6-12 Principal and Senior School Rabbi
Farber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva, Detroit’s flagship Modern Orthodox and Zionist day school, recently celebrated 60 years of inspiring generations of students. We are seeking a dynamic, innovative, and inspiring 6-12 Principal and Senior Rabbi to help shape the next era of Farber’s growth — building on our proud legacy while charting an exciting future. The successful candidate will have YU smicha or equivalent and will serve as a religious and educational role model for students, staff, and parents. He will use empathy and relationship-building to advance Farber’s mission and core values.
Educational Leadership
The Principal is entrusted with nurturing the educational, social-emotional, and spiritual growth of every student — helping them thrive as learners and as Jews. Reporting to the Dean of School, the Principal will build and maintain the highest of educational standards in the 6-12th grades. The Principal will lead the development of vibrant curricular and co-curricular programs that inspire academic excellence, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. He will develop relationships with students and help instill in each the drive and expectation to achieve at the highest levels academically, but also in all aspects of their personal growth: middot tovot, creativity, social-emotional and physical health. The Principal will oversee consistent and transparent follow-through of the school’s policies.
The successful candidate will be both a leader and a team player. He will work collaboratively with all members of the Educational Leadership team to implement the overall educational vision of the school. The Principal will play a central role in planning and implementing creative and innovative programs in the 6-12 division. The Principal partners with the admissions office to attract, enroll, and retain students.
The Principal will be responsible for recruiting, supporting, guiding, supervising, and evaluating the 6th-12th grade teaching faculty. As part of his work onboarding new faculty, the Principal will collaborate with Jewish New Teacher Project, with whom Farber has a longstanding relationship. In addition, the Principal will match new teachers with appropriate mentors, and conduct regular meetings with the new teachers. The Principal will set and oversee a system of regular, supportive, and useful communication between staff and parents / students.
As part of the responsibility of encouraging professional growth beyond the curriculum, the Principal will work with other members of the Educational Leadership team to provide meaningful professional development for the faculty. This includes but is not limited to individual goal-setting and regular departmental and staff meetings. The Principal is expected to be a leader in particular professional development programs.
The Principal will oversee the administrative operations of 6th-12th grade, such as creating the annual master school class schedule, assigning teachers and students to classes, and organizing parent orientation evenings, conferences, and report cards. In the case of a prolonged absence of a teacher, the Principal may be called upon to fill in for a given teacher in a particular class.
Halachic and Hashkafic Leadership for Entire School
The Principal will serve as the mara d’atra for all divisions of the school. This includes acting as a spiritual leader to students and staff, representing and modeling the school’s haskafa, working with the school’s poskim to serve as the authority over all halachic issues, supervising the appropriate staff in each division to organize and oversee daily tefilah (likely himself taking leadership of either the MS or HS minyan) and other Jewish programming such as mishmar and those related to holidays and the religious guidance counselor and the seminary/yeshiva advisory programs in the high school. On halachic and hashkafic matters, the Principal will report directly to the board.
The Principal will promote Tzionut throughout school programs in accordance with our mission, and collaborate with the Dean of School on promoting Tzionut in the classes.
Communal Leadership
The Principal will represent Farber at school functions (e.g., Shabbat Assemblies, milestone celebrations, annual fundraising events) and be a Farber ambassador to the larger Detroit Jewish community.
The Principal will work to make Farber a community resource and oversee events inside and outside the school to encourage children and adults to engage in Torah study.
To apply for this position, send a resume and cover letter to our search consultant from Prizmah, Center for Jewish Day Schools, Amy Wasser [email protected]