Kohelet Yeshiva, Merion Station, Pennsylvania
HEAD OF SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Kohelet Yeshiva seeks a dynamic Head of School beginning July 2025. This position will report to the Board of Directors.
The Head of School (HOS) will be the administrative and educational leader of our school, embodying and articulating the mission and vision of Kohelet Yeshiva. The HOS will be our primary representative within the school, in the greater Philadelphia community, and beyond. The HOS, along with our Executive Director, will lead Kohelet Yeshiva during a pivotal and exciting transition as the student population continues to climb, as we scale and build to meet our needs, and as we continue to coalesce as a cohesive K-12 institution, in an environment of financial stability.
A successful candidate for this position will be a visionary leader who is passionately committed to the school’s religious and educational philosophy, who is a personal role model of Modern Orthodoxy, and who fosters excellence through strong and respectful organizational culture. He or she will possess a deep understanding and love of children, and will strive to create a positive environment for students and faculty in which they are challenged and inspired. The candidate will have: achievements in Torah and scholarship, a commitment to robust secular education, excellent organizational and communication skills, energy, flexibility, creativity, and a drive toward intellectual growth.
Responsibilities will include:
Educational Leadership and Strategic Planning
Ensure that the school’s mission and vision are carried out, galvanizing students, teachers, parents, and stakeholders toward our shared goals.
Together with the K-8 and High School leadership, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Director, be a thought partner in creating and executing the school’s long-term vision.
Work together with and support our faculty and staff to create a more fully unified K-12 institution.
Promote and enhance our culture of student-centered learning and teaching.
Continue Kohelet’s trajectory of growth as a destination for families and educators seeking a school community that reflects their commitment to Modern Orthodox education.
Mentor and lead to create opportunities for development and advancement of existing principals, faculty, and staff, cultivating a leadership pipeline within the school; work with the K-8 and High School Leadership to recruit, train, and support, talented faculty and staff.
Representing Kohelet Yeshiva
Function as an ambassador of and speaker for Kohelet Yeshiva at all Kohelet Yeshiva and community events, projecting the mission and vision of the school in the greater Philadelphia area.
Create, develop, and maintain relationships with current and prospective students, parents, alumni, other institutions of learning, local rabbis, and the Jewish Federation.
Keep the President and Board informed of all significant matters at the school, and educate the faculty and staff about the Board's activities.
Promote and advocate for Kohelet Yeshiva for the purposes of recruitment and community building.
Enrollment, Finances and Fundraising
Work with the Principals and Executive Director to establish and meet enrollment goals, to continue growth and ensure long term sustainability.
Work with the Board's Finance Committee, the Executive Director, the K-8 and High School Leadership, to develop the annual budget and long term strategic financial plans.
Work with the Board’s Development Committee and the Executive Director to develop and implement fundraising initiatives and be personally involved in cultivating and soliciting major gifts.
Qualifications:
- Passionate commitment to Modern Orthodox Yeshiva education
- Experience with and/or interest in student-centered education
- Track record of successful, collaborative team building, organizational management, and inspiring leadership
- Calm, reliable presence with a relationship-based and problem-solving disposition
- Strong empathy for educators, parents, and students
- Demonstrated ability to recruit and retain gifted educators and support their professional growth
- Ability to steward skilled educators to deliver exceptional educational outcomes
- Prior experience as a HOS or Principal preferred
- Master’s degree or Doctorate in Education or a related field preferred
Generous Benefits Package Provided
About Kohelet Yeshiva:
Kohelet Yeshiva is a Modern Orthodox yeshiva day school located on a beautiful four-acre campus in Lower Merion, PA. The school has three divisions – a Lab School (grades K-5), a Middle School (grades 6-8), and a High School (grades 9-12). Current enrollment is approximately 360 students. The Executive Director oversees all non-academic aspects of the school, including finance, development, operations, marketing, communications, and facilities, allowing the academic administrators to focus on educational excellence and engagement with the faculty, parents and students.
Kohelet Yeshiva provides a warm and embracing environment that fosters scholarship, intellectual curiosity, love of learning, and a commitment to Halachic Judaism, while providing opportunities for each student to achieve their maximum potential. We instill a belief in the centrality of the State of Israel to the national and spiritual identity of the Jewish people and are committed to training our students to be passionate, articulate advocates for Israel.
The Lab School and Middle School are committed to utilizing replicable, empirically supported, student-centered methods of pedagogy in order to maximize learning for all students in both Judaic and General Studies and advance the field of Jewish Education.
The High School is known for its rigorous programs in both Judaic and General Studies, enhanced by outstanding music and art programs. The High School offers honors and advanced placement courses, as well as multiple levels of learning center support, in addition to regular classes. Art and music classes along with a full range of extracurricular and athletic activities are valued components to the program. Our high school graduates attend top-ranked universities, yeshivot, and midrashot in the U.S. and Israel.
Kohelet Yeshiva is a center for Modern Orthodox values and provides vital community resources. We have been honored to attract and host prominent thought leaders and notable speakers including Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman z’’l, and Natan Sharansky who spent time in the school, met with Kohelet students and lectured at the school in presentations that attracted a broad Jewish community audience.
About Our Area:
Kohelet Yeshiva is located minutes from Center City Philadelphia, nestled in a beautiful, thriving suburban community that has seen tremendous population and institutional growth over the past decade in the Modern Orthodox community. People are drawn to the area by world-class universities and excellent nearby professional opportunities. The Lower Merion Jewish community has several Orthodox shuls and schools, a Yoetzet initiative, a thriving community Kollel and multiple kosher restaurants. Although physically located in Lower Merion, Kohelet Yeshiva is part of the greater Philadelphia area, drawing faculty and students from Cherry Hill, NJ, Center City Philadelphia, Elkins Park, Overbrook, Yardley, Northeast Philadelphia, and Allentown. In addition to easy local access to Philadelphia, the community is conveniently located halfway between Washington, D.C., and New York City.
We’d love to hear from you.
To apply to become Kohelet Yeshiva’s next Head of School, please send your resume and cover letter to Amy Wasser, Senior Director of Field Advancement at Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools at [email protected]g