** This opportunity is now successfully closed**

Assistant Head of School, Teaching and Learning

As the only accredited IB World Continuum School in Southwestern Ontario, St. John’s-Kilmarnock School is proud to be a place where students love to learn. We take education beyond the classroom and help students discover their talents and passions through our global approach. We foster an environment of exploration and curiosity within a vibrant community of learners.

Position Summary:

The Assistant Head, Teaching and Learning will oversee the day-to-day running of the school with a focus on curriculum and the development of all aspects of teaching and learning from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, identifying and implementing strategies to develop an innovative and dynamic educational environment. The successful candidate will be a passionate leader, with a willingness to innovate and explore grounded by a clear educational philosophy rooted in best practices. The successful applicant will require flexibility, efficiency, organizational and interpersonal skills and leadership qualities together with a firm grasp of current educational issues, especially as they pertain to the International Baccalaureate Programme as well as education in Ontario.

The successful candidate will be a key member of the school’s Leadership Team. They will play a crucial role in developing and implementing the whole-school strategy to ensure that SJK retains its position as a leading IB World School.

This important role, whose scope is to ensure that SJK remains an outstanding, forward-thinking and leading academic school, would suit candidates with vision, creativity and energy and will be a key leader in the school community. The Assistant Head of School, Teaching and Learning, will develop and implement strategies to support our academic program through strategies articulated in our strategic plan. Some of these high-level strategies will include:

  • Create exciting, flexible pathways to graduation which are rigorous and relevant.
  • Connect learning to the real world through enhanced experiential education.
  • Ensure we understand and support each student on their individual SJK journey of self-discovery.
  • Enhance our capacity to attract outstanding faculty and staff and provide an exceptional professional growth program.
  • More details can be found in our Going Beyond! The SJK Strategic Plan 2022-2027

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Minimum of ten years of teaching and/or administrative experience, preferably in an independent school environment.
  • An educational background suited to the role, such as a bachelor’s degree and a Bachelor of Education degree. A master’s degree and formal leadership qualifications, such as the CAIS Leadership Institute, would be an asset.
  • A collaborative leader and team player with the ability to work collegially with multiple constituencies and foster collective leadership.
  • Excellent organizational leadership skills with experience using project management tools to ensure projects remain on schedule, communicate progress and meet agreed-upon goals.
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, as well as an ability to promote new programs and initiatives to internal and external audiences.
  • Skills in team building, conflict resolution, consensus-building and decision-making with multiple constituents.
  • A systems thinker who understands how decisions impact the whole of an organization with demonstrated capacity for data-driven decision-making.
  • Experience with managing budgets and creating business plans to ensure that new initiatives are viable and sustainable.
  • Demonstrated personal commitment to professional growth and to receiving and acting on constructive feedback.

School Description:

SJK is the leading co-educational independent school in the Waterloo Region of Ontario. The School, which was founded in 1972, is located on a beautiful 36-acre natural campus offering enriched educational programming for day students from JK-Grade 12 and international boarding students from Grades 9 – 12 through our accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. The School’s co-ed Boarding Residence is located in close proximity to the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

SJK offers a world of learning where we embrace innovation, diversity and internationalism. We have dedicated and inspirational educators, attentive to the needs of individual students and their families. Our expectations are high; students are encouraged to find balance through academics, sports, arts, service and leadership. As the only accredited IB World Continuum School in Southwestern Ontario, our students love to learn, and graduate as confident, well-rounded individuals fully prepared for post-secondary education and life beyond. Our graduates take their passions to the world as leaders and global citizens.

As a community, we believe in the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice. We strive to be a place where every student, faculty and staff member, parent and alumni feels that they are welcome and valued. We achieve this by living our core values and by appreciating that our learning community is enhanced by human differences. We value the unique experiences that each individual brings to our community and the myriad of perspectives that our diversity provides. We also recognize that it is our common humanity that binds us together as a community. We welcome applications from individuals who feel that they could make a positive contribution to our diverse community.

Waterloo Region is an active, dynamic and thriving place to live and work. It has a thriving technology sector, convenient transport links, and is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Ontario. The Region includes the bustling cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as four scenic rural townships: North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich. The Region is a popular and affordable alternative to living in Toronto and offers a pleasing mix of big-city benefits and small-town charm. Toronto, London, Brampton and Hamilton are only an hour away.

Application Process with Pender & Howe:

St. John’s-Kilmarnock School has retained Pender & Howe to lead the recruitment initiative for the Assistant Head of School, Teaching and Learning position. Pender & Howe is a boutique retained executive search firm specializing in collaborating with human capital leaders, governing boards, and organizational leaders in identifying exceptional talent.

The search is led by Travis Hann (he/him). For consideration, please email a copy of your CV in confidence to:

Travis Hann (Partner) – [email protected]

We thank all applicants in advance. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.