Posted: 19-Dec-25
Location: Tampa, Florida
Type: Full Time
Salary: TBD
Required Education:
As Carrollwood Day School continues to grow, we are adding a new position to join our Lower School administrative team beginning July 2026 as our first Lower School Dean of Students. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic leader who balances high-level administrative oversight with a visible, compassionate presence on campus, and finds joy in working with elementary aged students and colleagues.
Carrollwood Day School is an innovative International Baccalaureate (IB) independent school in North Tampa, FL. Since the inception of CDS in 1982, we have prided ourselves on being a community of learners. We have grown from a preschool into a comprehensive program serving more than 1200 students from age two through 12th grade. Carrollwood Day School stands out as a leader in its commitment to educate the whole child and is recognized nationally for its academic excellence and its school-wide emphasis on character development. Outside the classroom, our students are engaged in a multitude of athletics, arts, and extra-curricular programs. In short, we have PATRIOT PRIDE in everything we do at CDS.
The vision of Carrollwood Day School is to build a community prepared and inspired to better the world. As an IB World School, we cultivate principled entrepreneurial thinkers for a global society by enriching the mind, strengthening the character, and inspiring the passions of our community.
Carrollwood Day School embraces and celebrates the rich diversity of our students, employees, and families from all backgrounds. As an International Baccalaureate continuum school, CDS strives to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment where each person is valued. We work to intentionally develop cross-cultural competency and appreciation of differences within all constituents. We value the influence of a wide range of experiences and perspectives in our classrooms, relationships, and interactions as we prepare our students to contribute to a diverse and interconnected world.
Carrollwood Day School is one of only 36 independent schools in the United States to offer the full curriculum/continuum of IB programmes from early childhood through college prep (PYP, MYP, and DP). In 2019, CDS was honored to become one of only 15 U.S. schools to earn membership in the Cum Laude Society and also offer an International Baccalaureate education. In 2022, CDS was welcomed into the prestigious Round Square organization. In 2023, CDS was awarded the Florida and National School of Character Designation for the second time.
Understanding that a team of talented, supported, and growth-minded faculty and staff is what leads to student success, the first pillar of our strategic plan is to become the destination school for exceptional educators in the Tampa Bay region. Want to join our team and better the world?
Position Purpose: The Lower School Dean of Students is a visible presence on campus, managing student life on campus and upholding school-wide expectations with students daily. A successful candidate will be passionate about managing student behavior and intervention beyond the classroom, leading restorative intervention with students, communicating with parents, and leading by example throughout the day.
Job Responsibilities:
School Operations & Leadership
- Operational Partnership: Collaborate with the Lower School administrative team to oversee daily operations, including master scheduling and the coordination of special school activities.
- Visible Presence: Maintain a high-profile leadership presence during daily transitions (arrival, dismissal, lunch, and breaks) and represent the division at major school functions, including evening and weekend events.
- Cross-Divisional Synergy: Partner with ECC, Elementary, and Middle School leadership to spearhead retention initiatives and manage "bridge" programming for students transitioning from Grades K to 1 and 5 to 6.
- Interdisciplinary Liaison: Serve as a central point of contact for the Athletic Director, School Nurse, Facilities Team, and Learning Specialists to ensure holistic student care.
Student Life & Wellness
- Holistic Advocacy: Monitor and advocate for the "whole child," ensuring a healthy balance between academic rigor and social-emotional development across the division.
- Student Programming: Lead proactive student life initiatives, including Morning Meetings, guest speakers, and student performances.
- Leadership Development: Oversee the planning and execution of student leadership training, including Student Council, Safety Patrols, and extracurricular clubs.
- Integrated Support: Partner with the Student Support Team to align academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions for students facing significant challenges.
Community Culture & Inclusion
- Restorative Leadership: Foster a peaceful school climate by implementing conflict resolution strategies and restorative justice practices.
- DEI Advocacy: Play an active leadership role in school-wide initiatives to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Parent Education: Design and facilitate parent education opportunities and lead onboarding programs to welcome and integrate new families into the community.
Student Conduct & Attendance
- Policy Development: Establish and communicate clear, mission-aligned disciplinary procedures to students, faculty, and families.
- Accountability & Investigation: Lead thorough investigations into student misconduct and allegations of bullying, ensuring best practices and timely communication with all stakeholders.
- Responsive Intervention: Manage disciplinary outcomes ranging from restorative opportunities to formal administrative actions (suspension/expulsion) and coordinate follow-up meetings with families.
- Attendance Oversight: Manage daily student attendance records and outreach.
Qualifications, Skills, and Attributes:
- Master’s degree in Educational Leadership or similar, required
- A minimum of 5 years of successful teaching at the early childhood/elementary level or administration with proven leadership, supervisory, and management skills.
- Experience in an independent school is strongly preferred
- Preferred: Experience with the IB Programme and Responsive Classroom
- Demonstrated success in collaborative leadership development work (grade level or department lead, committee work, accreditation, hiring teams, etc.)
- Exceptional organizational skills; the ability to prioritize and successfully manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
- Comfortable and confident leading difficult conversations with tact and empathy
- Knowledgeable and articulate in the social, physical, and emotional developmental stages of early childhood and elementary aged learners
- Demonstrated commitment to restorative practices
- Outstanding written, verbal, presentation, and digital communication skills
- Demonstrated leadership and facilitative skills
- Strong collaborative skills and eagerness to work with colleagues
- Proficiency in Google suite (docs, sheets, drive, etc.)
- Comfortable and confident with direct and consistent communication and two-way feedback
- A high degree of professionalism, collegiality, and personal conduct both in and outside of school
- Ability, willingness, and judgment to interact and communicate effectively, respectfully, and confidently with a diverse array of constituents in a school environment
- Comfortable with ambiguity and change inherent in a school environment; willingness to adapt and pivot as needed
- Demonstrate a risk management mindset, predicting and proactively planning against potential liabilities to both programs and people
- Disciplined professionalism evident in commitment to ongoing growth and professional development in the field
- Ability and willingness to work evenings
Compensation includes a comprehensive employee benefits package; CDS offers a competitive salary commensurate with background and experience.
Interested candidates should send a resume, a letter of interest, and salary expectations to Dawn Wilson, Head of Lower School at dwilson@cdspatriots.org