Middle School Dean of Culture

Job Description

Job Description

Originally   founded in 1991  as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of seven PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools —growing our organization’s impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org .

Reporting to the Principal, the Dean of Culture will be responsible for working closely with the Principal and school leadership team to establish a positive and achievement-oriented culture which reflects DREAM’s core values. This is an exciting opportunity for an educator who is passionate about leading to build a responsive and restorative school culture and deeply understands its impact on student outcomes. 

• Develop, teach, and monitor all school-wide systems, including consistent culture systems, and expectations for student conduct aligned with DREAM’s approach to school culture;
• Serve as a coach for teachers on classroom management, routines, and procedures;
• Supervise common social times including arrival, breakfast, lunch, recess, morning meeting, community gathering and dismissal;
• Foster open communication within the school community and effectively convey high expectations for student achievement and health;
• Utilize data to continuously improve systems, routines, and procedures; 
• Work directly with high touch scholars to provide supports and structures to ensure their academic progress;
• Partner with parents, families, and caregivers to build and maintain strong relationships and support student support plans, throughout the course of the school year;
• Ability to collaborate as a school-wide leader and contributor on the senior leadership team.
• Additional duties related to the running of the school as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s degree in Education and/or School Administration preferred;
• 3+ years of experience working with students and a record of strong student achievement and exemplary classroom culture;
• 2+ years in a management role or school leadership role, managing full-time teams to outcomes, highly preferred;
• Successful experience in people management and/or coaching and leading professional development in large group, small group and one-on-one settings, highly preferred;
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred;
• Willingness to be hands-on and do whatever it takes to develop and maintain an excellent school;
• Strong critical thinking skills, including the ability to connect the dots to solve problems;
• Exemplary interpersonal skills and an understanding of adult learning strategies to provide mentoring and coaching;
• Successful experience in building and maintaining strong, positive student culture;
• Ability to use a variety of data sources to drive practice;
• Knowledge and experience in social-emotional learning frameworks preferred;
• A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM, including the desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families, and community.

• In-Person work at the school site to manage the functioning of both the day school (hours generally 7:15am-4:15pm) and Extended Learning program (through a rotating day where hours are 9:00am - 6:00pm).
• Some additional early morning and/or evening work, for example on critical days such as state testing days, will be required

We offer comprehensive benefits including:

• Flexible Medical Health Plans, subsidizing the majority of costs for the employee, their spouse/domestic partner and children;
• The ability to select between a variety of medical plans according to what best suits the employee’s needs;
• Dental and vision plans;
• Disability benefits;
• Life insurance;
• Up to 12 weeks fully paid of Parental Leave;
• Flexible spending account options;
• Pre-tax commuter benefits (parking and transit);
• Fitness and entertainment discounts;
• A variety of support through our employee assistance program (EAP);
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match starting at 4% after one year, with increases tied to DREAM tenure;
• Referral, performance, and tenure milestone bonuses;
• Discounted school meals through our in-house Scratch Food Program;
• Tuition reimbursement support;
• Access to a professional development fund;
• School-based 12-month employees have approximately 48 days off throughout the school year including holidays, school breaks, personal days, and wellness days.
• Benefits are subject to change.

• DREAM offers a competitive salary commensurate with relevant experience with the potential for an annual performance-based increase. The incoming salary range for this position is $100,000 to $116,000 per year. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary closer to the start of the range depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. All staff are eligible for annual performance-based increases. Because we value staff tenure in each role, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At DREAM, diversity, equity, and inclusion are a matter of mission. 

From our schools to our playing fields, DREAM is committed to building a team where each individual can bring their full identity and experience to work because representation matters—it enriches our team culture, enhances our ability to innovate, and strengthens our impact in and out of the classroom. DREAM engages staff that represent and appreciate the diversity of our majority Black and Hispanic student body, while working to ensure that our practices are equitable, welcoming, and productive. We are dedicated to creating a world where youth, especially youth of color, have permission to dream—along with the tools and opportunities to make their dreams reality.

Come dream with us .

DREAM Maxims  

All Kids Can. This Kid Can.

DREAM is Family.

Fun is a Serious Value.

Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.

Fail. Persist. Exceed.

DREAM Big.

Applying to DREAM

We know applying for a new job can be a daunting process. In addition, studies have shown that historically underrepresented individuals often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage all applications! You may be just the person we need. If you have any questions about your application or interview process, do not hesitate to ask your recruiter; we are here to help!

DREAM provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact your recruiter.

If you are a current DREAM employee, please click here to review our Internal Selection Process before applying.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.