Director of Middle School

Hannah Senesh Community Day School is pleased to work with DRG to conduct this search. BACKGROUND Hannah Senesh Community Day School is a progressive K–8 Jewish day school in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, serving approximately 225 students and their families. Our Middle School, serving approximately 110 students in grades 5–8, is supported by a dedicated faculty of 15 educators.
Senesh is a school where rigorous and joyful learning, deep relationships, and meaningful Jewish life are woven together every day. Our students are curious, kind, and confident. We are committed to educating the whole child and to developing young people who see themselves as agents of change toward a more just world. As an open Jewish community, we create a wide tent with a strong center—one in which students and families can explore Jewish life, identity, and practice while developing a deep sense of belonging and responsibility to one another. Senesh values both tradition and possibility. We are proud of our Jewish identity and are committed to creating a vibrant, open Jewish community in which students and families can explore Jewish life, identity, and practice while engaging thoughtfully with the diversity of contemporary Jewish experience. Our school is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and a member of Prizmah. We continue to invest in our campus, programs, and Jewish life while building on the strong foundation of Senesh To learn more, please visit: https://www.hannahsenesh.org/ The Position Hannah Senesh seeks an experienced, thoughtful, and deeply relational educator to serve as its next Director of Middle School, beginning in summer 2027. The Middle School Director is the academic, cultural, and relational leader of grades 5–8. This is a highly visible leadership role at a particularly important developmental stage in a child's life. The Director creates the conditions in which adolescents can thrive intellectually, socially, emotionally, and Jewishly. The ideal candidate understands that excellent middle school education requires both high expectations and deep care. They know how to challenge students while supporting their development, create structures that provide adolescents with both boundaries and agency, and build a culture in which students feel known, valued, and accountable to one another. The Director will lead a talented and committed Middle School faculty, partner closely with students and families, and collaborate across the school to create a cohesive K–8 experience. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director will also contribute to the broader leadership, vision, and continued growth of Senesh. This is an opportunity for a leader who wants to do more than manage a division—to help shape what an excellent Jewish middle school can be. ROLE OVERVIEW The Middle School Director reports to the Head of School and works closely with the Senior Leadership Team, faculty, students, families, and school-wide specialists and administrators. Lead the Middle School Experience
• Provide vision and leadership for the Middle School, ensuring that its culture and program reflect Senesh’s mission, values, and educational philosophy.
• Create a warm, joyful, intellectually engaging, and appropriately structured environment responsive to the developmental needs of adolescents.
• Establish clear expectations and structures that foster belonging, responsibility, independence, leadership, and agency.
• Be a visible and trusted leader for students, faculty, and families, building a strong sense of community and Jewish pride. Lead Teaching and Learning
• Serve as the instructional leader of the Middle School, fostering excellent, reflective, and continually improving teaching.
• Observe, coach, and evaluate faculty; identify priorities for growth; and support meaningful professional learning and collaboration.
• Ensure curricular coherence, appropriate challenge and differentiation, and alignment across subjects and grade levels.
• Support thoughtful, purposeful use of technology and AI that enhances teaching and learning and aligns with Senesh’s educational values. Support Students and Build Strong Faculty Teams
• Lead a coordinated approach to student support, partnering with advisors, faculty, specialists, families, and the student support team to address students’ academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs.
• Recruit, supervise, mentor, and retain talented faculty while fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.
• Guide advisors and grade-level teams in building strong relationships and cohesive communities.
• Navigate complex student and faculty situations with empathy, clarity, consistency, and sound judgment. Partner with Students and Families
• Build trusting relationships with Middle School families and communicate clearly and proactively about student learning, development, expectations, and school life.
• Partner with families through both everyday opportunities and challenging situations, balancing empathy, directness, and appropriate boundaries.
• Supervise the Outplacement Director and ensure a coordinated, thoughtful high school placement process for students and families.
