Upper School Dean

Poly Prep Country Day School; New York (NY); On-site; USD 118,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Flexible spending account

Free lunch

Job summary

Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY seeks an Upper School Dean to lead college guidance and student support for grades 9–12.

This 12-month administrative role reports to the Director of College Guidance and works with a seven-member dean team and a dean of students to guide academic life, discipline, and personal growth.

Qualifications

• Excellent spoken and written communication.
• Sound and independent judgment.
• Ability to collaborate well and manage time efficiently.
• Strong understanding of academic life and secondary school routines.
• Skill at counseling adolescents.

Responsibilities

• Lead and set the tone in the school, manage schedules and routines with administrators.
• Meet with every student/family in caseload of Grades 9-12 at key points in the year.
• Maintain relationships with students to support achievement and well-being; plan academically.
• Collaborate with administrators, faculty and staff to address students’ needs and policies.
• Guide and support students when disciplinary outcomes occur, in partnership with the Upper School Head.
• Provide strategic, comprehensive college guidance throughout the college research and application process for the full cohort.
• Co-create materials and presentations to educate students and families about college research and applications.
• Innovate to improve counseling approaches and pursue relevant professional development.
• Craft counselor recommendations for rising seniors and support school’s college application processes.

Skills

Communication

Judgment

Collaboration

Time management

Counseling adolescents

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Details
Posted: 09-Jul-26
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Type: Full Time
Salary: $118,000 - $125,000
Categories
Dean of Students
Required Education
4 Year Degree
Poly Prep's mission is to prepare and inspire the next diverse generation of leaders and global citizens to act with intelligence, imagination, and––above all––character. Poly Prep seeks applicants for the position of UPPER SCHOOL DEAN for the 2026-27 fiscal Year. The Upper School Dean works with approximately 95 students in grades 9-12 to optimize the school experience and help shape their educational path, both during and after their time at Poly. The dean is a student’s college advisor, as well as their principal advisor for academic, extracurricular, social-emotional, and disciplinary matters. From figuring out how to find more success in classes, to connecting families with opportunities at school, to guiding a child through facing the consequences of mistakes, to creating a college application strategy, the dean is the co-pilot – with each student in the pilot’s seat – of Upper School. The deans also work with US faculty/staff to help manage student, parent, and teacher concerns. As a primary contact for families and as co-leaders of the college guidance program, they are a crucial and valued representative of the School. The deans operate in a team of seven led by a chair and supported by the deans’ coordinator. They meet multiple times weekly on shared concerns and rely on each other’s judgment, support, and wisdom to do their best work. The deans report directly to the Director of College Guidance, also a dean. The US Dean is not a classroom teacher but must have a strong understanding of academic life and school culture with skill at counseling adolescents. The Upper School Dean is a 12-month administrative position. Primary Responsibilities And Accountabilities Dean-Specific Student Guidance and School duties include: 1) Leading and setting tone in school (both in the day and at after-school meetings, presentations, etc.), managing schedule and routines with other administrators 2) Meeting with every student / family in caseload of Grades 9-12 at key points in the year 3) Maintaining relationships with students to support their achievement and well-being; short and long-term academic planning 4) Collaborating with fellow administrators, faculty, and staff to attend to students’ needs, develop policies, and shape the student experience 5) Collaborating with Upper School Head and Dean of Students to guide and support students when their choices have led to disciplinary outcomes 6) Responding to family inquiries in a timely fashion; connecting them with appropriate resources at the school College Guidance Duties Include Providing strategic, comprehensive advice throughout the college research and application process to full cohort of students (approximately 22-25 per grade level) Co-creating and contributing fully to materials and presentations for use in educating students and families about the college research and application process Innovating to build and improve college counseling approach, both individually and as a team; pursuing relevant PD to enhance practice Crafting counselor recommendations for all rising seniors in spring/summer prior to Grade 12 Supporting US Dean Coordinator in ensuring the school’s role in supporting all college applications (document delivery, school profile, teacher recommendations etc.) is performed to the best possible standard General Administrator Duties Attending conferences and PD opportunities to stay current with best practices Joining committee, department, staff meetings and other appropriate faculty-staff events Speaking in school venues both small and large, participating in / attending school events, and engaging fully in the life of the school Other tasks as may be assigned by Head of School Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree preferred Experience: At least five years of secondary school and/or college counseling / admissions experience; accountability to multiple stakeholders in prior positions Salary: $118,000 - $125,000 Specific Skills: Excellent spoken and written communication, sound and independent judgment, ability to collaborate well and manage time efficiently, strong understanding of academic life and secondary school routines, and skill at counseling adolescents Certifications/Licenses: None Special Requirements: Occasional availability required for advancement and admissions initiatives such as after-hours presence at special events. Poly Prep strives to be an equitable, just, and diverse community, one proud of and deeply committed to empowering students to discover who they are and what they want to be. In keeping with the country day school philosophy, we seek community members who will share a passion for learning. Every community member at Poly Prep aspires to uphold our mission “to support and inspire the next diverse generation of leaders and global citizens to act with intelligence, imagination and--above all--character.” We offer a supportive environment, with a full benefits package (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, a generous match on our 403(b) retirement plan, long-term disability, flexible spending account, pre-tax commute benefit, and free lunch).