Head Of School Job In Vaughan

Job Description

Greater Toronto Area – Midtown Toronto and Vaughan

The Organization

Founded in 1961, Bialik Hebrew Day School (“Bialik”/“the School”) is one of the largest non-denominational Jewish schools in North America. The “Jewish day school for today’s generation”, Bialik promotes academic excellence combined with strong Jewish identity, values and a love of Israel. With over 1,500 students and 240 faculty and staff, Bialik is proud to offer top quality Jewish education at the midtown-Toronto Viewmount Branch, and at the Himel Branch located on the Vaughan Community Campus.

Bialik has a tremendous commitment to developing students into top-tier thinkers and problem solvers with the qualities and skills that will help them become future leaders of our community, our country and beyond. The School is deeply invested in the quality of its Jewish Studies program, charged with instilling in students core Jewish values and traditions.

Every day at Bialik, outstanding students are empowered to make a difference. As an institution, Bialik has a legacy of distinction and maintains a resolute commitment to academic innovation and excellence. Bialik is a school that constantly builds on its achievements. Since its early beginnings in the 1960s, it has been on a continuous growth path and Bialik’s engaged and dedicated community has always been central to the School’s success in providing exemplary resources, facilities and education for students.

The Opportunity

Due to the upcoming retirement of the current Head of School (scheduled for the end of the 2024-25 school year), Bialik has an exceptional opportunity for a passionate, visionary education leader with strong engagement, fundraising and strategic management skills. Bialik is seeking a Head of School who will build upon its strengths and help shape its vision for the future. The Head of School is the Chief Executive, Administrative and Educational Officer of Bialik. Reporting to the School’s Board of Directors, the Head of School has ultimate responsibility for ensuring the articulation, implementation and advancement of the School’s vision, mission and history, and for providing an outstanding General and Jewish education to the School’s students. As the professional leader, the Head of School has responsibility for overseeing all operations of both branches of the School (Viewmount and Himel) including the supervision of both Branch Principals. In addition, the Head of School plays a primary role in overseeing and driving institutional advancement, community relations and financial operations.

The Head of School plays a key role in articulating the values and ethos of the School throughout the School’s community and beyond. Building a close relationship with the Board of Directors to strengthen the vision and strategy for the School is also a primary responsibility for the Head of School.

The Head of School is responsible for advancing the School’s commitment to the highest Jewish and General Studies educational standards and providing a dynamic learning environment for students and teachers alike. The Head of School will lead efforts to define future planning and priorities for both the Viewmount and Himel branches and will serve as the School’s representative in the Greater Toronto Area (“GTA”) community and its various constituencies, in Jewish education communities across North America and in Israel. The Head of School will also serve as a leader and as an advocate for community-based, trans-denominational education which is welcoming and respectful of students from all streams of Judaism.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring the following skills and experiences:

• Proven track record as an organizational leader and/or educational administrator.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a large and complex organization in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Ability to communicate and articulate vision, mission, values and ideas in a charismatic, consensus building, persuasive manner to all constituencies, especially faculty, staff, board members, parents and donors.
• Ability to promote and foster educational excellence, including raising the standards and value of Judaic and secular programming and enhancing staff performance.
• Ability to see the “big picture” and maintain a strategic overview in addressing problems and planning solutions in a results-oriented manner. Vision to develop and advocate for new, imaginative and unique solutions.
• Ability to set clear priorities from a number of diverse tasks and needs, meeting predetermined schedules and laying out a timely course of action to address issues.
• Open and collaborative management and leadership style. Comfortable with soliciting input from others while still being decisive and independent in the decision-making process. Ability to delegate and transfer authority and responsibility for work to others.
• Strong supervisory and evaluation skills to monitor staff objectively and hold them accountable for expected results.
• Excellent people skills. Warm, honest and fair approach in dealing with others. Ability to interact, listen and engage comfortably with a wide variety of key constituents including board members, parents, students, major donors and community leaders.
• Ability to maintain composure and effectiveness under pressure. Ability to approach work with a sense of creative energy, enthusiasm and humour.
• Financial resource development skills and ability including experience with major gift cultivation and solicitation.
• Knowledge of, and personal commitment to, Jewish ideals, values, history, ritual and practice.
• Highly knowledgeable of, sensitive to and genuine respect for all streams of Judaism and openness to a variety of ritual and practice.
• Hebrew language skills are considered an asset.
• Experience with labour relations and working in a unionized environment is considered a strong asset.
• Advanced degree in Education, Educational Administration, Judaic Studies or another related field.

Application Process

A detailed position profile is available upon request.

Siegel Executive Search Solutions Inc., member of the Executive Search Alliance, is advising Bialik on the basis of an exclusive consulting assignment. Interested applicants may explore this opportunity in confidence by submitting a cover letter and resume to kerry.siegel@execsearchalliance.com as soon as possible and not later than September 13, 2024.

The publication of this advertisement is neither an assurance that an applicant will be hired, nor that the position will be held open for any specific period of time in the event that a suitable candidate for the position is identified at an earlier date.

We thank all applicants for their interest but only those who are considered for an interview will be contacted.