• Contribute to admissions, enrollment, retention, and community-building efforts. Cultivate Jewish Life and Belonging
• Help create a Middle School culture in which Jewish life, learning, identity, and community are woven into the student experience.
• Partner with the Judaic Studies Department Chair to ensure that Jewish learning, practice, leadership, and community are meaningfully integrated into Middle School life.
• Support students in developing meaningful connections to Jewish tradition, Israel, and the broader Jewish community.
• Foster a strong sense of belonging and Jewish community while encouraging students to engage thoughtfully with diverse perspectives and experiences. Contribute to School Leadership
• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to school-wide strategy, decision-making, and planning.
• Collaborate across the K–8 program to ensure a cohesive experience for students and families.
• Participate actively in school-wide events, programs, and community life.
• Contribute to Senesh’s ongoing growth, strategic vision, and evolution as a progressive Jewish day school. THE IDEAL CANDIDATE The successful candidate will be an experienced educator and leader who understands both the complexity and enormous possibility of middle school. We are seeking someone who is: A skilled instructional leader. They understand excellent middle school teaching and can develop teachers through observation, feedback, coaching, collaboration, and professional learning. Deeply relational and developmentally grounded. They understand adolescents and build authentic relationships with students, faculty, families, and colleagues while maintaining appropriate boundaries and expectations. A culture builder. They know that a strong middle school is built through relationships, rituals, expectations, joy, and a shared sense of purpose. A thoughtful and courageous decision-maker. They listen carefully, seek multiple perspectives, and then have the judgment and confidence to make decisions, communicate them clearly, and stand behind them. Collaborative and growth-oriented. They value partnership and shared leadership while recognizing that leadership sometimes requires difficult decisions. They seek feedback, learn from experience, and model intellectual humility and lifelong learning. Committed to Jewish education. They are excited by the opportunity to help young people develop meaningful Jewish lives and identities and are comfortable engaging with the diversity and complexity of contemporary Jewish life. An excellent communicator and reliable leader. They communicate with warmth, clarity, directness, and discretion and can manage multiple priorities, establish systems, and follow through in a complex school environment. Qualifications Candidates should have:
• Significant experience teaching and/or leading in a middle school setting.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing educators.
• A demonstrated understanding of excellent middle school teaching and learning.
• Experience working collaboratively with families and supporting students with a range of academic, social-emotional, and developmental needs.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• A demonstrated commitment to communities grounded in belonging, respect, responsibility, and intellectual openness.
• A commitment to Jewish education and to helping young people develop meaningful Jewish identities and connections.
• An advanced degree in education or a related field.
• Experience in Jewish education and/or an independent school setting is strongly preferred. We recognize that exceptional candidates may bring different combinations of experience and expertise. We encourage individuals who believe they could contribute meaningfully to this role to apply even if their background does not precisely match every qualification listed above. WHY SENESH? This Senesh is a school with a strong sense of who we are and a commitment to continuing to grow and learn. We take both learning and relationships seriously. We believe children should experience school as a place where they are known, challenged, supported, and joyful. We believe Jewish education should be intellectually alive, personally meaningful, and connected to community. And we believe schools should help young people develop the confidence and capacity to make a difference in the world around them. Our next Middle School Director will join a talented and caring faculty, a committed Senior Leadership Team, an engaged Board, and a community deeply invested in the future of the school. This is an opportunity to join Senesh and help shape an excellent Middle School within a strong and vibrant K–8 community. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS Hannah Senesh Community Day School offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, and a supportive professional environment. The salary range for this position is $140,000-$175,000 based on experience and qualifications. Hannah Senesh Community Day School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome candidates who will contribute to the diversity, vitality, and strength of our community. APPLICATION PROCESS DRG is conducting the search on behalf of Hannah Senesh Community Day School. Interested candidates should submit, as soon as possible, materials including the following:
• A cover letter describing their interest in the position and the experience and perspective they would bring to Senesh.
• A current resume.
• A brief statement describing their approach to middle school leadership and/or educational leadership.