Lower School Academic Dean

The Academic Dean leads the implementation of ASF's curriculum across grade levels within the division, ensuring alignment with the school's mission, vision, and strategic priorities, and delivery within the pedagogical frameworks the school has adopted (UDL, PBL, Inquiry-based learning, etc). The role involves designing and overseeing curricular and developmental policies that promote academic excellence and support students' personal growth. The Dean guides the effective delivery of division-wide programs, including IB (PYP, MYP, DP) or AP, as appropriate, and maintains a leadership style that balances collaboration with decisive action. As a visible academic leader, the Dean sets the division's academic tone, mentors faculty, supports new teacher onboarding, and collaborates closely with the Head of Division and the Director of Teaching and Learning to uphold rigorous, student-centered learning.

The Academic Dean also plays a key role in hiring, supervising, mentoring, and, when necessary, terminating staff as well as making budgeting recommendations, and ensuring cohesive K–12 curriculum development. The Dean strengthens instructional quality by mentoring teachers, supporting professional development, overseeing assessment processes, and fostering vertical and horizontal curricular alignment. In the Head of Division's absence, the Dean serves as acting division leader and fulfills additional responsibilities as assigned, maintaining high standards of professionalism and safeguarding practice

Education and Certification Requirements:

• Master's degree in Educational Leadership or an education-related field from a recognized U.S. or equivalent college/university.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Five years of successful teaching experience in a K-12 setting.
• Three or more years of experience as an administrator, coordinator, or academic leader.
• Experience in American and international curricula.
• Training and experience in PYP/MYP/IB Diploma/ AP, as appropriate for assigned level.
• Experience in leading teams in instructional approaches such as PBL and UDL.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee the implementation and delivery of curriculum and assessments.
• Provide support and mentorship to teachers based on observations and student performance data.
• Coordinate the implementation of the academic program(s) of the division.
• Ensure, under the direction of the Head of Division and the Director of Teaching and Learning, that students are engaged in an education founded on the Principles of Teaching and Learning of The American School Foundation.
• Lead the development of academic policies that ensure high standards and best practices.
• Work with administrators of other divisions in the school to ensure that there is a cohesive K-12 curriculum in place for all disciplines; is responsible for the division's portion of the curriculum documentation and mapping.
• Guide and mentor teachers to embrace the school's academic vision through research-based best practices.
• Work closely with teacher teams to develop vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment guided by the Director of Teaching & Learning.
• Support teachers through myriad professional development opportunities, such as mentoring, observation, peer observation, etc., to continually refine their teaching skills.
• Work closely with the Head of Division in implementing the Faculty Growth and Development Plan. As part of this effort, s/he collaborates to oversee professional development opportunities within the division.
• Oversee standardized testing and general data collection for the division; provide information to individual teachers and teaching teams/departments that can be analyzed and used to plan for improved instruction, including common assessments.
• Provide all necessary division information for evaluation and accreditation visits.