HEAD LIBRARIAN & CAPSTONE CHAIR

Davis School Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 78,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Holiday pay

Medical insurance

401(k) plan with employer match

Job summary

Davis School Chicago is opening a new Jewish, college-preparatory high school in downtown Chicago and seeks a founding Head Librarian to lead the library, Capstone, and internship programs from inception. The role requires building programs from the ground up, partnering with external institutions, and shaping research literacy across the curriculum.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced educator with a leadership mindset, a passion for inquiry, and a commitment to innovative,

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required or related field; doctorate preferred.
• Illinois School Librarian certification preferred; National Board Certification is a plus.
• 3+ years of high school teaching or school-library experience required.
• Leadership experience preferred; instructional leadership preferred.
• College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the library and Capstone program as founding Head Librarian.
• Build internship/partnership programs with Chicago-area institutions.
• Teach information-literacy instruction and lead curriculum development across disciplines.
• Lead a culture of inquiry, scholarship, and academic excellence school-wide.

Skills

Leadership experience

Curriculum development

Research instruction

Collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Library & Information Science (ALA-accredited)

Illinois School Librarian / Library Media Specialist certification preferred

Job description

• Master’s degree required — Library and Information Science (American Library Association accredited) preferred, or Humanities, Curriculum, Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field; doctorate preferred
• Illinois School Librarian or Library Media Specialist certification preferred and National Board Certification a major plus
• 3+ years of successful high school teaching or school‑library experience required
• Some form of leadership experience is preferred; department, administration, or instructional leadership preferred
• College‑preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith‑based school experience is a plus
• Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role
• Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.

Full‑Time Founding Leadership Position

• Master’s degree required — Library and Information Science (American Library Association accredited) preferred, or Humanities, Curriculum, Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field; doctorate preferred
• Illinois School Librarian or Library Media Specialist certification preferred and National Board Certification a major plus
• 3+ years of successful high school teaching or school‑library experience required
• Some form of leadership experience is preferred; department, administration, or instructional leadership preferred
• College‑preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith‑based school experience is a plus
• Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role
• Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.

Are you a librarian built for what’s next, a builder of libraries rather than a keeper of them, who believes that extraordinary schools are built by extraordinary people? Do you want the unique opportunity to help launch and shape a new Jewish college‑preparatory high school and its library, research, and internship / partnership programs from the ground up? Are you passionate about cultivating intellectual curiosity, academic integrity, advanced research skills, innovation, and scholarly excellence in students? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.

The Dream Team

Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college‑preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state‑of‑the‑art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture‑builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.

• Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
• You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
• A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
• Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
• Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
• Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro‑Israel school.

What Davis Chicago Needs

Davis Chicago is hiring a founding Head Librarian to build the library of tomorrow and the Capstone program it powers: a true library in the classic sense, books worth loving and real research help, that is also a makerspace, a home for learning games and game design, and the school’s launch pad into downtown Chicago — and to teach in it every day. As a founding leader, the Chair is a member of the team opening a school from scratch. Therefore, the person needs to be a builder‑leader: someone who can take a bold founding vision and turn it into a living school, then run a department in that school at a level of excellence every student, parent, and teacher can feel.

Who Thrives In This Role

• Warm, Relational, and High‑Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
• An Inquiry Evangelist – Makes research feel like detective work, not homework.
• A City Connector – Builds internship and mentor relationships across Chicago.
• A Builder of the Library of Tomorrow – Books worth loving and a makerspace, research help and game design, in one space students actually want to be in.
• An Entrepreneurial Builder – Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
• A Curious and Courageous Thinker – Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
• Rooted and Forward‑Looking – Honors tradition while embracing innovation, technology, and AI.
• Committed to Jewish Life and Community – Values Jewish identity, the diversity of Jewish thought, and meaningful engagement in Jewish life.
• A Collaborative Culture‑Builder – Balances accountability, care, and results while elevating everyone around them.

The Role

The Head Librarian & Capstone Chair is the academic and instructional leader of the school’s research, information literacy, library, Capstone, and internship / partnership programs and serves as a key member of the school’s academic leadership team. Reporting to the Principal, the Chair provides vision, leadership, supervision, and support for a culture of inquiry, scholarship, and academic excellence across all disciplines. The Chair carries all five roles the profession names for a school librarian — leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher, and program administrator — plus a sixth that is particular to Davis Chicago: the person who connects the school to the city.

This is a teaching role as well as a program‑building one, and the balance evolves by design. In the launch years, the Chair teaches research and information‑literacy instruction while building the library and Capstone program from scratch. As the school grows, the role carries increasing dedicated time for curriculum development, faculty collaboration, and partnership building — the steady state Davis Chicago is building toward.

Davis Chicago Capstone is a distinction, not a requirement. Students begin as early as ninth grade, apply after a first‑year course, and commit to a multi‑year sequence, in tracks running from engineering and computer science to business, law, the performing arts, and the College Board’s AP Seminar and AP Research route. Every Davis Chicago student learns to find, judge, and use evidence; Capstone students carry it further into original work they present and defend before people who do that work for a living, and wear the distinction at graduation. The Chair builds the research spine underneath all of it, runs the library as the front door that pulls students toward Capstone, creates meaningful partnerships with institutions, and holds every track to one standard.

2. Faculty Leadership and Professional Growth

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3. Teaching and Learning Excellence

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4. Student Experience and Community Engagement

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5. Strategic Planning and School Leadership

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Qualifications

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• Education: Master’s degree required. Library and Information Science from an American Library Association accredited program preferred; Humanities, Curriculum, Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field also considered; doctorate preferred.
• Certification: Illinois School Librarian or Library Media Specialist certification preferred with National Board Certification a major plus.
• Experience: 3+ years of successful high school teaching or school‑library experience required. College‑preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith‑based school experience is a plus.
• Leadership: Some form of leadership experience with adults is preferred; instructional leadership preferred.
• Instructional Leadership: coaching, observation, and research instruction centered on student work.
• Curriculum and Assessment: an AASL‑grounded research scope, ninth grade through Capstone.
• Talent and Team: a high‑health, high‑results department culture.
• Teaching: daily excellence in research instruction and the life of the library.
• Library Program: collection, systems, space, and budget — founded from nothing and then run well.
• Partnerships: relationships across Chicago that put students in real work with real mentors, and the systems that keep those placements good.

Compensation And Benefits

The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $77,543–$137,099, based on the school’s established Faculty Salary Schedule. In addition, this leadership role carries a leadership differential of $4,000–$8,000, determined by years of leadership experience. Placement within the salary range is determined by a combination of relevant leadership experience and educational attainment, including Bachelor's, Master's, Master's + additional graduate credits, Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctoral (Ed.D./Ph.D.) degrees, in accordance with the school’s step‑and‑lane compensation structure. Final compensation will be determined consistent with the school’s compensation philosophy, internal equity, and established salary schedule. In addition to base salary, the position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, holiday pay, medical insurance, and a 401(k) plan with employer match.

• Paid time off
• Holiday pay
• Medical insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

How We Hire

Our process is thorough and we believe that hiring is a dual decision‑making process; you are vetting us as much as we are vetting you. Our process includes focused conversations with the people you would work with, a battery of assessments we use for your development as much as for selection, and interview rounds both in‑person and virtually. We move quickly, and we tell you where you stand.

Is this you?

This isn’t for everyone. If it’s you, it may be the best work of your life. Read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator.