Denver Jewish Day School - Head Of School

The Opportunity Denver Jewish Day School (DJDS), a thriving and deeply values-driven pluralistic Jewish day school serving students in grades PreK-12, seeks an inspiring, strategic, and relational leader to serve as its next Head of School. Located on a beautiful 18-acre campus in one of the country’s most dynamic and fastest-growing Jewish communities, DJDS stands at an exciting moment in its history, marked by strong institutional momentum, meaningful opportunity, and the chance to shape the next era of Jewish day school education in Denver. For 50 years, DJDS has served as a cornerstone of Jewish life in the Denver metropolitan area, fostering a warm, welcoming, and mission-driven community rooted in Traditional Jewish values, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful relationships. The school is widely respected for its caring culture, strong sense of belonging, and commitment to developing confident and compassionate students who are prepared to thrive in an increasingly complex world. DJDS is a uniquely connected and multigenerational community. Families, alumni, faculty, and supporters consistently describe the school as a place where people genuinely care for one another and where relationships are at the center of the educational experience. The school’s vibrant culture is reflected in its signature traditions, joyful student life, strong extracurricular offerings, and immersive Jewish experiences that foster lifelong connection and identity. As Denver Jewish Day School enters this exciting next chapter, the school seeks a Head of School who can unite and inspire the community, strengthen institutional excellence, and ensure that DJDS continues to flourish as a leading center of Jewish learning, identity, and community for generations to come. DJDS At A Glance Facts and Figures Founded: 1975 Enrollment: 349 Lower Division (PreK-5th): 159 Upper Division (6th -12th): 190 Employees: 85 Operating Budget: $8M Annual Fundraising: $2M Endowment: $7M Accreditation: Association of Colorado Independent Schools On the Web: Student Achievement DJDS students distinguish themselves across academics, athletics, the arts, leadership, and community engagement, reflecting the school’s commitment to intellectual rigor, personal growth, and whole-child education. Recent accomplishments include: Within the past three years, DJDS athletics has captured two regional championships and a Colorado High School 1A State Championship in boys varsity basketball, while the girls varsity basketball team earned a league championship and regional tournament berth. The school also fielded its first boys varsity soccer team, which qualified for regionals in its inaugural season, and the middle school girls volleyball team completed an undefeated regular season. Now entering its fifth season, DJDS’s growing esports program has qualified for the regional playoffs three times in its first four seasons and captured a regional championship in Fall 2025. DJDS student-athletes have earned significant individual recognition, including Player of the Year honors in both boys and girls varsity basketball this year, while seven student-athletes were selected as league All-Stars. Students also compete at high levels outside of school in swimming, tennis, golf, lacrosse, football, and gymnastics, including a graduating senior who will continue swimming collegiately on scholarship. For three consecutive years, DJDS students swept the top awards at the Colorado State Moot Court Tournament hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder Law School. During that span, students advanced to the National Tournament annually, with five students reaching the national semifinals and one student winning the National Championship. In its first full year competing in National Speech & Debate Association events, DJDS advanced two students to the district semifinals in Original Oratory, including one district champion who will represent the school at the National Tournament. DJDS students have earned distinction in nationally and internationally competitive academic programs and competitions, including a top-10 worldwide finish in the Yale International Relations Global Essay Contest, finalist recognition at the Colorado Science & Engineering Fair, advancement to the National Finals of the International Bible Contest (Chidon HaTanakh), and publication in The Concord Review, a highly selective journal for high school research scholarship. Students have also been selected for prestigious leadership and enrichment programs including the Bronfman Fellowship, Hartman Teen Fellowship, Jewish Telegraphic Agency Teen Journalism Fellowship, the United States Senate Page Program, the Mayor’s Youth Commission, the Rose Youth Foundation Board, and regional and international leadership positions within BBYO. ·Beyond the classroom, DJDS students regularly pursue excellence in the arts, theater, dance, music, journalism, public speaking, service, and civic leadership, reflecting the school’s commitment to developing engaged, thoughtful, and well-rounded young adults. The Program Lower Division (PreK-5) The Lower Division experience at DJDS is rooted in joyful, inquiry-based learning and whole-child development within a warm and nurturing environment. Through a dual curriculum model, students engage in both strong secular academics and immersive Jewish learning while developing curiosity, confidence, kindness, and a strong sense of community. Students benefit from small class sizes, individualized support, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities including art, music, technology, physical education, outdoor education and experiential learning. The Lower Division places a strong emphasis on character development and community responsibility through programs such as Helping Hands, in which students engage in age-appropriate service learning and acts of chesed that help foster empathy, responsibility and connection to the broader community. A distinctive aspect of the DJDS experience is the school’s Farmette, a working educational farm located on campus that serves as an extension of the classroom and a hub for experiential learning. Through gardening, caring for animals, sustainability projects, outdoor exploration and farm-to-table activities, students develop meaningful connections to the natural world, Jewish values and hands‑on learning experiences that bring curiosity and creativity to life. Upper Division (Grades 6-12) The Upper Division