Career Center

Riverdale Country School (Riverdale, the School) seeks an innovative and experienced secondary school leader to join its community as its new Head of Upper School. The successful candidate will join a new school administration primed to build upon Riverdale’s legacy of success. One of the finest independent schools in New York City, Riverdale is a place of excellence and possibilities. The School prepares its students to develop the confidence, independence, knowledge, and character necessary to join, succeed in, and meaningfully contribute to a constantly evolving 21st century world.

Looking ahead, the division’s next leader will be expected to build upon the Upper School’s strong foundation. The next Head will lead with pedagogical vision and intellectual curiosity about innovative ways of teaching and learning. Reporting directly to the Head of School, the Upper School Head will serve as the academic and administrative leader for 574 students, 102 faculty, and 55 staff. The ideal candidate will have a proven record of administrative leadership, including experience with faculty recruitment and development, curricular and strategic planning, community building with colleagues, and partnering with parents. The new division head should be an experienced leader who is student-centered; strategic, collaborative, and consensus-oriented; and effective in cultivating talent and leading a high-performing team.

Riverdale seeks an educator who, in collaboration with the Head of School and other members of the School’s leadership team, will steward and strengthen Riverdale going forward. Riverdale has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this important recruitment. All inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed to the search firm as directed at the end of this document. 

Riverdale describes its leadership model as one of “institutional alignment and divisional autonomy.” The division head has considerable autonomy to lead and shape the direction of the academic and co-curricular program for the Upper School while ensuring that the division’s program and culture resonate with Riverdale’s identity and core values. 

Reporting directly to the Head of School, the Head of Upper School will sit on the School’s leadership team and will participate in regular, high-level discussions about Riverdale’s future. Other leadership team members include the Associate Head for External Affairs, the Assistant Head for Strategy and Operations, the Assistant Head of School and Head of the Middle School, and the Associate Head of School and Head of the Lower School. The Upper School Head will work with a very strong team of department heads and deans in a robust structure of distributed leadership. In addition, the Head oversees the college office, the Assistant Head of the Upper School, the Director of Athletics, and Upper School deans, while working closely in partnership with the directors of student life and DEIB.

In its next Head of Upper School, Riverdale Country School seeks an experienced and innovative leader who can leverage and build upon existing excellence and encourage collaborative and innovative work across departments and divisions. The incoming Head of Upper School should be an enthusiastic and visible member of the Riverdale community and should be eager to invest wholly in the School’s current and future success. They will be expected to quickly build warm, trusting relationships with all Riverdale constituencies and effectively lead and manage the high expectations of the teaching faculty and parent community. The division head will be expected to teach in the Upper School curriculum and be an active and engaged member of the faculty as well as its leader. 

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• The successful candidate will bring many of the following personal and professional qualities:
• A distinguished record of outstanding classroom teaching as well as considerable involvement with students beyond the regular classroom; 
• A nuanced understanding of student development and learning;
• Significant prior school leadership experience in an environment with high expectations;
• Successful record of administrative experience in an academically demanding and student centered environment and experience collaborating with colleagues across school divisions;
• The ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all school constituencies;
• The creativity to brainstorm and problem-solve to generate student-centered solutions in a dynamic school environment; 
• An unwavering commitment to academic excellence and innovation in the classroom;  
• Experience managing teams and high-performing individuals;
• Ample experience with faculty evaluation and assessment and a comfort engaging with faculty colleagues in conversations related to professional development and pedagogy;
• Nuanced understanding of issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in education;
• Integrity and the highest ethical, moral, and professional standards; and
• Excellent academic credentials; an advanced degree is preferred.

The US Head Position is being run through the search firm Issacson, Miller.  Please submit your materials through IM using the email address listed below.

About Riverdale Country School

Riverdale Country School is a Pre-K through grade 12 independent school in New York City committed to empowering lifelong learners by developing minds, building character, and creating community in order to change our world for the good. Riverdale seeks to reflect the diversity of the New York metropolitan area in its students, faculty, and staff. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) is the foundational core of the anti-racist, anti-bias, and transformational work that Riverdale is doing to help students, faculty/staff, families, and alumni feel seen, heard, and valued. The school enrolls about 1,200 students who collectively reside in 104 different zip codes. Approximately 43% of our student body are students of color. We seek to employ people who engage in all aspects of work with a student-centered approach, an open mind, passion, and a willingness to support the greater community. At Riverdale we recognize that the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is iterative and requires a consistent commitment. Ideal candidates display that commitment in their work and in their approach to teaching and learning. Riverdale is an Equal Opportunity Empl...oyer and complies with all federal, state, and local laws which prohibit discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national and ethnic origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital or partnership status, caregiver status, predisposing genetic characteristics, disability, active military or veteran status, actual or perceived status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

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