Associate Dean of Parents – NYC

Description

The families choosing Alpha New York have trusted advisors in every corner of their lives. This is the one they've been missing.

You'll be the person they call when they're uncertain, when something feels off, or when they want to share a moment they know you'll understand. You'll know each family well enough to anticipate what they need before they ask—and you'll have the judgment and presence to handle what they bring you with discretion, warmth, and no visible effort. In time, you won't just be part of their child's school. You'll be part of the fabric of how they experience this chapter of their family's life.

New York's private school world is small, interconnected, and long on memory. A family's experience at Alpha doesn't stay within these walls—it travels through the networks that matter: the building, the club, the weekend house, the group chat that shapes where the next family applies. You'll understand that dynamic instinctively, because you've spent your career in rooms where reputation is the only currency that matters and a single misstep outlasts everything else. You'll build a community that families feel protective of, where belonging feels effortless and referrals happen because the experience earns them.

Alongside New York's private school community, you'll work with diplomats, international executives, and globally mobile families whose relationship with education—and with institutions generally—is shaped by experiences far outside the American private school tradition. The right person for this role will be as comfortable navigating cross-cultural family dynamics as they are the more familiar contours of New York private school life.

Alpha isn't a traditional school. Students finish core academics in two hours a day using AI-powered apps, then spend the rest of their time on public speaking, critical thinking, and real-world projects. No lectures. No busywork. Top 1% results nationwide. 

The families who choose it made a considered decision—and in a city where every parent has an opinion about schools, they'll be asked to defend it constantly. You'll make sure they never have to reach for an answer. If carrying that conviction through years of sophisticated New York skepticism sounds like a burden, this role isn't for you. If it sounds like the most interesting conversation you could be having, keep reading.

What you will be doing

• Own the parent relationship end-to-end—from first conversation through enrollment, retention, and long-term advocacy—so faculty stay focused on students and families always have someone they trust
• Be the first to sense when something feels off, and handle it with the discretion and judgment that leaves trust intact—including the harder judgment of knowing when a family isn't the right fit
• Be present where families are: drop-off, pick-up, evening events, and the unscheduled conversations that matter most
• Build a community that domestic and international families alike feel protective of—and where referrals happen because the experience earns them
• Carry Alpha's story compellingly—in one-on-one conversations, at events, and in the rooms full of skeptical New Yorkers where the school's reputation is actually made

What you will NOT be doing

• Sitting behind a desk—your presence in the community is the role
• Working predictable 9–5 hours—early mornings, late afternoons, and evening events are part of the job, not exceptions to it
• Deferring difficult parent conversations to faculty or administrators—you own these, fully
• Waiting for administrative support, established processes, or a full team—you operate with high autonomy and build what you need
• Treating family relationships as accounts to be managed—this role rewards genuine connection, not process compliance

Key responsibilities

Be the trusted relationship at the center of every family's experience at Alpha's Lower Manhattan campus. Hold their confidence through the hard moments, build a community where belonging feels earned, and create the conditions where satisfied families become vocal advocates inside the networks that shape New York's private school landscape.

Candidate requirements

• 5+ years earning and keeping the trust of high-net-worth or ultra-high-net-worth families in a high-touch, relationship-first role
• A track record of guiding sophisticated clients through high-stakes decisions—with outcomes you can speak to: conversions, retention, referrals
• The discretion and composure to handle sensitive, confidential situations without leaving a mark
• Natural cross-cultural fluency—equally comfortable with a diplomat's family navigating American schools for the first time and a multigenerational New York family who knows exactly how this world works
• Based in New York, available full-time on-site, and comfortable with flexible hours
• Legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

Nice to have

• A background New York's most discerning families already recognize—private school admissions, luxury hospitality, an exclusive membership environment whose name carries weight in this city, or major gifts and development at an institution they already love
• Personal or professional familiarity with independent or non-traditional education
• Existing relationships inside NYC's private school parent networks
• Experience with internationally mobile, diplomatic, or globally connected families
• A personal network that spans the buildings, clubs, and institutions where Alpha's families live and decide