Good Shepherd Lutheran School (GSLS)

Reports to: Head of School
Status: Full-time, 12-month position
Location: Split campus; Middle School (enrollment approximately 70 students)
Start Date: 7/1/26

Good Shepherd Lutheran School (GSLS)

Good Shepherd Lutheran School is a place of academic excellence that is nurturing, relationship-driven, and deeply supportive of students and families. This is an exciting time to join GSLS and help shape the future of a school community that is poised to strengthen its middle school program and elevate its impact in the region.

The Assistant Head of School / Middle School Director is a highly visible, mission-aligned leader who serves as the day-to-day operational and instructional leader for GSLS’s middle school campus of approximately 70 students. Working in close partnership with the Head of School, this leader will guide a small, dedicated team of middle school educators and one administrative staff member who provides essential operational and organizational campus support. As the primary on-site leader for the middle school campus, this role provides consistent leadership and decision-making authority for daily operations and student life. The role calls for someone who can take charge with calm, compassion, and clarity, building trust quickly, fostering a healthy and cohesive adult culture, and ensuring an exceptional experience for every student.

At its heart, this position is for an educator-leader who genuinely enjoys working with adolescents and sees middle school as a vital, formative chapter, full of curiosity, complexity, and possibility. The successful candidate will bring both an inspiring vision and the practical leadership needed to reinvigorate GSLS’s middle school into a beacon of excellence: a program known for strong, purposeful teaching, meaningful relationships, confident students, and a compelling identity that supports enrollment growth and retention.

The Opportunity

This role offers the chance to lead and strengthen a middle school program with the agility and closeness that only a small community can provide. GSLS is seeking a leader who can:

• Ensure excellent operations and student support on our middle school campus, creating consistency, responsiveness, and a strong sense of belonging for students and families
• Provide calm, steady, and visible leadership on the middle school campus, ensuring excellent operations, consistent decision-making, and a strong sense of belonging for students and families
• Strengthen teaching and learning by coaching faculty, supporting collaboration, and ensuring clear academic expectations, instructional alignment, and high expectations grounded in developmentally appropriate practice
• Build trust through strong communication, clarity, and follow-through, establishing consistent expectations for students and staff and reinforcing a cohesive, unified adult culture
• Demonstrate respect for existing strengths and culture, taking time to listen, learn, and build trust before implementing change
• Partner in the development of a compelling, mission-aligned middle school vision and identity that families understand, students are proud of, and the broader community recognizes
• Partner strategically with the Head of School, contributing to schoolwide planning and taking leadership on select strategic initiatives, with particular focus on middle school growth and retention
• Teach one subject (as needed), remaining grounded in the daily life of students and modeling strong instructional practice

Key Responsibilities

While duties will evolve based on school needs, the Assistant Head of School/Middle School Director will typically lead in the following areas:

Middle School Leadership and Campus Operations

• Oversee the daily operations of the middle school campus, ensuring a safe, well-run, and student-centered environment, and providing steady leadership during day-to-day challenges with calm presence and sound judgment.
• Maintain clear systems for routines, communication, and follow-through so that students and families experience a cohesive program.
• Partner with the administrative staff member to ensure smooth operational functioning and effective logistical support for the campus.
• Coordinate and lead middle school overnight trips.

Faculty Leadership and Evaluation

• Supervise and evaluate a team of middle school teachers, building on a culture of professionalism, growth, and shared responsibility.
• Support instructional improvement through coaching, collaboration, and feedback aligned with the school’s academic priorities and instructional expectations.
• Foster a healthy, collaborative adult culture grounded in trust, clarity, shared responsibility, and professional growth.
• Partner with the Head of School (the hiring manager) on hiring decisions and onboarding, ensuring mission and program alignment.

Student Life, Culture, and Family Partnership

• Know students well and support their academic and developmental growth, guiding a culture of responsibility, empathy, and belonging.
• Communicate clearly and proactively with families, building strong partnerships and addressing concerns with empathy and professionalism.
• In partnership with existing school supports and leadership, strengthen systems that support student success, ensuring clarity of expectations and consistency of care without over-centralizing responsibilities.

Middle School Growth, Identity, and Retention

• Partner in the development of a compelling middle school identity that articulates what makes GSLS middle school distinctive and excellent, including its academic rigor, coherence, and commitment to student growth 
• Collaborate with school leadership on strategies that support enrollment growth and retention, including parent communication, program visibility, and student experience.
• Ensure that middle school programming reflects the best of GSLS: rigorous learning, strong relationships, and a culture where students are known, supported, and guided by Christian principles and values.

Schoolwide Partnership and Strategic Contribution

• Serve as a key thought partner to the Head of School, helping translate vision into action and leading or co-leading selected strategic initiatives connected to academic strength, program coherence, and middle school sustainability.

To Apply

We warmly invite interested candidates to submit the following materials:

• To apply, please complete an employment application and send it along with a cover letter and resume to: mischa.litvack@gslsnovato.org.
• Completion of our online application form, which includes short written responses designed to help us learn more about your leadership experience, instructional philosophy, and alignment with GSLS’s mission and academic aspirations

Finalists will be invited to participate in a multi-stage interview process, including a campus visit, as we work to thoughtfully and collaboratively select our next Assistant Head of School / Middle School Director.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

At GSLS, we are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. We strive to foster a welcoming and positive culture that recognizes and values diversity in all forms, including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodiverse learning styles, nationality, physical ability, religion, and more.

Experience and Qualifications

GSLS seeks a candidate who combines deep care for students with the leadership skills to guide a small campus and team.

• Minimum of 4+ years of successful teaching experience at the middle school level.
• Administrative leadership experience, including leading teams, supervising adults, and supporting program implementation.
• Administrative credential and/or master’s degree preferred
• Demonstrated strength in relationship-building, communication, and collaboration.
• Ability to lead with calm confidence, strong organization, and thoughtful follow-through.
• Commitment to creating an environment where all students are supported, challenged, and known.
• A strong instructional leader who values academic excellence while honoring the relational heart of middle school education.

Personal Qualities and Leadership Style

The ideal leader will be:

• Calm, compassionate, and decisive, steady under pressure and thoughtful in complex situations.
• A relationship-centered leader who builds trust with students, faculty, and families.
• A mentor and coach who helps teachers grow while maintaining high expectations and accountability.
• A visionary builder who can strengthen a program, tell its story, and inspire confidence in the middle school’s future.
• Flexible and hands-on, ready to teach, support operations, and step in wherever needed in a small-school environment.

About Good Shepherd Lutheran School

Connections working at Good Shepherd Lutheran School