Ramaz School – Upper School Principal
In the heart of New York City is Ramaz - a Jewish Day School with a rich history of Jewish education, academic distinction, and nurturing of individual abilities and aspirations. To be a student at Ramaz is to be encouraged, supported, and taught how to discover the best in oneself and in others, and to gain a profound, spirited sense of responsibility to the world.
Located on three campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Ramaz serves more than a thousand students from Nursery-12th grade in a vibrant and supportive community. The school, now in its 85th year, has a reputation for excellence both locally and internationally. We invite you to visit the website.
Qualifications
Ramaz seeks a leader who is committed to the mission and ethos of a 21st century Modern Orthodox yeshiva; an individual who understands and exemplifies the complexities and joys of leading a school community grounded in Modern Orthodox values while welcoming families from varying levels of observance.
- Master’s degree in education or related field preferred.
- 10+ years of strong leadership and management experience in similar school setting – both in and out of the classroom.
- Excellent pedagogical skills – including the capacity to plan, initiate, lead, and develop education and teaching in both general and subject-specific knowledge of student learning – to uphold the centrality of the rigorous learning process at Ramaz.
- Experience fostering a student-centered educational and social-emotional philosophy.
- Embody and set high ethical standards.
- Proven record of leading, motivating and developing high performance teams and processes among a range of stakeholders.
- Demonstrated success in program development and implementation.
- Highly developed problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to establish trust.
- Exceptional oral, written, interpersonal and presentation skills.
Upper School Principal Attributes and Responsibilities
The ideal candidate should be an individual with a demonstrated record of success as a leader; is perceptive and knowledgeable, a strong communicator, listener, and relationship-builder with a range of internal and external stakeholders. The candidate should possess the skills to communicate the Ramaz mission adeptly and authentically, and demonstrate well-honed strategic skills, including the ability to initiate and manage change, and to build effective, well-functioning teams.
- Embrace and lead a process that brings all faculty together to examine and enhance the curriculum to help ensure relevance and student preparedness for the 21st century, and for their future roles as active members and leaders of the Jewish community.
- Inspire an environment of learning experiences that gives students Torah knowledge and values, text-based tools, and joy to fully engage in Jewish life as active and observant Jews.
- Articulate and promote the value and differentiation of a Ramaz education in ways that inspire pride among faculty, students, parents, and the greater community.
- Steward the mission in ways that demonstrate an appreciation of our students’ continued success and our school’s competitiveness in a region with other strong educational alternatives.
- Set clear goals, expectations, and accountability with direct reports to ensure achievement of goals and consistency and transparency in communication among faculty and staff, between divisions, and parents.
- Provide management and oversight of Upper School operations, budgeting, and programming in ways that are organized, efficient and cost-effective.
- Partner with other divisions and departments to help clarify and align the Ramaz educational journey.
- Build effective relationships by interacting with the school’s multiple and varied stakeholders.
- Establish a highly visible presence in the school community – in and out of the classroom - inspiring students and parents through direct communication, teaching and speaking.
- Nurture a warm, embracing, and dynamic culture that inspires positivity and dedication to recruit and retain engaged, motivated students, and top-tier faculty and staff.
Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Partner with schoolwide leadership team members, finance, operations, institutional advancement, and communications to meet the school’s strategic objectives.
- Partner with the Head of School and Chief Financial Officer on all budgetary matters and specifically to identify, prioritize, and manage major educational objectives of the Upper School.
- Partner with the Head of School and admissions team in robust recruitment, enrollment, and retention activities.
- Lead an educational administrative team that is representative of faculty needs in General and Judaic Studies, Judaic leadership and student life. Work closely with this team to set policy in a collaborative manner, and in partnership with the upper school community.
- Conduct weekly and other regularly scheduled meetings with all direct reports to ensure that priorities are clear, and coordination is sound.
- Set priorities and supervise college and Israel guidance teams, learning center, and athletics coaching staff.
- Work closely with the school psychologists to prioritize the continued development of programs that help meet the mental health needs of the students, including but not limited to, advisory and grade deans. Help ensure multiple opportunities for students to actively participate in activities outside the classroom that enable them to balance rigorous academic demands with social-emotional needs.
- Foster, maintain, and manage relationships with key stakeholders – faculty, staff, students, and parents – and continue to build relationships with alumni parents and alumni.
- Strengthen a culture of school pride and partnership with faculty, students, and parents.
- Be a visible presence and participant at recruitment and retention events, build relationships with feeder schools and communities as identified through market research.
- Oversee and ensure robust co-curricular programs and athletics through direct reports.
- Be a regular attendee at athletic games, performances etc.
- Perform other reasonable responsibilities and duties as directed by The Head of School.
Other Considerations
Compensation Highly competitive with comparable schools and other nonprofit organizations in the region.
To apply: Please send a CV/resume and cover letter, Attn: Jonathan Cannon, Head of School, to cannonj@ramaz.org
