About DVFriends

Delaware Valley Friends School is a national leader educating bright students in grades 1-12 who have reading, writing, and other related learning differences. The school attracts students from across the Philadelphia area and is in the midst of several years of program expansion and enrollment growth. Students receive a comprehensive, evidence-based, college preparatory curriculum, individualized instruction, cutting-edge assistive technologies, and successful college placement, with an emphasis on metacognition and self-advocacy within a community based on Friends (Quaker) values.

About you and the role:

The Adventure Based Learning Experiences (ABLE) Director will join a collaborative and dynamic leadership team and report to the associate head of school, to begin no later than August 7th, 2023. You are an experienced outdoor-oriented educator who has a diverse skill set of wilderness pursuits and a desire to share your knowledge and skills with students for value-forming outdoor experiences. You are creative and dynamic as you seek to fully include a diverse group of students. You are comfortable working with groups of students of varying sizes for both single and multi day experiences. You are just as comfortable working independently in an office setting as you are with leading groups of students. You are also highly organized with an ability to plan well into the future. You have a deep knowledge of safety procedures in all contexts. 

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Work as an integral part of a collaborative faculty and administration

• Organize and oversee grade-level team building programs at the start of each school year

• Organize and lead wilderness adventure education trips for students, with a primary focus on upper school 

• Manage the staffing, budgeting, enrollment and risk management of the outdoor programs 

• Support the school-wide management of in-house transportation, safety, and risk-management 

• Organize and oversee grade-level team building programs at the start of each school year

• Pursue ongoing professional development relevant to the position

• Organize grade-level trips trips in support of established classroom curriculum

• Serve on the school-wide Safety Committee

• Participate fully in the school community 

Qualifications:

• You know yourself well, faults and strengths, and approach others with empathy and generosity of spirit.

• You are trained at the level of Wilderness First Responder or higher.

• You have a safe driving record and a willingness to drive 10-passenger vans or larger.

• You have strong executive functioning skills.

• The mission of a school that serves bright students who learn differently is highly appealing to you, and previous experience with students who learn differently is a plus.

• The values of Friends education resonate with you. Previous experience in Friends education is not essential but is also a plus.

• You have a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work.

• You hold a Bachelor’s degree at a minimum, and preferably a master’s degree in a relevant discipline 

Benefits

You’ll benefit from:

• A competitive salary that is benchmarked against other independent schools in the region

• A robust health insurance plan, including a school contribution that covers the employee cost and a portion of the cost for a partner and dependents.

• Generous time-off policies

• Employer match of retirement plan contributions up to 6% of salary.

To Apply

DVFriends has partnered with Applied to ensure an application process that is equitable and free of implicit bias. Review of candidates will commence on or about February 25, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates are encouraged to complete their applications before that date.

DVFriends is an equal-opportunity employer.

DVFriends is working to create a community that recognizes the strength of diversity and aspires to create an inclusive, respectful, and just community. We welcome people of any race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, gender identity and expression, age, military or veteran status, family structure, marital status, disability, citizenship status, and socioeconomic status to join our community. DV does not discriminate on the basis of these characteristics in our policies or practices.