Full Job Description
Full-Time Founding Teaching Position • Reports to the Principal • Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred in Physical Education, Health Education, Kinesiology, or Exercise Science • Teaching certification or licensure in physical education and health from any state required; Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) with Physical Education and Health Education endorsements highly preferred; National Board Certification a major plus • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), and First Aid certifications required; Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) preferred • 3+ years of secondary (grades 6-12) physical education and health teaching experience required; high school (grades 9-12) teaching experience highly preferred • The ability to coach one or more sports, or to take on the Athletic Director role, is a real plus • College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you a physical education and health teacher who believes a strong body and a clear mind are built together? Do you want to design a high school physical education (PE) and health program from a blank page, one that turns fitness into a habit students keep for life and gives them the knowledge to take care of themselves? Are you excited to run a fitness center where every student belongs, not just the athletes? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
What Davis Chicago Needs
Davis Chicago is hiring a certified physical education and health teacher who will also manage the school's fitness center. The two halves of this role belong together: teach the school's PE and health courses in grades 9 and 10, and lead the gym, fitness center, and weight room before, during, and after the school day, so that every student is active and every student-athlete trains safely. A coach is a natural fit for this seat: the ability to coach one or more sports is a real plus, and Davis School Chicago has also posted a part-time Athletic Director role with a full-time pathway, because the school anticipates layering Athletic Director duties onto the right full-time hire with a leadership stipend of $8,000-$12,000. If you bring athletic-administration depth and want that combination, apply to both postings and tell us.
Who Thrives in This Role
1. Warm, Relational, and High-Performing - Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
2. A Teacher Who Coaches - Runs a class like a great practice: clear skills, real reps, and every student getting better.
3. A Builder of Healthy Habits - Makes the gym and fitness center a place students actually want to be.
4. An Entrepreneurial Builder - Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
5. A Curious and Courageous Thinker - Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
6. Rooted and Forward-Looking - Honors tradition while embracing innovation, technology, and AI.
7. Committed to Jewish Life and Community - Values Jewish identity, the diversity of Jewish thought, and meaningful engagement in Jewish life.
8. A Collaborative Culture-Builder - Balances accountability, care, and results while elevating everyone around them.
The Role
The PE / Health Teacher & Fitness Manager is responsible for teaching Davis Chicago's physical education and health courses in grades 9 and 10 and for leading the school's fitness program and the day-to-day operations of the gym, fitness center, and weight room. This educator builds a PE and health program that gives every student, athlete or not, the skills, knowledge, and habits to be healthy and active for life.
The successful candidate will design an active, evidence-rich program in which students learn to train, recover, eat, sleep, and manage stress like people who intend to stay healthy, and will make the fitness center a place students actually want to be. As a founding faculty member, the PE / Health Teacher & Fitness Manager will help establish the policies, procedures, traditions, and partnerships that support the long-term success of the physical education, fitness, and athletic programs and the broader school community.
1. Physical Education and Health Instruction
1. Teach the school's four-course sequence in grades 9 and 10: Health Education, Physical Education 1, Physical Education 2, and Personal Fitness, two years of PE and health that every student completes.
2. Design PE around lifetime fitness and real skill: strength training with sound technique, cardiovascular conditioning students can track with heart-rate data, movement skills across team, individual, and lifetime activities, and the knowledge to design and run their own workouts.
3. Teach health as a skills-based course, not a lecture: units on nutrition, sleep, mental health and stress, substance use, healthy relationships, personal safety, and first aid, including hands-on CPR and AED training, taught so that students practice making decisions, setting goals, and finding reliable information.
4. Teach to the national standards for physical education and health education (SHAPE America, the Society of Health and Physical Educators) and the Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health, and to the accomplished-practice standards for PE and health teaching of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
5. Build the program to meet the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requirements for health education and physical education, and keep the course documentation ready for the state's recognition review.
6. Assess growth with evidence students can see: fitness assessments, personal fitness plans, skill rubrics, and health performance tasks, with each student's own progress as the measure of success rather than athletic talent.
7. Make Personal Fitness the bridge from class to life: every sophomore leaves with a personal fitness plan they can run on their own, in the fitness center and beyond it.
8. Differentiate for every body, ability, and starting point, including students with disabilities and students who have never liked PE, so that participation and growth are universal.
