Working at St. Luke's

The talent, dedication and enthusiasm of St. Luke's faculty and staff define the experiences of our students and reputation of the School. We attract the best and brightest by creating a vibrant learning community and fostering professional growth and fulfillment. St. Luke’s offers competitive compensation as well as a generous benefits package that includes:

  • Retirement benefits
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Short- and Long-term disability benefits
  • Vacation, personal and sick days
  • Maternity and paternity leave
  • Educational expenses reimbursement
  • Healthy lunches and snacks, daily, for free
  • Partial tuition remission

St. Luke’s offers an inclusive environment where differences in race, culture, and personal beliefs are embraced as assets that enhance education. St. Luke’s prides itself on being a forward-thinking school and is home to the Center For Leadership - where students hone their own distinct leadership skills by developing a Design mindset, an Inclusive ethos, a Global perspective, and a Service orientation. Please see our FAQ section below.
 

Teaching Opportunities

Staff & Administrative Opportunities

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  • Director of Development

    Position Overview
    St. Luke’s School seeks an experienced fundraising professional to serve as the school’s next Director of Development, assuming the role by July 2025. The successful candidate will be an engaging, enthusiastic strategic leader who connects authentically with all constituencies and quickly becomes a presence in the school community. Reporting to the Head of School, this position serves as leader of all philanthropic activities, including annual giving, alumni and parent relations, capital campaign planning and execution, and major gift cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 

    The Director of Development acts as a strategic thought partner for the Head of School and Board of Trustees, collaborates with the Marketing and Communications team, serves on the Head’s External Affairs Team, and works closely with colleagues as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Compelling candidates will demonstrate experience leading effective development teams with proven fundraising results.
     
    Primary Job Responsibilities:
    • Enhancing the school’s culture of philanthropy through active constituent engagement and participation in the school’s various giving programs.
    • Overseeing all aspects of the development program, including annual giving, capital campaign,major gift solicitation, special events, and community relations.
    • Working collaboratively with the Head of School, the Board’s Development Committee, and the Board of Trustees to develop and implement fundraising strategy;
    • Manage a portfolio of major donors and partner with the Head of School and key Board members on major gift solicitations and key annual fund solicitations;
    • Serving as an active and engaged member of the Senior Leadership Team and External Affairs Team
    • In partnership with the Director of Marketing and Communications, developing a compelling case for philanthropic support by creating complimentary print and digital materials for prospects;
    • Strengthening the relationship with St. Luke’s alumni, ensuring that they are engaged and connected with their alma mater;
    • Overseeing the fundraising database and utilizing data to improve fundraising programs and cross-departmental processes;
    • Managing the development budget;
    • Lead a development team of 5, providing strategic direction and mentorship.



    Key Skills & Qualities
    • 10+ years of fundraising experience. Independent school experience, along with knowledge and understanding of suburban Fairfield, CT, are preferred.
    • Deep grounding in all aspects of development work including annual giving, capital campaigns,major gifts, prospect research, alumni relations, communications, and special events.
    • An abiding sense of humor.
    • Interest in serving as an engaging, involved leader in an exciting and busy school community where efforts are made to know all students and their families.
    • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability and desire to connect with a broad array of school constituents.
    • Extensive organizational skills with experience in working independently, while also understanding the importance of working collaboratively with colleagues in other departments.
    • Demonstrated ability to manage and develop staff. Provide clear, actionable and timely feedback through mentorship and support.
    • Respect for the importance of confidentiality.
    • Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to adopt new technology.
    • A commitment to equitable fundraising practices.
    • Experience working with and motivating volunteers.
    • Authentic enthusiasm and a positive spirit.
     
    To Apply
    We have partnered with Carney Sandoe search firm for this role.

    Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants listed below in confidence. 

    Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:
    • A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
    • A current résumé;
    • A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission)
     
    Scott Nelson
    Senior Consultant

    Sara Shulman
    Practice Leader – Development & Finance/Senior Consultant


    St. Luke’s School is an equal opportunity employer. St. Luke’s School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by law with regard to hiring, terms and conditions of employment or educational programs. We strive to provide a welcoming educational environment where the value and dignity of every member is respected.

Coaching Opportunities

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  • Assistant Varsity Football Coach (Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, & Off/Def Line)

    St. Luke’s School, a secular (non-religious), college-preparatory, co-ed day school serving 600 students in grades 5 through 12 in New Canaan, Connecticut, seeks football Coaches with experience in the areas of Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, and Offensive/Defensive Line for the 2025-26 season.

