JOB TITLE: Assistant Director of Middle-Upper School

REPORTS TO: Director of Middle-Upper School

DIRECTLY SUPERVISES: Delegated oversight of Middle-Upper Faculty and Staff

STATUS: Salary, 40 hours/week, Teacher Contract

JOB SUMMARY: The Assistant Director of Middle-Upper School supports the academic, behavioral, and operational leadership of grades 7-12 in a school serving students with language-based learning differences. Working in close partnership with the Director of Middle-Upper School, this role helps ensure a structured, consistent, and supportive environment where students can access rigorous instruction aligned to their learning profiles.

This position blends student support, day-to-day division management, and some instructional leadership. The Assistant Director plays a key role in strengthening alignment and expectations across classrooms, ensuring a positive and productive student experience, and supporting faculty.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES & ACTIVITIES (Including Physical Function):

• Student Support and School Culture
  • Support consistent implementation of behavior expectations and student support systems
  • Partner with counselors, interventionists, and faculty to address student academic and social-emotional needs
  • Lead in managing student discipline in a way that is clear, consistent, and aligned with school values
  • Help foster a culture of accountability, belonging, and growth for all students
  • Support advisory, community-building, and student leadership initiatives
• Division Operations
  • Assist in the day-to-day management of the Middle-Upper School division
  • Help coordinate schedules, coverage, and daily logistics
  • Ensure consistency in systems such as homework, communication, and organizational expectations
  • Support implementation of school-wide systems and initiatives
  • Assist with planning and execution of key events (parent meetings, student events, testing, etc.)
• Communication and Partnership
  • Support clear and proactive communication with families
  • Partner with the Director to address parent concerns in a timely and solution-oriented manner
  • Collaborate with admissions and student support teams as needed
  • Support documentation and communication related to student progress and support plans
• Instructional Leadership and Faculty Support
  • Support the implementation of structured literacy and research-based instructional practices across grades 7-12
  • Partner with teachers to strengthen differentiation, scaffolding, and executive functioning supports
  • Assist with curriculum alignment, pacing, and consistency across courses and grade levels
  • Provide coaching, feedback, and informal observations to support teacher growth
• Help lead professional development and ongoing training aligned to the school’s mission
• Alignment with School Culture
  • Commitment to Briarwood’s mission, purpose, and culture
  • Maintain a positive, collaborative working culture aligned with the school’s mission
  • Participate in any accreditation process for the school
  • Attend all staff meetings and staff retreats
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Middle-Upper School and the Interim Head of School

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

The Assistant Director of Middle-Upper demonstrates flexibility, perseverance, resourcefulness, critical thinking and creativity, collaboration, self-awareness, the ability to listen well and seek understanding, strong organizational skills, and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing. In addition, he/she demonstrates the following:

• Experience working with students with language-based learning differences (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD)
• Strong understanding of structured literacy and evidence-based instructional practices
• Demonstrated experience in instructional coaching, leadership, or administration
• Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to build strong relationships with students, families, and faculty
• Commitment to a mission-driven environment focused on student growth and support

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree required
• 5+ years of teaching experience required; experience teaching in independent schools and in an LD environment preferred
• Previous leadership experience at the division or department level preferred

KEY ATTRIBUTES:

• Calm, steady, and solutions-oriented
• Highly organized with strong follow-through
• Able to balance support and accountability with both students and adults
• Collaborative and team-oriented
• Grounded in the belief that all students can learn and deserve instruction aligned to how they learn best

THE BRIARWOOD SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

"Every student can learn, and every student has the right to be taught in the way he or she learns best."

THE BRIARWOOD SCHOOL CORE VALUES

Community through Connections

• Our school community is a diverse group of learners who treat each other with kindness and respect.
• We value the connections that our faculty and staff make with our students.
• We value our partnerships with families.
• We strive to ensure that our community offers opportunities for academic, social, and emotional growth.

Transformation through Confidence

• Our faculty create a structured and challenging academic environment. They hold themselves and their students accountable as they build confident, self-advocating learners who are prepared for an ever-challenging and complex world. We set high expectations for social behavior and academic success, which students attain through perseverance and a growth mindset.

Each candidate is expected to understand and support the Briarwood Teaching Philosophy and Core Values.

The Briarwood School offers a competitive health insurance program, retirement benefits, paid time off, and robust professional development opportunities.

The Briarwood School is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Briarwood prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. 

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. The Briarwood School makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

About The Briarwood School

The Briarwood School is a not-for-profit, independent co-ed day school devoted to educating students in grades K-12 with diagnosed learning disabilities, language disorders and/or ADHD. Founded in 1967 and accredited by Cognia, The Briarwood School serves over 300 students in small class sizes of 10 or fewer students. All of the students in Lower, Middle and Upper Schools demonstrate average to above-average intelligence with a broad range of learning disabilities that include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, speech/language disorders, along with written and expressive language disorders. Additional diagnoses addressed through accommodations include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and processing disorders as they relate to academic issues. The Briarwood School is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Briarwood prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Connections working at The Briarwood School