History Department Chair

Marin Academy seeks a visionary, student-centered, and collaborative leader to serve as History Department Chair beginning July 1, 2026. We are looking for an experienced history educator who is not only an expert teacher but also a thought leader committed to nurturing in students a deep and lasting love of history. Ideal candidates will have significant experience teaching at the high-school level and comfort with student-centered, progressive pedagogical approaches.

Successful candidates will have the ability and desire to teach core courses as well as electives, have a degree in history or a related field, and be ready and excited to work and lead collaboratively in teams within the History Department and across MA’s academic departments. Expertise in non-Western history is a plus.

Department Chairs play an important supervisory role at Marin Academy. In addition to being expert teachers, they supervise, evaluate, and coach teachers in their respective departments. Chairs also work in close partnership with administrators in the areas of curricular development, pedagogical advancement, and cultural competence. MA is deeply engaged in strategic work which is at once human centered and future-ready, emphasizing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and learning, using competency-based assessments, engaging in multicultural democracy, and fostering equity and inclusion. We are also thinking carefully and critically about the roles of artificial intelligence in our teaching and learning. Candidates eager to lead efforts related to these strategic goals at the department level will be prioritized in our search process. Furthermore, we welcome candidates who are eager to grow in their professional lives and who demonstrate a willingness and an ability to engage in reflection on their practice.

Specific responsibilities of department chairs include but are not limited to:

Partnering with the Dean of Faculty, Administration, Staff, and Department on all aspects of recruitment and hiring.
Working with Academic Dean, Dean of Faculty, and department members on course sectioning & staffing.
Collaborate with the Dean of Students’ Office on student support and with the school’s academic leaders on the development of transdisciplinary learning opportunities.
Overseeing the departmental budget, book orders, stock, storage, spaces, and supplies.
Acting as contact for parent questions and/or concerns about curriculum or teachers.
Leading department in annual visioning and priority setting.
Planning, facilitating, and running department meetings.
Observing department members’ classes on a regular basis.
Working with the Dean of Faculty to support the professional growth of department members.
Addressing personnel issues and fosters healthy team dynamics.

Students at Marin Academy are required to take three years of history including Modern World History I, Modern World History II, and United States History. The school also offers a rich variety of history and humanities elective courses for seniors. While these elective courses vary from year to year, offerings in 2025-2026 include: “American Government,” “Justice in America,” and “World Empires.” In all classes and at all levels, the MA History Department values a student-centered, inquiry-based approach to teaching that balances content mastery with an emphasis on skill development.

In addition to teaching 3 sections in the history department, all teachers and department chairs engage in a “service to the school” which can include almost anything from coaching a sport to serving as a faculty advisor to one of our identity & equity groups (IDEQ groups). Full-time teachers also advise, run a one-week minicourse in February, and participate actively in the life of the school.

At present, MA is deeply engaged in the work outlined in our ambitious strategic plan, which emphasizes interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teaching and learning, competency-based assessment, and equity and inclusion. Candidates eager to work toward these strategic goals will be prioritized in our search progress. Furthermore, we welcome candidates who are eager to grow in their professional lives and who demonstrate a willingness and an ability to engage in reflection on their practice.

MA is a vibrant and diverse community, and students and teachers alike continue to work towards the furthering of an inclusive and supportive school. Candidates should have the inclination and experience to work in a community focused on issues of equity and social justice. In addition, we highly value the student-teacher relationship. Individuals with a demonstrated desire to play roles across the school, including but not limited to advising, leading student activities, coaching, and/or supporting other key programs, are encouraged to apply.

Marin Academy’s mission statement “asks every individual to think, question, and create in an environment of encouragement and compassion, and challenges each person to accept the responsibilities posed by education in a democratic society.”  Marin Academy is an equal-opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity, and people of color and women are encouraged to apply.  For more information about Marin Academy, please visit our website (www.ma.org).

Salary & Benefits: This is a position with full benefits. Department Chairs at Marin Academy teach 3 sections, lead a minicourse, and engage in a service to the school. Faculty are paid according to a published salary scale, with steps for years of experience and degrees earned. In the 2025-26 school year,  teachers with 5-10 years of experience and a master’s degree could expect to earn between $99,000-$113,000 per year.  There is also an additional stipend for department chairs. If you have questions about the salary for your degrees & years of experience, please be in touch.

Applicants should click here to submit a cover letter and résumé to Stella Beale, Dean of Faculty.

Tagged as: High School