Jobs

Position Description: Academic Dean (With Teaching Responsibilities)

Status: Full-time, 12-Month Position

Reports to: Head of School

Supervises: Registrar & Academic Program Manager; Department Chairs

Start Date: August 1, 2026

Salary Range: $85,000-$94,000

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth, MA 02540

Falmouth Academy is a small, independent, co-educational day and 5-day boarding school on

Cape Cod serving students in grades 7 through 12. Located in the heart of Falmouth,

Massachusetts, our students benefit from an exceptional setting that is both academically

inspiring and deeply connected to the world around them. With close proximity to Woods Hole

and a community known for scientific discovery, innovation, and the arts, Falmouth Academy

offers a college-preparatory education in an environment where students are truly known,

supported, and challenged. Guided by our mission, we cultivate curiosity, confidence, and

character while preparing students to thrive in school and beyond.

Position Summary

Falmouth Academy (grades 7–12) seeks an Academic Dean to provide strategic and day-to-day leadership of the academic program. Reporting to the Head of School and serving as a key member of the leadership team, the Academic Dean is responsible for ensuring that the school’s curriculum, pedagogy, assessment practices, and academic systems are coherent, mission-aligned, and of high quality.

A central charge of this role is to drive innovation and change, helping Falmouth Academy develop a distinctive program so that students experience learning that is ambitious, modern, and unmistakable “FA.” We seek a forward-looking educator who embraces the ongoing evolution of secondary education and can help FA modernize curriculum and pedagogy while preserving what is timeless: intellectual rigor, excellent teaching, and deep relationships.

The Academic Dean must bring deep expertise in secondary curriculum and pedagogy and a sophisticated understanding of how adolescents learn. This leader will be highly informed about the evolving landscape of middle and upper school education-research, best practice, and the most promising emerging models-and will translate that knowledge into distinctive, classroom-level practice at Falmouth Academy. The work is not primarily conceptual: the Academic Dean will partner with department chairs and faculty to strengthen instructional design, assessment, and student experience day to day, so that “FA teaching” is visible, coherent, and exceptional.

The Academic Dean oversees the Registrar & Academic Program Manager and Department Chairs, and collaborates with colleagues across the school (e.g., student support, college counseling, technology, admissions, the arts, and athletics) to ensure the academic program is integrated, responsive, and student-centered. The position includes teaching and may include co-curricular responsibilities, depending on the year and school needs.

Primary Responsibilities

CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY EXPERTISE AND INSTRUCTIONAL DISTINCTIVENESS

• Serve as the school’s chief instructional leader and primary in-house expert on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in grades 7–12.
• Maintain current, working knowledge of research and leading practice in secondary education (e.g., learning science, cognitive science-informed instruction, adolescent development, assessment for learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, effective uses of educational technology/AI), and help the faculty apply it wisely.
• Lead the design and continual refinement of FA’s academic “signature”: clear expectations for high-quality lesson design, student work, feedback, and assessment so that the program is distinctive by experience, not only by description.
• Ensure curriculum is deliberately designed for transfer (students can apply learning in new contexts), not only coverage, and that classroom practices consistently develop durable skills (thinking, writing, problem solving, inquiry, and communication).
• Establish and steward a sustainable cycle of curriculum review and renewal (e.g., mapping, unit design protocols, common performance tasks, department review cycles), ensuring coherence across grades and disciplines.
• Curate and communicate high-leverage resources (research summaries, model units, observation look-fors, sample student work) that raise the instructional floor while expanding innovation.

ACADEMIC VISION, DISTINCTIVENESS, AND PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

• Articulate and lead a clear academic vision that advances Falmouth Academy’s mission and sharpens the school’s distinctive value in the independent-school landscape.
• Lead continuous improvement of curriculum and pedagogy, ensuring the program is coherent, appropriately rigorous, and aligned vertically and horizontally across grades and departments.
• Identify and champion research-informed practices and emerging approaches that improve learning and teaching; design pilots thoughtfully and scale what works.
• Build structures that support sustained innovation (pilots, review cycles, feedback loops, faculty learning communities), so change is measurable and durable.

