Head of Upper School

Position Summary The Upper School Head serves as the educational and cultural leader of the Upper School at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, guiding a vibrant community of students, faculty, and families in grades 9-12. Reporting directly to the Head of School and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Upper School Head champions academic excellence, student belonging, faculty growth, and mission-centered innovation.

The Upper School Head is responsible for shaping a distinctly SCH experience - one that combines intellectual rigor, creativity, character, curiosity, leadership, and joy. The role requires an experienced educational leader who understands adolescents deeply and who can cultivate a culture where students are challenged academically, known personally, and inspired to think independently and live courageously.

Located in Philadelphia and uniquely connected to the Wissahickon Valley, SCH embraces the educational possibilities of both city and natural environments. Our campus - with buildings constructed across three different centuries - reflects both the history and continued evolution of the school itself. The Upper School experience intentionally extends beyond the classroom through experiential learning, leadership development, outdoor education, entrepreneurship, athletics, arts, and innovation.

Beginning with the transformative ninth-grade Outward Bound experience, students are challenged to build resilience, independence, empathy, and community throughout their Upper School journey.

SCH's Upper School community reflects the breadth and diversity of the greater Philadelphia region, drawing students from more than 90 zip codes across Southeastern Pennsylvania and neighboring communities. Through a significant commitment to financial aid and accessibility, SCH brings together students with varied backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and aspirations. The Upper School also includes an intentional international student community that enriches the educational experience through global perspectives and cultural exchange.

The spirit of SCH is perhaps best captured by the phrase carved into the Alexander Stirling Calder fireplace in the Henry Library in 1906:
Kindle Your Own Fire. The Upper School Head helps ensure that students are inspired not only to achieve, but also to discover purpose, cultivate curiosity, and develop the confidence to lead meaningful lives.

At SCH, the Upper School experience is defined not only by exceptional academics, but also by authentic opportunities for leadership, entrepreneurship, athletics, artistic expression, robotics and innovation, community engagement, global learning, and real-world experience. The Upper School Head ensures these defining experiences are integrated into a cohesive and mission-aligned student journey.

Primary Responsibilities:

Educational Leadership:

Provide strategic and day-to-day leadership for all aspects of the Upper School program

Promote a culture of intellectual curiosity, academic challenge, creativity, and student engagement

Lead ongoing innovation in curriculum, teaching, learning, and student experience

Support a balanced and student-centered academic environment that values both excellence and wellness

Ensure alignment between SCH's mission and Upper School programming

Student Experience & Culture:

Foster a joyful, inclusive, and relationship-centered Upper School culture where students from varied backgrounds and experiences feel known, valued, and connected

Ensure students are supported, challenged, and celebrated throughout their Upper School journey

Promote student leadership, character development, ethical decision-making, and belonging

Support student wellness and healthy adolescent development

Cultivate a community that values empathy, collaboration, curiosity, and mutual respect

Partner with students to sustain an engaged, vibrant, and mission-centered school culture

Faculty Leadership & Development:

Recruit, support, evaluate, and retain exceptional faculty and staff

Foster a collaborative culture of professional growth and innovation

Encourage interdisciplinary learning and mission-driven teaching practices

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