Part-Time Founding Staff Position, with a Full-Time Pathway · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Athletic Administration, Sport Management, Education, or a related field · NIAAA certification (Registered or Certified Athletic Administrator) preferred · Experience in interscholastic athletics administration or head-coaching leadership required · Knowledge of IHSA rules and the Chicago-market athletics landscape is a plus · College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you an athletic administrator who believes education-based athletics builds character first? Do you know how to stand up a program from a blank page: eligibility, schedules, coaches, safety, culture? Are you excited to launch a founding athletics program in downtown Chicago? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
THE DREAM TEAM
Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college-preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state-of-the-art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture-builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator https://www.davischicago.org/idealeducator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.
To thrive here you are:
- Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
- You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
- A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
- Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
- Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
- Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro-Israel school.
WHAT DAVIS CHICAGO NEEDS
Davis Chicago is hiring the founding leader of its athletics program. The school opens in fall 2027 with a focused first-year lineup that grows with enrollment, anticipated IHSA membership, and a full-time certified Athletic Trainer & Fitness Manager already in the plan. The Athletic Director builds the rest: the compliance backbone, the schedules, the coaching staff, and the culture. If you are interested in a full-time role, apply to the full-time Davis School Chicago posting https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/davischicago that matches your primary craft and tell us about your athletic-administration depth; the school anticipates layering Athletic Director duties onto the right full-time hire with a leadership stipend.
WHO THRIVES IN THIS ROLE
- Warm, Relational, and High-Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
- A Compliance-Steady Administrator – Deadlines, eligibility, and safety handled before they are urgent.
- A Program Launcher – Builds schedules, coaching staffs, and traditions from zero.
- An Entrepreneurial Builder – Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
- A Curious and Courageous Thinker – Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
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