Half-Time (0.5 FTE) Founding Leadership Position · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or M.Div preferred in Jewish Education, Judaic Studies, Jewish Leadership, Education, Spirituality, Theology, Youth Leadership Development, or a related field · 3+ years of successful secondary (grades 6–12) teaching or schoolwide leadership experience required; high school (grades 9–12) experience highly preferred · Some form of leadership experience is required; Jewish student center, campus minister, experiential program director, Judaics department, administration, or instructional leadership preferred · Jewish day, Jewish communal, or faith-based education experience is a plus · Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role, however, a deep appreciation for and understanding of key Jewish traditions and rituals is critical · Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you a Jewish educational leader who believes vibrant Jewish identity is cultivated through meaningful learning, authentic relationships, and inspiring communal experiences? Do you want to help shape the Jewish character and culture of a new college-preparatory high school from the ground up? Are you at a stage of life or portfolio where a founding part-time leadership role is the right fit? 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 a half-time (0.5 FTE) Dean of Jewish Life & Studies: the founding architect of Jewish life and Jewish learning at the school. You teach Jewish Studies, and you design and direct Jewish life — tefillah, the holiday cycle, Shabbatonim, the service program, and the student leaders who will carry them — with support from other staff members and partners for the day to day. Davis School Chicago has also posted a full-time Dean of Jewish Life & Studies https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/davischicago/01ed8db2-6602-4ceb-a694-aad19d75a356 role. That is a different job, the daily presence and community face of Jewish life, not this one at more hours. Apply to the seat that fits your life; if you are open to either, apply to both.
If the classroom is your center of gravity rather than the schoolwide portfolio, see the Jewish Studies / Judaic Studies Teacher (Part-Time) posting.
WHO THRIVES IN THIS ROLE
- Warm, Relational, and…