    Interested candidates should apply here
  • MS Boys Basketball Coach

    St. Luke’s School, a secular, college-preparatory, co-ed day school serving 600 students in grades 5 through 12 in New Canaan, Connecticut, seeks a Middle School Boys Basketball Coach for the 2024-25 season.
    We are looking for a candidate with the following qualifications:
    • Passion for the sport of basketball and for developing, leading, mentoring, and inspiring student-athletes
    • Strong communicator with students, parents, alumni, and administration
    • Passion for working with and inspiring student-athletes
    • Ability and desire to represent the school and basketball program to prospective student-athletes
    • Strong knowledge and experience within the sport of basketball
    • Taking the lead in practice planning, game planning, and communicating these plans with student-athletes and coaches
    • Help to manage equipment inventory for the team in conjunction with athletic administration
    Interested candidates should apply here

Contact Us

If you would like to be considered for future opportunities at St. Luke’s, please email your resume and a thoughtful cover letter:

For teaching positions:
Elizabeth Perry, Assistant Head of School for Academics, at perrye@54zhangmi.com.

For Administrative or staff positions:
Kelsey Clegg, Human Resources Director, at cleggk@54zhangmi.com.

For Athletic Department positions:
Anna Knechtel, Director of Athletics, at knechtela@54zhangmi.com

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    • Vision for Inclusive Excellence

      In May of 2017, St. Luke’s School’s Board of Trustees approved the Vision for Inclusive Excellence, pledging to focus the school’s resources—human and financial—around three key areas: Community, Culture, and Curriculum. The vision affirms that inclusive excellence allows diversity (experience, perspectives, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender or gender expression, ability, etc.), equity, and inclusion to provide the foundation for educational and institutional excellence.
      Learn more

    Faculty Growth & Renewal Program

     

    Virtual Campus Tour: St. Luke’s School

     
     

    FAQ

    List of 7 frequently asked questions.

    • How big is the typical class size at St. Luke’s?

      Most class sections are about 13-15 students. None are bigger than 18 except for ensemble classes like Band or Chorus, and it’s not unusual to have a class size of 10 or fewer.
    • What’s the daily schedule for a St. Luke's teacher?

      St. Luke’s uses a rotating 5-day schedule, as pictured below - you'll see that Upper School classes are 60 minutes long and meet three days out of every five. Middle School classes are 45 minutes long, meeting four days out of every five. In addition, there are designated times for community gatherings such as Advisory, Town Meetings, extra help, Meditations, and Clubs.

    • What’s a standard teaching load?

      A full-time teaching load at St. Luke’s is four courses. Teachers receive a stipend if they are asked to teach an overload.
    • What about time for collaboration?

      Our work day begins at 7:45am, but first period begins at 9:00am. That morning time in between is used for weekly faculty meetings, student extra help, and collaborative time with colleagues.
    • Is athletic coaching mandatory for teachers?

      No, but contribution to some form of the student-facing after-school co-curricular program each season is an expectation. Most often, this takes the form of athletic coaching, simply because that’s the program with the most number of student participants and thus our area of greatest need. A willing and able assistant coach, even in a sport you never played, is always appreciated!

      However, other forms of co-curricular work also contribute greatly to the life of the school - that could be with our thriving Theater program, the designLab, the Speech & Debate Team, The Sentinel (the student newspaper), community service, or even driving a van and working the score clock at a game.
    • What kind of support does St. Luke’s offer for Professional Development?

      Extensive! We believe that the quality of the classroom experience is paramount, so where better to invest our time and financial resources? Of course, our FGR program is, at its core, all about teacher growth (please see our video on this page to learn more). We also have a substantial budget for professional development (PD) to support faculty growth, which nearly every teacher takes advantage of every year. We have used that budget to fund both on- and-off-campus PD opportunities; we offer tuition assistance for graduate school studies; and we have even supported ambitious DIY opportunities that our colleagues have proposed and created themselves, such as an entire department traveling overseas to study a region featuring prominently in the curriculum, or a road trip through the American South along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. In addition, we offer ongoing professional learning communities (PLCs) that meet on a monthly basis, such as S.E.E.D. (Seeking Equity and Educational Diversity), Social and Emotional Learning, Critical Friends Group, and Grading for Equity.
    • Do you offer housing? Where do faculty live?

      SLS does not offer faculty housing. This area has many different settings to offer, and faculty and staff tend to live in a wide variety of locations – just like our student body, which draws from 25-30 different towns in Fairfield County (CT) and Westchester County (NY). The map below shows the geographic distribution of faculty homes, and you’ll see that some employees prefer the big city metro experience of NYC or New Haven; others prefer smaller cities like Stamford, Norwalk, or Danbury; plenty of folks live in suburban towns like Katonah, Trumbull, Greenwich, or Ridgefield; and even rural communities with working farms like Redding and Shelton.

    Hear from SLS Faculty & Staff

    Science teacher John Higgins elaborates on the opportunities to grow creatively as an educator.
    Librarian Jean Myles discusses the professional development opportunities at SLS.
    Math teacher Bella Santos talks about ways SLS stood out to her when deciding where to teach.

    Equal Opportunity Employer

    St. Luke’s School is an equal opportunity employer. St. Luke’s School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, disability, veteran status or sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by law with regard to hiring, terms and conditions of employment or educational programs. We strive to provide a welcoming educational environment where the value and dignity of each and every member is respected and valued.

    Compliance

    This link leads to the machine readable files that are made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and include negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.
    St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.