combines rigorous college preparatory academics with a deeply relational and values-driven student experience designed to help students grow into thoughtful and confident young adults. DJDS’s supportive learning environment allows students to develop close relationships with faculty while cultivating intellectual independence, leadership skills and self-confidence. Students benefit from a wide range of athletics, clubs, leadership opportunities, Jewish life experiences, class trips and experiential learning programs that extend beyond the classroom, including beloved community traditions such as the Spring Shabbaton and Color War. One of the signature features of the Upper Division is the school’s innovative Wednesday schedule, during which students participate in semester-long electives and clubs designed around faculty expertise and student interests. These offerings provide students with opportunities to explore new passions, build community and engage in hands‑on and interdisciplinary learning experiences. Approximately 70% of Upper Division students participate in athletics and DJDS offers a broad range of middle and high school sports through the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). A defining component of the Upper Division experience is the school’s Hebrew Immersion Program (HIP), a 4-5 week Israel experience for 10th grade students. Through HIP, students live and study alongside Israeli peers, deepen their Hebrew language proficiency, travel throughout Israel and build lasting personal connections to the land and people of Israel. Jewish Life and Values Jewish life and learning are central to the DJDS experience and are grounded in the school’s pluralistic philosophy and shared values. DJDS believes that students should be rooted in their own Jewish identities while also engaging openly and respectfully with different perspectives, practices and traditions across the Jewish community. The school’s Divrei Chaim (“Words to Live By”) – chesed (kindness), yosher (integrity), sakranut (curiosity), kehillah (community) and tachlit (purpose) – serve as foundational principles that shape the culture of the school and inform student life across all divisions. These values are woven throughout academics, social‑emotional learning, service learning, community programming and daily interactions among students, faculty and families. DJDS seeks to create a Jewish environment in which students feel connected to Jewish tradition, community, ethics and Israel while developing the confidence to engage thoughtfully with the broader world. Through Tefilah, Jewish studies, service learning, experiential education and community‑wide programming, students are encouraged to live purposefully, act ethically and develop a strong sense of responsibility to both the Jewish people and the broader community. Position The next Head of School will join Denver Jewish Day School at an exciting and important moment in the school’s history. Recent years have brought notable growth in Upper Division enrollment and programming, the successful addition of a PreK program and increased investment in faculty support and institutional sustainability. DJDS benefits from a committed Board, a dedicated faculty and staff, a supportive parent community and a broader Jewish community that increasingly recognizes the value and importance of Jewish day school education. Following a long period of stable and respected leadership, the school is seeking a Head of School who can build on DJDS’s strong foundation while guiding the institution thoughtfully into its next chapter. Reporting to the Board of Trustees the Head of School will oversee all aspects of the school, including academics, Jewish life, enrollment, operations, finance, fundraising and community engagement. A central priority for the next leader will be strengthening alignment and consistency across the institution while preserving the warmth, relationships and sense of community that define the DJDS experience. The next Head of School will have the opportunity to clarify and communicate a compelling vision for the future of the school, strengthen systems and accountability across the organization and continue elevating both the academic and Jewish experience across divisions. The successful candidate will also play an important outward‑facing role as a visible and trusted ambassador for DJDS, strengthening enrollment and retention efforts, deepening community partnerships and helping advance fundraising and philanthropic engagement. Day to day the Head of School will be a visible and accessible presence – someone who knows students, supports and develops faculty and helps cultivate a culture of warmth, trust, accountability and shared purpose. This is an extraordinary opportunity for a mission‑driven leader to help shape the future of a vibrant and growing Jewish day school community. Qualifications The ideal candidate will bring many of the following professional experiences, leadership competencies and personal qualities: Deep commitment to Jewish education, Jewish life and Israel. Demonstrated success leading complex organizations and managing institutional growth and change. Ability to inspire, motivate and align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision. Exceptional communication, interpersonal and relationship‑building skills. Experience building strong teams, developing talent and fostering healthy organizational culture. Demonstrated success strengthening systems, operations and institutional accountability. Strategic thinker with strong operational and financial acumen. Visible, engaging and ambassadorial leadership style. Demonstrated fundraising success and comfort partnering with donors, lay leaders and advancement professionals. Experience supporting academic excellence, innovation and student‑centered learning. Collaborative leadership style combined with decisiveness and sound judgment. High emotional intelligence, warmth, humility, integrity and authenticity. Appreciation for and ability to lead within a pluralistic Jewish community. Benefits and Compensation Denver Jewish Day School offers a competitive and comprehensive compensation package for this role. The salary range for this role starts at $250,000. The benefits package includes tuition assistance, medical and dental coverage as well as a generous retirement plan. This position description is based upon material provided by Denver Jewish Day School, an equal‑opportunity employer. #J-18808-Ljbffr DRG-Talent-Advisory-Group