School Network Staff Director of Student Wellness
Job Description
Director of Student Wellness
Ingenuity Prep is a supportive school community dedicated to academic rigor and civic leadership, preparing students for the path to colleges and career of their choosing. Our innovative instructional model promotes small group learning for students, collaborative teaching teams, and robust coaching and professional development opportunities for teachers and staff. We are one of the highest performing schools in Ward 8 and proud recipients of a Bold Performance School award.
We are seeking a Director of Student Wellness to lead the expansion of a robust school-based mental health services model which includes developing, implementing, and overseeing comprehensive mental health and wellness programs within Ingenuity Prep. Under the leadership of the Chief of Student Support and Wellness,the Director of Student Wellness will support implementation of a five-year, multimillion-dollar federal grant to expand the school’s school-based mental health program. The role offers the opportunity to develop innovative school-based mental health support and external partnership models rooted in student, family, and staff needs. Successful candidates are fierce advocates for mental health services. They believe in the power of collective impact and build teams that are innovative, and centered in equity. This role requires a strong background in mental health, leadership, program development, and collaboration.
WHAT WE’RE ABOUT
- Mission: We’re closing the opportunity gap. Students and families in Southeast D.C. have too few options for high-quality elementary, middle, and high schools. Ingenuity Prep aspires to right this systemic injustice providing an exemplary educational option for Southeast D.C.’s students and families.
- Model: We pair high expectations with high support. Too often, our students are underestimated. At Ingenuity Prep, an innovative teacher development model, paired with best-in-class training from strong instructional leaders, allows us to grow great teachers who, ultimately, lead high-expectation and high-support classrooms.
- Results: Our students are defying expectations. Ingenuity Prep’s students outperform their neighborhood peers on rigorous, national, college-track assessments. Already out-performing many of their more privileged peers around the city, in the coming years, Ingenuity Prep’s students will provide an expectation-defying and achievement-gap-closing proof point — showing what our kids are capable of when we provide the right opportunities, expectations, and support.
WHAT YOU’LL DO AS DIRECTOR OF STUDENT WELLNESS:
- Program Development:
- Create short-term and long-term plans to enhance mental health support, de-stigmatize mental health issues, and prioritize overall well-being.
- Develop and implement crisis intervention protocols and offer guidance and immediate support in times of crisis or emotional distress among students, staff, or the school community.
- Develop, implement, and manage mental health and wellness programs, initiatives, and resources tailored to the needs of students.
- Implement multi-tiered behavior supports with fidelity in collaboration with principals, school teams, and social workers.
- Collect, analyze, and report data related to program effectiveness, engagement, and outcomes.
- Leadership and Team Management:
- Lead a team of mental health professionals by providing coaching and development, ensuring a cohesive and effective approach to mental health support.
- Provide training and support to educators and staff that enhance their understanding of social-emotional learning (SEL) principles and their ability to incorporate these strategies into practice.
- Recruit, hire, train, and supervise mental health professionals, counselors, and support staff within the department.
- Ensure that mental health clinicians achieve compliance on service hours, and provide feedback and thought-partnership to clinicians on meeting hours.
- Provide supervision of clinicians that lead to licensure
- Partnerships and Collaboration:
- Establish and maintain partnerships with external mental health organizations, practitioners, and community resources.
- Organize awareness campaigns, seminars, workshops, and training sessions to educate key stakeholders including, but not limited to, employees, students, families, and caregivers on topics including mental health, stress management, self-care.
Ingenuity Prep may be the right fit for you if:
- You hold a Master’s or Doctoral degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or related field.
- You are a licensed clinician holding a minimum of one of the following: LCSW, LMFT, or LPC.
- You hold a passionate belief in Ingenuity Prep’s mission, values, and educational model
- You have at least five years of combined leadership experience in student wellness and program management, preferably in an environment serving a high number of at-risk students
- You have a proven ability to create and maintain a strong, positive adult culture achieved through empowering coaching and management practices
- You have a track record of designing programs to measurably meet the needs of students
- You have a strong understanding of psychological principles, mental health and trauma practices, and well-being strategies
- You relentlessly drive to achieve goals
- You thrive in a fast-paced environment and a have capacity to remain calm and focused when faced with unexpected challenges
- You can work collaboratively with all stakeholders to innovate, problem-solve, and/or resolve conflict
- You demonstrate a strong commitment to growth, professional learning, and equity-centered leadership
MORE ABOUT US
Ingenuity Prep offers among the strongest compensation and benefits packages of any public charter school in Washington, D.C. Our compensation and benefits package includes:
- Salary starting at $101,500 and increasing commensurate with experience.
- 100% of medical and dental premiums for employees paid for by Ingenuity Prep, along with 100% of dependent premiums.
- 100% of employee’s short and long-term disability and life insurance plans paid for by Ingenuity Prep.
- A minimum of two weeks maternity/paternity leave, up to 6 weeks, at 100% of pay (60% from IP and remaining pay from DC Paid Family Leave ) for all staff — regardless of gender.
- A 100% match — up to 3% — on your 401K retirement plan.
- A 100% Ingenuity Prep-paid cell phone plan. You can even bring your current number into our plan.
- MacBook Air computer for professional and personal use.
Ingenuity Prep does not make hiring decisions on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, age, disability, veteran status, religion, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.
All Ingenuity Prep employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before their start date. All persons offered a position will be required to provide valid proof of vaccination prior to starting employment or must be approved for a medical or religious exemption.
