Associate Director, Restorative Practices and Culture

Description

Are you someone who imagines how our schools could be more equitable, humanizing, and holistic? Have you seen the challenges within school systems and thought deeply about how they could be transformed—not just incrementally, but fundamentally?

This role is not about managing the day-to-day operations of a school or district. Instead, it's an opportunity to reimagine what’s possible, and to support educators to build their toolkit for that brighter future.

We're looking for a passionate, visionary leader who believes that Savannah’s schools can and should be spaces where every student, educator, and community member feels valued and respected.

The ideal candidate is:

• A nimble and creative problem-solver.
• Skilled in leading collaboratively and building on the strengths of others.
• Committed to equity-centered, community-driven approaches to education.

This isn’t just a job—it’s a chance to help redefine what healing and justice can look like in schools.

Position Summary

Deep Center’s Associate Director of Restorative Practices and Culture is a 40 hour/week salaried position that supports Deep’s Healing Schools Initiative, and reports directly to the Director of Restorative Practices and Culture.

This role blends program leadership, facilitation, partnership development, and community-building. The Associate Director will guide the annual Writing Project cohort experience, including a summer institute, supplemental workshops, and preparation for an annual conference, while cultivating a strong alumni network and expanding the reach of Deep Center’s educator-facing programming.

As a driver of Deep Center’s programming with educators, the Associate Director functions as a bridge between ideas and practice, and is a champion for person-centered systems change.

The person in this position is a connector, they support educators with actionable strategies to fold restorative and trauma-informed principles into their practices while building the relationships and partnerships necessary to sustain and expand Deep Center’s impact within local schools. They translate restorative principles like relationship, responsibility, and respect into programs, tools, and partnerships that can take root in local contexts.

The work will primarily be with adults, but may be informed by and in partnership with young people.

Aren’t sure if you meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that people from marginalized communities are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Deep Center, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and equity-driven workplace. So if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Responsibilities:

Deep Center Writing Project

• Lead and facilitate the annual Writing Project cohort model, including a 2-week intensive institute during summer months
• Support educator-led inquiry and creative projects grounded in classroom practice, literacy, and restorative principles
• Co-direct annual educator conference, including session design, educator engagement, and logistics
• Sustain and expand Writing Project alumni network, including leadership opportunities, mentorship, and ongoing engagement

Design and Facilitate Educator Learning

• Co-develop and co-facilitate professional learning workshops aligned to Healing Schools Initiative priorities (e.g., restorative practices, culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed classrooms)
• Apply Deep Center’s pedagogical approach, ensuring sessions are:
  • Interactive and experiential
  • Grounded in real educator experiences
  • Explicitly connected to restorative and equity-centered school culture

Build School and District Partnerships

• Develop and maintain relationships with school leaders, instructional coaches, and district staff
• Identify opportunities to expand the reach of the Healing Schools Initiative
• Serve as a thought partner to school teams on implementation of restorative and relationship-centered practices

Contribute to Healing Schools Initiative (HSI) Strategy

• Collaborate on program design, refinement, and scaling of HSI offerings, including:
  • Workshop series and professional development campaigns
  • Educator tools and resources
  • Community-building and engagement strategies
• Support evaluation and continuous improvement efforts by gathering educator feedback and documenting impact
• Contribute to external communications, including presentations, proposals, and partner-facing materials

Skills & Experience

• Understanding of inner workings of schools (e.g. staffing structures, potential interpersonal dynamics, impact of local or state policies, what a ‘typical’ day in the life of a teacher or administrator looks like)
• Strong facilitation skills, including the ability to engage individuals with different backgrounds or roles in learning and discussion
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Experience in designing and implementing workshops and trainings for adults
• Project and event coordination skills
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and produce quality results on time
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable
• Commitment to Deep Center’s culture of collaboration, inclusivity, openness, and mutual respect; and to diversity, equity, and inclusion

EEO/AA

Deep Center is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to join our team. We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and those with lived experiences that reflect the Savannah community to apply. Job applicants and staff shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical conditions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Much of the work of this position is completed while sitting at a desk, using a computer and phone. Requires talking, hearing and visual acuity sufficient to perform these major functions.
• Frequently requires navigating a physical office space and attending meetings and events at alternate locations.

Benefits: Health, vision, and dental insurance, short & long-term disability insurance, employer sponsored retirement account, and generous paid time off.