9. Use educational technology and innovative teaching methods, including heart-rate and fitness-tracking tools and AI-supported planning and feedback, to personalize instruction and deepen engagement.
10. Connect the PE and health sequence to athletics, strength and conditioning, and the school's wellness programming so that the pieces reinforce one another.
2. Fitness Center and Facility Management
1. Oversee the daily operation, safety, and maintenance of the school's gym, fitness center, weight room, and training facilities.
2. Establish and enforce safety procedures, operational guidelines, and equipment usage policies.
3. Supervise student use of and be physically present in fitness and training facilities before school, during designated periods, and after school.
4. Manage equipment inventories and coordinate maintenance, repairs, and replacement of fitness and training equipment.
5. Ensure facilities are clean, organized, safe, and aligned with best practices in risk management.
6. Assist with budget planning, purchasing decisions, and long-term equipment and facility improvement initiatives.
7. Train students, coaches, and staff on proper equipment use and safety procedures.
8. Run open-gym and fitness-center hours that extend the PE program beyond the class period and give every student a reason to be active every day.
3. Strength, Conditioning, and Performance
1. Collaborate with coaches and the school's athletic trainer to develop strength, conditioning, and performance programs for student-athletes.
2. Educate students on nutrition, hydration, sleep, recovery, injury prevention, and healthy lifestyle practices.
3. Support the development of training programs that improve athletic readiness, performance, and long-term health outcomes.
4. Monitor student progress and provide guidance on safe physical development and conditioning practices.
4. Community and Culture Building
1. Contribute actively to the vibrant culture and mission of Davis School Chicago.
2. Partner with coaches, faculty, and administrators to support athletic, wellness, and school-wide initiatives.
3. Help create a culture that values health, fitness, resilience, teamwork, and personal responsibility.
4. Participate in student activities, faculty meetings, professional development, and community events.
5. Co-create and help to moderate and coach student clubs, activities, and sports.
5. Family Engagement and Collaboration
1. Communicate regularly and effectively with families regarding student progress in PE and health, fitness goals, and wellness.
2. Collaborate with coaches, school counselors, and faculty to support student success and well-being.
3. Build partnerships with local fitness, health, and sports-medicine professionals and organizations that extend what students can learn and do.
4. Partner with school leadership to advance the physical education, athletic, and student wellness goals and strategic priorities of the school.
Qualifications
1. Education: Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred in Physical Education, Health Education, Kinesiology, or Exercise Science.
2. Licensure: Teaching certification or licensure in physical education and health from any state required; Illinois Professional Educator License with Physical Education and Health Education endorsements highly preferred; National Board Certification in Physical Education or Health Education a major plus.
3. Certification: CPR, AED, and First Aid required; CPR and AED instructor certification (American Red Cross or American Heart Association) a plus; CSCS preferred.
4. Experience: 3+ years of secondary (grades 6-12) physical education and health teaching required; high school (grades 9-12) teaching experience highly preferred; experience supervising a fitness center, weight room, or strength program preferred.
5. Coaching: The ability to coach one or more sports, or to take on the Athletic Director role, is a real plus.
6. Craft: Evidence of students who got stronger, healthier, and more confident in your care, including the ones who never thought of themselves as athletes.
Core Competencies
• PE and Health Instruction: standards-based, skills-based teaching that makes fitness a habit and health a practice.
• Gym and Fitness Center Leadership: physical presence and supervision, programming, safety, and culture.
• Strength and Conditioning: safe, progressive training for every student.
• Communication and Care: students, families, coaches, and colleagues.
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $72,520-$137,099, based on the school's established Faculty Salary Schedule. Placement within the salary range is determined by a combination of relevant experience and educational attainment, including Bachelor's, Master's, Master's + additional graduate credits, Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctoral (Ed.D./Ph.D.) degrees, in accordance with the school's step-and-lane compensation structure. Final compensation will be determined consistent with the school's compensation philosophy, internal equity, and established salary schedule. In addition to base salary, the position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, holiday pay, medical insurance, and a 401(k) plan with employer match.
How We Hire
Our process is thorough and we believe that hiring is a dual decision-making process; you are vetting us as much as we are vetting you. Our process includes focused conversations with the people you would work with, a battery of assessments we use for your development as much as for selection, and interview rounds both in-person and virtually. We use artificial intelligence tools in our recruitment and hiring process to help review and organize applications and interviews
