Executive Director
Opening Statement
The Anchorage Waldorf School is seeking a strong candidate who holds a deep love for our school, and who will use their leadership to weave our school together into a community with fidelity to our values. We seek a leader who exemplifies commitment, experience and wisdom at the helm of a small independent school.
About
Nestled below the Alaskan Chugach Mountain Range, the Anchorage Waldorf School embodies Rudolf Steiner’s ideals to spark and nurture the highest potential in humanity. We offer an education that honors and nurtures the human spirit in each child.
We are the only non-profit, independent Waldorf school in Alaska.
Anchorage Waldorf School Philosophy and Governance:
Waldorf pedagogy nurtures healthy emotional development by exploring subject areas experientially as well as academically. The heart of the Waldorf philosophy is a belief that education is an art: we seek to understand each child as a unique thinking, feeling and willing individual. Independent Waldorf education also acknowledges that each child is a developing human being with their own capacities and potential. We strive to prepare each child to meet an ever-changing world with tools for life-long learning: mastery of academic skills, social and emotional intelligence, physical grace and agility, artistic sensibilities and spiritual awareness – appropriate for their age and developmental stage.
The Anchorage Waldorf School (AWS) is a self-administered, collaboratively led institution with three groups responsible for integrated, yet distinct, areas of school governance. Rudolf Steiner indicated that the social relationships we weave as we govern the school also impact the students’ education. This environment where adults are working together to reach agreement models for the students a sense of striving and learning that continues into adulthood. The three key bodies are the Faculty, the Administration and the Board of Trustees.
Essential Job Duties
The Administrative Executive Director serves as the Head of School, and is responsible for:
Leadership
- Embody the school mission and model collaborative leadership rooted in Steiner’s indications and Waldorf pedagogy, supporting a culture of shared responsibility and transparent decision-making.
- Support the development of policies and procedures by contributing insight and facilitating collaborative review processes and reports to the Board of Trustees
- Serve as a communication hub for the school, ensuring issues are directed to the appropriate individual or collaborative body and supporting the creation of the school calendar in partnership with Faculty and leadership groups.
- Serve as a secondary forum for resolving personnel, parent, or teacher concerns when normal processes are exhausted, referring matters to the appropriate Faculty, staff, or collaborative body as defined in school protocols.
Oversight
- Support the creation, interpretation, and implementation of school policies through collaborative governance processes, ensuring alignment with Waldorf mission and regulatory expectations.
- Participate in budgeting processes informing the Board of Trustees and ensure transparent financial reporting and responsible implementation of the budget once approved.
- Work with the Accreditation Team to coordinate accreditation and compliance tasks, ensuring adherence to accreditation bodies (ANSWA & WECAN), local, state, and federal requirements.
- Participate as a collaborator in personnel evaluation processes as appropriate, providing required input while respecting Faculty, Staff, and collaborative appraisal responsibilities.
Operations
- Coordinate the daily operations of the school—including safety practices, facility use, and maintenance—in partnership with facilities and administrative staff.
- Ensure licensing, health, safety, and regulatory compliance are maintained across all jurisdictions, informing Faculty and leadership bodies of relevant updates or required actions.
- Collaborate with key bodies with individual personnel processes, including hiring, separation, and evaluations, carrying out administrative steps in alignment with the decisions of the responsible governance bodies.
- Attend all school events, and board meetings as ex-officio members. Attend Faculty meetings as needed.
- Lead fundraising strategy and donor stewardship efforts, including grant writing, individual giving, and partnerships.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
- Strong financial acumen and experience with budgeting, fundraising, and resource development.
- Embodiment of school mission delivering Waldorf pedagogy as inspired by Steiner’s indications
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
- Professional Education, nonprofit or related background with a demonstrated history of increasing responsibility, competency and innovation.
- Preferred 12+ credits in Early Childhood or Elementary Education
- Adult & Pediatric CPR/First Aid, Better Kid Care and Mandated Reporter certification or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire.
AWS extends opportunity to applicants with non-traditional backgrounds or gaps in their employment, recognizing the many profitable skills they offer to our institution.
Employment Details
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
Work Location: In person
To Apply
Please send Cover Letter and Resume to board@waldorfak.org or apply online via https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=aa4ea0ce3f94ba25&from=shareddesktop_copy.
