VP, School Culture & Student Experience

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Vice President of School Culture & Student Experience helps bring NAIS’s mission, vision, and values to life by providing leadership in the areas of school climate and culture; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and student well-being. This role recognizes and advances the critical connection between belonging, student well-being, and academic engagement and success, ensuring that these elements are not treated as separate priorities but as interdependent drivers of thriving school communities and students. This role creates and curates resources, advances thought leadership, supports school-based programs, and leads national initiatives in these crucial areas to support independent schools in being exemplars of places and cultures where all students can thrive.

Responsibilities:

Leadership in School Climate and Culture; Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and Student Well-Being

• Provides strategic leadership for NAIS’s work at the intersection of school climate and culture; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and student well-being, including navigating complex issues within school communities across diverse stakeholder perspectives.

Content, Research, and Knowledge Building

• Oversees development, advancement, and curation of online and digital resources related to school climate and culture; diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and student well-being to help schools understand and design experiences that consider belonging, well-being, academic engagement, child and adolescent development, and student agency across the independent school landscape.
• Ensures that resources reflect, and are relevant to, the different contexts of member schools.
• Translates research into actionable, scalable tools and resources for a wide range of schools.
• Considers the evolving digital landscape and its impact on student experience, well-being, and engagement in the development of resources, research, and strategies for member schools.
• Partners with internal teams to design research initiatives and explore data insights.
• Working with internal teams, defines and tracks indicators of success related to student experience, belonging, and well-being across member schools, using data to inform strategy, resource development, and continuous improvement.

Programs, Events, and Field Engagement

• Working closely with the learning design and logistics teams, develops and advances the Gather conference.
• Partners with internal stakeholders to provide leadership and consultation on inclusive and student-centered design principles, ensuring the integration of belonging, student well-being, and inclusive and healthy school cultures across all programming and related events to support meaningful engagement, learning, and healthy school cultures.
• Serves as a visible national leader in the field through frequent conference presentations, publications, and other forms of public engagement, contributing original thought leadership that advances practice across independent schools.
• Working with internal teams, coordinates and engages with volunteers and advisory groups serving in support of NAIS’s work.

Partnerships and Strategic Alliances

• Establishes and manages strategic partnerships to expand NAIS’s impact.
• Engages external experts to bring emerging research and best practices to the field.

Organizational Leadership and Collaboration

• Serves as an engaged member of the NAIS Leadership Team and works among other internal teams to further the organization’s goals.
• Models inclusive, equitable, and inclusive policies, practices, and professional and interpersonal interactions.
• Supports and actively partners in building an office culture dedicated to superior customer service that exceeds member expectations.
• Builds, manages, and mentors a high-performing team, establishing clear goals, providing ongoing coaching and development, and fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and mission-aligned working culture.
• Collaborates closely with the NAIS Management Team to develop, monitor, and manage the budget for the portfolio, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and overseeing effective execution of all budgeted activities and resource allocations.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Some travel, including work on nights and weekends, is required.
• Assumes other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required; Master’s degree preferred in a related field
• Demonstrated leadership and expertise in diversity, inclusion, belonging, student well-being, and school culture
• Extensive knowledge of independent schools preferred
• This role requires demonstrated ability to design, interpret, and translate qualitative and quantitative research into actionable insights that inform strategy, resource development, and field-wide practice.
• Strong communication, and organizational skills
• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Strong management and supervisory skills
• Previous experience managing significant organizational revenue and expense budgets
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong volunteer and professional partnerships
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; able to adapt and learn new software and web-based systems

Competencies

• Communication: Communicates effectively with others in a variety of contexts and formats, including writing, speaking, reading, listening, and interpersonal skills. 
• Systems Thinking & Ecosystem Leadership: Applies systems thinking to understand and influence the broader independent school ecosystem; connects research, practice, and diverse school contexts to drive coherent, scalable impact across the field.
• Customer Service: Commits to increasing customer satisfaction, sets proper customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving customer problems, ensures commitments to customers are met. 
• Dependability: Meets commitments, manages time effectively, works independently, accepts accountability, handles change, sets personal standards, stays focused under pressure, meets attendance/punctuality requirements. 
• Interpersonal Awareness: Notices, interprets, and anticipates others’ concerns and feelings; communicates this awareness empathetically to others. 
• Conflict Management: Listens well, diffuses conflict before it starts, finds solutions to problems in a constructive manner, handles difficult people. 
• Problem Solving: Breaks down problems into smaller components, can simplify and process complex issues, can identify and understand root cause. 
• Business Acumen: Uses strategic thinking, data, and research to guide decision-making and resource creation; demonstrates an understanding of interconnected organizational operations.
• Teamwork: As a team member, works cooperatively with others on a team; as a team leader, demonstrates interest, skill, and success in fostering teamwork. 

Position Attributes

• HR Role: Vice President
• Status & Classification: Regular, Full-time, Exempt
• Business Unit: School Culture & Student Experience
• Supervisor: President
• Location: Remote in the United States
• Physical Requirements: Ability to operate in an office environment. Ability to travel.
• Travel: Extensive travel required.

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, personal appearance, marital status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, matriculation, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Disclaimer: This document describes the position currently available. It is not an employment contract. NAIS reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time, as determined by the needs of the organization.