative ways to give each boy exactly what he needs.

Overview of the Position

Recently, the longtime Chief Information Officer (CIO) announced her retirement from PDS. Her legacy will continue as we constantly seek to integrate technology into all areas of school life. Working closely with the Head of Early Childhood and the Head of Elemenatry, the CIO will lead a team of dedicated technology experts who strive to equip teachers to utilize technology as a creative tool supporting and enhancing teaching and learning at PDS. Additionally, the CIO will manage and support the technology infrastructure and systems that are currently in place and provide vision for future expansion.

The CIO additionally has responsibility over the Library at PDS. The PDS Library, located in the heart of the school, is a welcoming common space that encourages exploration, creation, collaboration, and creative problem solving between students, teachers, parent volunteers, and the broader community. It brings together the best of the physical volumes and digital media to create learning hubs that appeal to different needs, age groups, and learning styles.

The CIO will serve on the school’s Senior Leadership team and be a part of the Academic Team.

The position will begin on August 1, 2018.

Qualifications and Qualities

• Experience in leading technology initiatives with vision and passion
• Knowledge of systems and networks
• Desire to think strategically and create vision
• Strong interpersonal skills to help build faculty and staff towards consensus
• Team player in larger leadership groups
• Champion of professional development
• Experience managing a large budget and 1:1 program

Next Steps

Interested and qualified candidates should submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• Formal cover letter for the position of CIO at PDS.
• Current resume
• A list of five professional references with name, title, phone number and email. References will not be contacted without the candidates permission

Please submit all documentation to:
Cheryl Burkart
Administrative Assistant to the Headmaster
cburkart@pdsmemphis.org

Please, no phone calls.