Head of Upper School

Position Summary

The Upper School Head serves as the educational and cultural leader of the Upper School at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, guiding a vibrant community of students, faculty, and families in grades 9-12. Reporting directly to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Upper School Head champions academic excellence, student belonging, faculty growth, and mission-centered innovation.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership for all aspects of the Upper School program
• Promote a culture of intellectual curiosity, academic challenge, creativity, and student engagement
• Lead ongoing innovation in curriculum, teaching, learning, and student experience
• Support a balanced and student-centered academic environment that values both excellence and wellness
• Ensure alignment between SCH's mission and Upper School programming
• Foster a joyful, inclusive, and relationship-centered Upper School culture where students from varied backgrounds and experiences feel known, valued, and connected
• Ensure students are supported, challenged, and celebrated throughout their Upper School journey
• Promote student leadership, character development, ethical decision-making, and belonging
• Support student wellness and healthy adolescent development
• Cultivate a community that values empathy, collaboration, curiosity, and mutual respect
• Partner with students to sustain an engaged, vibrant, and mission-centered school culture
• Recruit, support, evaluate, and retain exceptional faculty and staff
• Foster a collaborative culture of professional growth and innovation
• Encourage interdisciplinary learning and mission-driven teaching practices
• Support faculty leadership development and instructional excellence
• Champion the distinctive programs and experiences that define the SCH Upper School journey, including:
• Inter-A athletics and student-athlete development
• The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL)
• Robotics, engineering, and innovation initiatives
• Visual and performing arts
• AP and advanced academic offerings
• Experiential and community-based learning
• Outdoor leadership and the ninth-grade Outward Bound partnership
• Philadelphia-based civic and cultural engagement opportunities
• Global education and international student experiences
• Support opportunities for students to engage in meaningful global learning, including international partnerships, cultural exchange, and educational travel experiences
• Ensure these experiences are integrated into a coherent vision of adolescent education that develops intellectual curiosity, resilience, leadership, creativity, collaboration, and purpose
• Build strong partnerships with families, students, faculty, alumni, and school leadership
• Communicate clearly, thoughtfully, and consistently with all constituents
• Serve as an ambassador for the Upper School and the broader mission of SCH
• Partner effectively with families from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences
• Participate actively in admissions, enrollment, and community events
• Partner closely with the COO and institutional leaders to support the daily student experience
• Lead Upper School planning, scheduling, staffing, and program implementation
• Support school-wide strategic initiatives and institutional priorities
• Contribute to long-range planning and innovation efforts

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in educational leadership and adolescent-centered learning environments
• Deep understanding of Upper School students and adolescent development
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills
• Strong commitment to academic excellence and student belonging
• Experience supporting innovative programming and interdisciplinary learning
• Able to lead with empathy, clarity, optimism, and integrity
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and community engagement
• Appreciation for the value of geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity within a school community