Division Head & Dean Positions

Whether you've taught that well-loved subject, supervised countless groups of chatty teens as a dorm parent, or been a visible member of school administration, you are a colorful part of an independent school's tapestry. If you believe that you possess the foresight, leadership skills, and creativity to further improve the quality of education and community at an independent or private school, then consider working with CS&A to take the next step in your career path as a division head or dean.

Depending on the role you wish to fill and the opportunities available, you may work with either our Placement Group or our retained Search Group. Read more below for information on how to find these types of jobs with our Placement Group; click here to see current opportunities available through the Search Group.

Division Head and Dean Positions at Independent Schools

Roughly translated, the position of division head or dean at an independent school corresponds to that of a principal in a public or charter school. At an independent school that only has one “division” (a grade 9-12 boarding school, for instance), the title “dean” will usually correspond to senior administrators who work under and report to the Head of School. Positions include Academic Dean, Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Residential Life. At day schools, deans typically report to Division Heads.

Finding a Job: Placement vs. Search

If you're interested in pursuing a leadership position at an independent school, you can follow two distinct paths within CS&A. Both our Placement Group and our Search Group help job seekers find the right administrative jobs in independent schools. Our Search Group works on a “retained search” basis, in which a school hires the team to proactively recruit a specific candidate pool for a job opportunity. This is typically a six to 12-month engagement and includes several visits to the school by one of our search consultants. To see a list of our current retained search opportunities, click here.

Our Placement Group operates on a contingency basis, and our Placement Associates have comparable independent school knowledge. Whereas CS&A might work on 100 “retained searches” a year, we'll work on placing several hundred administrative positions through our Placement Group. We do not post our Placement positions on our website; prospective administrators learn of openings when they become a candidate with CS&A's Placement Group.

We encourage you to apply for candidacy if your qualifications expressly include:

• A master's degree (preferred) or bachelor's degree from an accredited university
• Experience in a highly visible educational administrative position
• Strong peer leadership and communication skills
• Familiarity with school administration systems, procedures, and practices
• Experience working with or teaching students, particularly in independent, private, boarding, college preparatory, or like-kind school settings
• A commitment to education and 21st-century learning principles
• Strong references that support these qualifications