Director, Whole Girl Wellness

CONTEXT

The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women (BLSYW), an affiliate of the Student Leadership Network,  is an all-girls, college-preparatory, public charter school that since 2009 has been serving young women residing in Baltimore. Through academics, social-emotional learning, and the staff’s commitment to knowing each student by name and need, BLSYW students develop a strong sense of self, sisterhood, and compassion, and learn to make data-informed decisions that lead to positive outcomes.

Focused on college readiness and completion, our graduates are accepted to accredited colleges and universities across the country. BLSYW’s STEAM-centered program emphasizes leadership and academic excellence and prepares young women for success in fields where they have been historically underrepresented. BLSYW (pronounced “bliss”) girls cultivate the knowledge base and capacity for problem solving that will allow them to walk boldly, and critically engage the world in which they will lead.

Not unlike their peers across the city and country, BLSYW girls demonstrate a strength and resilience that belie the sometimes-difficult circumstances of their lives and this moment in history. To prevent these experiences from diminishing the girls’ self-esteem, and obstructing the path to realization of their full potential, BLSYW is undertaking a Whole Girl Wellness initiative designed to mitigate the effects of exposure to these conditions by providing even more robust emotional and mental support through qualified and caring mental health professionals.

OPPORTUNITY

This position represents an opportunity to create and implement a ground-breaking program that leverages our unwavering, strategic commitments to the mental and emotional health of students and our positive community reputation. You will work with our talented and invested board, supportive and empowering CEO, senior leadership team and staff, and will be programmatically supported by significant financial resources, ongoing, productive partnerships, and an “anything is possible” approach to envision and create an innovative school, and ultimately field-wide, model for mental health and wellness. The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women is earnestly looking to welcome a committed and effective Director of Whole Girl Wellness who will lead this important initiative, drive cohesion across programs and teams and take her place in the community among our highly qualified middle and high school educators.

ROLE

The Director of Whole Girl Wellness will:

• • Collaborate with the Board and CEO to set the vision and direction, develop and execute a mental health-centered Whole Girl Wellness program
  • Manage the achievement of goals that ensure the mental, emotional and physical health of all students
  • Develop and retain a high-performing and cohesive team of employees; recruit, hire, orient, coach, and provide on-going feedback; oversee performance planning, evaluation and professional development
  • Serve as an ambassador and spokesperson for the WGW initiative with students, staff, families and external stakeholders
  • Develop, examine, and support the implementation of social-emotional and wellness curriculum (e.g. Advisory, Leadership, Health Education) informed by best practices for adolescent girls
  • Participate in school-wide policy development as a member of the CEO’s Senior Leadership Team

CANDIDATE

Above all, you are committed to improving the social, emotional and physical health and wellbeing of urban young women of color in order to promote healing and support them to succeed. You are skilled at engaging stakeholders and collaborating to identify needs, crafting and articulating a vision, and effectively applying your knowledge of how schools operate, clinical skills, creativity and leadership expertise to develop, assess, and administer responsive, wellness-centered programing.  Additionally, you possess many of the following skills and experiences:

• • A minimum of seven years of experience, at least some of which has been spent in an educational setting, with responsibilities including team management, project management, mental/emotional/physical health programming for children, and community outreach and engagement
  • A Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, School Counseling, Educational Leadership or related area (preferred)
  • Experience with trauma-informed practices appropriate for middle and high school girls
  • The ability to identify and leverage city-wide resources and develop productive local and national partnerships that support the social and emotional needs of black and brown girls and BLSYW staff
  • Demonstrated ability to lead, develop and retain a diverse group of team members, recognize and leverage their talents in a way that inspires commitment, cohesion and a collaborative, high-functioning culture of continuous learning and improvement
  • Strong organizational skills, with the ability to track intricate details and prioritize multiple initiatives and timelines in a fast-paced work environment
  • Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships built on effective communications with school leaders and staff, program administrators, parents/caregivers, and families
  • Strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities
  • A willingness to take an iterative, innovative and diverse approach to the work that promotes curiosity and centers learning, while aligning fiscal and programmatic resources to meet student needs
  • Lived or professional experience that informs your understanding of the circumstances faced by BLSYW students
  • An understanding (ideally) of the Baltimore social and education landscapes as well as a local professional network that would facilitate your ability to perform the duties of the role

DIRECT REPORTS

The Director of Whole Girl Wellness reports to CEO Chevonne Hall. The following people (10) report to and work closely with the Director of Whole Girl Wellness: Student Support Staff, Clinicians, School Nurse, Mental Health Consultants/Contractors. The Director of Whole Girl Wellness collaborates with members of the Senior Leadership Team (including the Principal, Director of Development, Director of College Counseling and the Director of Student Affairs).

SALARY

The salary range for this position is $100,000 – $110,00. Benefits include healthcare premium coverage, 403(b) retirement savings benefit matched at 3%, a professional development stipend and parking allowance.

TO APPLY

We have engaged Promise54 to support the hiring process.

Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. For best consideration, please follow these instructions to submit a cover letter and resume:

• • Visit the Opportunities section on Promise54’s website and click on the APPLY NOW tab within the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, Director of Whole Girl Wellness position description
  • Answer a brief set of questions about you
  • Below the questions, you’ll be able to upload your resume as well as a cover letter

Finally, if you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact: admin@promise54.org.

At BLSYW, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization in which we give voice to, and meet the needs of, the students we serve. We believe in lifelong learning and continuous improvement, and we are ever-evolving the processes through which we select and support  team members and foster a culture of universal belonging and empowerment.

BLSYW encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, especially people of color and members of other historically marginalized groups. 

BLSYW is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.

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