Upper School Grade Dean - The Blake School

The Blake School seeks an Upper School grade dean to provide leadership, guidance and support to all students and families in their assigned grade. The dean serves as the grade’s primary resource, overseeing the coherence and successful integration of all components of the student experience at Blake. Deans are part of a larger institutional administrative structure that works to live out the mission, values and vision of the school.

This dean will begin with a new class of tenth grade students and remain with them through their graduation. For the 2025-26 school year, this position will be for our sophomore class; the dean will then cycle through the grade levels the following years. 

For this role, we seek…

An Innovator 

   A strong candidate will 

…use creative solution-based thinking and seek new opportunities for student engagement. They will actively seek professional development opportunities and will be reflective, open to feedback and eager for professional collaboration. 

…actively look for opportunities to serve every student and recognize the individuality of each student.

A Collaborator

   A strong candidate will 

…be comfortable facilitating a group of peers in grade-level meetings aimed at evolving an advisory curriculum that is developmentally timely and designed for student well-being and social-emotional and academic skill-building. 

…be a strong team member and contributor in administrative teams that convene to support institutional vision and mission. 

An Expert 

  A strong candidate will 

…see the opportunities and challenges inherent in working with adolescents and will eagerly embrace both. 

…have familiarity with adolescents' developmental growth and maturity to design responsive advisory curricula. 

…will be able to navigate the tension between student advocacy and empowering students to use their voices appropriately to navigate challenges that are typical of adolescents in this setting. 

A Culture-Builder

   A strong candidate will 

…be fully committed to meeting both academic and social-emotional needs of students. 

…enthusiastically continue to evolve our advisory program. 

…possess an understanding of and commitment to modeling and teaching intercultural competence 

…demonstrate the ability to understand and bridge diverse perspectives, identities and lived experiences and empower students to engage across di?erences.

…be committed to equitable practices. 

A Professional 

   A strong candidate will 

…possess curiosity and continue to develop knowledge of content, curriculum and best practices in teaching and learning

…possess strong communication skills and the ability to deftly navigate between communication appropriate to students, families and colleagues.

Required Experience:

Essential Responsibilities

Student Facing:

• Serving as the main administrative point person for all grade concerns
• Providing support to students in the grade in academic and co-curricular activities
• Managing the transition of students new to the Upper School
• Organizing grade retreats and other grade-level events
• Helping students plan their academic schedule, ensuring that each individual’s program is appropriate and meets school requirements for graduation

Administrative:

• Coordinating and communicating disciplinary action
• Facilitating communication between parents and faculty
• Leading a committee of grade-level advisors and overseeing the implementation of our advisory curriculum
• Collecting and reviewing faculty reports on students and coordinating support services
• Working with the registrar to handle requests for schedule changes and other scheduling-related concerns
• Serving as a member of the Upper School administrative team, which entails supervising budgets, reviewing upholding policies and procedures, fostering a positive climate in division and at school events, and assuming other responsibilities as assigned by the director
• Sitting on the Upper School Admissions Committee

Additional Duties:

• Teaching one or two classes per semester or handling equivalent co-curricular duties

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree

• At least three years of teaching experience in a high school setting
• Ability and sensitivity to address and relate to the unique developmental and social-emotional needs of adolescents
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with supervisors, colleagues and parents
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills and organizational skills

Blake offers highly competitive salary and benefits packages, as well as significant support for local and national professional development opportunities. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on January 15, 2025. Blake will typically cover the travel and lodging costs for finalist candidates visiting from out of town.