LOWER SCHOOL DIRECTOR

GDS’ next Lower School Director will lead the division as it grows, adding classes, hiring faculty, and
partnering with others at the school as it evolves and leverages the opportunities that come with growth.
More specifically, the school seeks a leader who will:

• Serve as the educational leader for the Lower School, guiding curriculum development, pedagogy,
assessment practices, learning support services, and alignment with upper divisions
• Actively manage, monitor, and refine safety protocols and policies to ensure the emotional, social,
and physical safety of the Lower School community
• Lead and support faculty in their design, implementation, and evaluation of developmentally
appropriate curriculum and programs that support students’ academic, social, emotional, and
citizenship growth
• Ensure that the school’s Community Cornerstones are meaningfully woven into the Lower School
experience—helping students become responsible members of their school, community, and beyond
• Promote an instructional culture of reflection, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Oversee faculty training, goal setting, classroom observations, review of teaching practices, and
annual performance evaluations
• Hire, orient, mentor, evaluate, and retain high-quality Lower School faculty and staff
• Build a strong, collaborative, positive culture among Lower School faculty, honoring their professional
expertise while fostering shared purpose and continuous growth
• Work with leadership colleagues and school wide teams to ensure coherence and alignment across
the school
• Collaborate with the Associate Head of School for People & Program, Dean of Academics, and
Dean of Campus Life to align curriculum, academic program, student services, and student life
opportunities
• Oversee day-to-day operations of the Lower School: scheduling, supervision, student discipline,
attendance, safety protocols, events, and communications
• Collaborate with colleagues in other departments to support enrollment, community engagement,
and resource planning
• Serve as ambassador for the Lower School, representing the division in meetings with parents,
prospective families, and other constituencies
• Maintain strong partnerships with parents and families: proactive communication, family education
events, involvement of parent stakeholders, and positive parent-faculty-division relations
• Provide a visible and engaged presence in all aspects of Lower School life (classrooms, playgrounds,
events, assemblies, etc.) and models the Community Cornerstones and Core Values of the School

Qualifications and Personal Attributes
• Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees required
• Minimum of five years in a leadership role supporting & evaluating faculty, ideally in an independent
school (experience as a lower school division director is preferred)
• Teaching experience at the lower school level
• Demonstrated knowledge of current trends and best practices in elementary education
• Leads by asking and answering “why” and “how,” someone who is bold enough to question the
status quo and discerning enough to know when to iterate approach and pace of change
• Leads by listening and values teacher and student voice
• Results oriented -- ability to build, lead, and manage comprehensive organizational initiatives and
proactively solve problems
• Supports organizational change, mobilizes others across diverse stakeholder groups for
organizational change, and drives momentum for change
• Has a high degree of emotional intelligence
• Is proactive, responsive, and always closes the loop
• Personal qualities of credibility and unwavering commitment to Greensboro Day School’s mission
• A sense of humor is appreciated

Projected Timeline for the Lower School Director Search Process
Below is a projected timeline for the search, and we aim to have this wrapped up by the end of February.
• Initial Interviews: Completed by end of January
• Semifinalist Round: Early February
• Finalist Visits to Campus: Mid-February
• Lower School Director Projected Announcement: Late February

To Apply:
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:
• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of
each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

1) John Faubert
Consultant
[email protected]

2)Amanda Gastel
Consultant
[email protected]