FACULTY LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

• Lead and support Department Chairs as instructional leaders: goal-setting, department planning, curriculum mapping, assessment alignment, and program evaluation.
• Build a culture of pedagogical craft: faculty routinely discuss learning goals, task design, student thinking, feedback, and evidence of learning—not just content coverage.
• Create a coherent faculty learning system that may include instructional coaching, targeted professional development, peer observation, and collaborative planning—grounded in clear expectations for excellent teaching.
• Develop and support Department Chairs as instructional leaders (not only managers), equipping them with tools for curriculum leadership, observation/feedback, and department reflection.
• Lead or coordinate a school-wide approach to examining student work and instructional impact (e.g., calibration, common rubrics where appropriate, performance-based assessment review) to strengthen consistency and rigor without flattening teacher creativity.
• Partner with the Head of School on hiring, onboarding, evaluation processes (as applicable), and retention of faculty to ensure staffing decisions support academic priorities.

CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT, AND ACADEMIC POLICY

• Oversee and regularly review academic policies and practices (grading, assessment, academic integrity, placement, course changes, promotion/retention, etc.), ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with best practices.
• Ensure curriculum documentation remains current (scope and sequence, course descriptions, departmental guides) and supports strong articulation within and across departments.
• Use appropriate data and student performance information to inform academic decisions and to identify areas for growth and support.
• Ensure the school’s approach to grading and assessment is philosophically coherent and educationally defensible, aligned with what we know about motivation, learning, and feedback, and clearly communicated to students and families.

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS AND SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP

• Provide oversight for academic systems and cycles in collaboration with the Registrar & Academic Program Manager (e.g., course requests, scheduling inputs, reporting cycles, transcripts readiness, graduation requirements, and academic records integrity).
• Ensure systems are efficient, well-documented, and sustainable—reducing friction for faculty, students, and families while improving clarity and service.
• Oversee academic calendar milestones and readiness processes (start-of-year academic preparation, exam schedules, course planning cycles) in partnership with relevant school leaders.

STUDENT SUPPORT AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION

• Collaborate with student support services (counseling/learning support as applicable) to ensure academic structures and expectations meet students’ needs while maintaining high standards and appropriate confidentiality.
• Work closely with College Counseling to ensure course pathways, program expectations, and transcript narratives reflect the school’s academic identity and goals.
• Partner with Technology and other program leaders to build faculty capacity and implement academic tools and practices effectively.

ACCREDITATION, PROGRAM REVIEW, AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

• Lead or significantly contribute to academic components of accreditation and self-study processes, program reviews, and strategic planning related to teaching and learning.
• Prepare clear, useful academic program updates for leadership and the Board as appropriate.

TEACHING AND COMMUNITY LIFE

• Teach in an area aligned with the candidate’s expertise and school needs; teaching load and sections will vary by year and departmental need.
• Contribute to the co-curricular life of the school through advising, coaching, or leading an activity, depending on school needs.
• Serve as a visible, engaged member of the school community, modeling intellectual curiosity and a commitment to students.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Significant experience as an outstanding teacher and academic leader in a secondary school environment; independent school experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated depth of expertise in grades 7–12 curriculum design, instructional practice, and assessment.
• Able to speak fluently about teaching and learning with both warmth and rigor.
• High professional literacy in contemporary secondary education: informed about current research, debates, and emerging models, and able to discern what is durable from what is trendy.
• A track record of leading instructional improvement that results in observable changes in classroom practice and student learning (not only new programs or documents).
• Proven ability to lead faculty learning and growth through coaching, professional development design, and strong instructional leadership (including supporting department chairs as instructional leaders).
• Experience leading curriculum renewal and/or program design in ways that sharpen a school’s distinctiveness (e.g., coherent review cycles, unit design protocols, signature programming, interdisciplinary initiatives).
• Demonstrated ability to help a faculty navigate thoughtful modernization, including responsible and effective use of educational technology and AI in support of learning.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; ability to lead through trust, clarity, and high standards.
• Operational strength: ability to manage academic timelines, policies, and systems with rigor and follow-through.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with faculty, students, and families.

IDEAL CANDIDATE ALSO HAS

• Experience with performance-based assessment and authentic student work (e.g., exhibitions, capstones, portfolios), where appropriate.
• Experience designing or strengthening interdisciplinary learning experiences that maintain disciplinary rigor while improving coherence and student engagement.
• Familiarity with accreditation/self-study processes and the ability to lead academic components of institutional review.
• Experience building practical, teacher-friendly systems for curriculum documentation, assessment calibration, and program evaluation.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and three references to Leslie Walters, Assistant to the Head of School, at candidates@falmouthacademy.org.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Falmouth Academy does not discriminate in its admissions and tuition assistance programs, hiring process, and in all other school programs. Falmouth Academy does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin or ancestry, age, or disability, or any other category protected under state or federal law.