Department Lead – Fine & Performing Arts

Job Title: Department Lead - Fine and Performing Arts
Reports to: Fine and Performing Arts Division Head
Terms and Conditions: Full-time 10 months 183 day teacher calendar.
FLSA Status: Exempt
Stipend: $5500.00

OPRF WHO WE ARE

Oak Park and River Forest High School or OPRF is a comprehensive public high school located in Oak Park IL a suburb eight miles due west of downtown Chicago. We are a one-school district with the majority of our students coming from two sender districts River Forest Public Schools District 90 and Oak Park Elementary School District 97. We offer more than 200 courses a variety of programs for students with special needs 75 clubs and activities and 29 competitive sports. We prepare our students well for post-secondary success with an average ACT composite score of 24 and a 94% graduation rate.

Oak Park and River Forest are communities that highly value diversity. OPRF is a founding member of the national Minority Student Achievement Network and our school is racially and economically diverse with about 48% of our 3300 students identifying as African-American Hispanic multiracial or Asian. Our villages have long embraced the LGBTQ community and we have a significant mix of homeowners and renters.

We seek faculty and staff who have high expectations for all students and who value student voice in education. As a school we are particularly focused on closing opportunity gaps for our students of color and other under-represented groups. OPRF is an equal opportunity employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all without regard to race color religion sex national origin age disability or genetics. OPRFs goal is to increase the diversity of its workforce.

Purpose:
The Department Lead supports the Division Head in advancing the mission and strategic priorities of the Fine & Performing Arts Division by providing instructional programmatic and operational leadership within an assigned department. This position serves as the primary leadership liaison between the Division Head and department faculty fostering collaboration continuous improvement and the successful implementation of Division goals.

Collaborative and Leadership Responsibilities:

• Facilitate communication among department members and elevate concerns opportunities and recommendations to the Division Head.
• Support implementation of Division standard operating procedures and contribute to their ongoing development and refinement.
• Participate in regular meetings with the Division Head.
• Mentor and support new teachers through onboarding guidance and ongoing professional support.
• Serve on hiring committees and assist with teacher recruitment as requested.

Curriculum and Instructional Support:

• Facilitate collaboration around curriculum instructional resources common assessments and course sequencing.
• Support implementation of district curriculum frameworks instructional best practices and assessment alignment.
• Coordinate curriculum review cycles course revisions and instructional improvement initiatives.
• Encourage and promote high-quality professional learning opportunities for department faculty.
• Serve as an instructional resource for department faculty as appropriate.

Program and Pathway Leadership:

• Assist the Division Head in leading the continuous development and implementation of pathways. including dual credit opportunities and community partnerships.
• Coordinate department participation in recruitment events showcases advisory meetings competitions and community outreach activities.
• Monitor and communicate department progress toward Division goals strategic priorities and pathway success metrics.

Administrative and Operational Responsibilities:

• Coordinate maintenance replacement inventory and organization of specialized instructional equipment and facilities.
• Assist with development of promotional materials departmental communications and pathway recruitment resources.
• Recommend budget priorities capital improvements instructional resources and equipment purchases to the Division Head.
• Coordinate implementation of department projects and initiatives.
• Perform other appropriate duties as assigned by the Division Head.

Leadership Expectations:

• Think beyond their individual discipline and advocate for the Fine and Performing Arts as a whole.
• Help create a culture in which every Fine and Performing Arts discipline is valued.
• Foster a collaborative solution-oriented department culture characterized by professionalism trust shared ownership and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate visible support for Division priorities strategic initiatives Support the Division Head in establishing implementing and monitoring annual department and Division goals and established standard operating procedures.
• Make student-centric recommendations grounded in data professional expertise and Division priorities.
• Represent the Fine & Performing Arts Division with professionalism and integrity.
• Take ownership of assigned responsibilities and follow projects through to completion.
• Demonstrate initiative organization and effective project management.
• Anticipate challenges and proactively develop solutions.

Fine & Performing Arts Department Specific Responsibilities:
Beyond the core expectations for Fine & Performing Arts Lead this role includes these specialized departmental requirements:

• Help coordinate and communicate department-wide calendars exhibitions performances showcases and other community-facing events.
• Support high-quality welcoming experiences for audiences attending Fine and Performing Arts events.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration among Fine and Performing Arts programs for public events and community experiences.
• Ensure that community-facing events reflect the departments mission values and commitment to student learning and artistic excellence.
• Serve as ambassador for the Fine and Performing Arts Department by helping create meaningful opportunities for students to share their work with the OPRF and broader community.

These department-specific duties are subject to change based on the evolution of the department. The Division Head may assign further responsibilities aligned with the roles purpose.

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive listing of the duties performed in this position. The individuals currently holding this position perform additional duties and additional duties may be assigned.

Please no phone calls. The respective hiring manager will review candidates once the job posting closes. If selected to move forward you will be contacted by phone or email. After reviewing the job posting if you have any questions please send an email to .

Oak Park & River Forest High School District 200 (OPRF) is an Equal Opportunity Employer