Duration: Full Time - School Year per contract (11 months)
Reporting to: Head of School
FLSA: exempt/contract
Schedule: Monday through Friday (participate in some overnight retreats/mission trips/some student evening events and faculty/staff and parent evening formation events)
Hours: 7:45 am – 4:00 pm
Mission: Rooted in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, St. Agnes Academy challenges young women through exceptional academic preparation and transformational experiences to lead with integrity, joy, and a commitment to social justice.
Faith, Community, and Dominican Charism:
· Ensure that the four pillars of a Dominican education (prayer, study, community, preaching) are developed and promoted among the school community.
· Develop an active faith community and model Christian values.
· Support prayer and spiritual formation within the student, faculty/staff, and parent communities.
· Uphold and implement the Dominican charism and the Houston Dominican
Sisters’ congregational goals.
· Demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion by honoring the dignity of each member of the St. Agnes Academy community.
Position Summary and Job Purpose:
The Director of Mission & Ministry serves as the chief steward of the school’s Catholic and Dominican identity. This is a leadership position that shapes institutional identity at the highest level. As a member of the Head of School’s Administrative Team, this leader ensures the strategic integration of mission across all dimensions of school life, including governance, culture, curriculum, formation, and community engagement. The office of Mission and Ministry is integral to the mission and charism of St. Agnes Academy and builds a mission-aligned culture of respect, as well as creating ongoing opportunities for faith development and spiritual direction of students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumnae, and assuring that community activities reflect the school’s stated mission.
The Director collaborates closely with the Head of School, Principal, Board of Directors, Archdiocese, and sponsoring Dominican congregation, taking the lead on matters related to Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM) sponsorship to sustain and advance the school’s Catholic and Dominican charism in a dynamic educational environment.
Essential Responsibilities:
Strategic Mission Leadership
- Develop and implement a comprehensive Mission Integration Plan aligned with the school’s strategic priorities.
- Ensure the four pillars of Dominican education—prayer, study, community, and preaching—are authentically integrated across academic, co-curricular, and operational areas.
- Assess the spiritual needs of the school community and advise the Head of School and Principal on responsive initiatives.
- Upholds and implements the Catholic mission and identity of St. Agnes Academy, the Dominican charism, and the Houston Dominican Sisters' congregational goals.
- Participate in hiring to assess mission alignment in collaboration with the Principal and Head of School.
- Partner with Advancement, Enrollment, and Communications to ensure authentic and mission-centered institutional messaging.
- Develops an active faith community and models Christian values.
- Demonstrate a commitment to community culture by honoring the dignity of each member of the St. Agnes Academy community.
Governance & Board Engagement
- Serve as administrative liaison to the Board Mission & Identity Committee through the Head of School.
- Provide periodic Mission Vitality reports to support the Board’s fiduciary responsibility for Catholic identity.
- Assist in trustee formation and orientation regarding Catholic and Dominican identity.
- Lead the DVM Mission and Identity Assessment (MAP report) and coordinate required sponsorship reporting.
- Support the Head of School in stewarding sponsor relationships.
Liaison to Sponsoring Congregation & Partners
- Act as primary liaison to the Dominican Sisters of Houston and Dominican Veritas Ministries.
- Maintain collaborative relationships with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, area Catholic high schools, local parishes, and community partners.
- Leads sponsorship matters relating to Dominican Veritas Ministries as well as liaising with DVM staff and initiatives.
Community Resources & Engagement
- Serve as a resource to the school community and Board regarding Catholic teaching, Dominican spirituality, Dominican saints, and the history of the Dominican Sisters of Houston.
- Oversee community mission-centered celebrations, including Founder’s Day, Alumnae Mass, Madonna Day Baccalaureate Mass, and other dedication/groundbreaking events to ensure mission alignment.
- Ensure appropriate liturgical environment and upkeep of the St. Agnes Chapel.
- Assist administrators in communicating the mission through campus symbols, sacred imagery, and physical space.
- Oversee pastoral care of the St. Agnes community, including students, faculty/staff, and parents:
- Serve on St. Agnes Crisis Management Team as needed.
- Maintain “Pray with SAA” virtual prayer community, remembering Dominican feasts and special intentions of the group.
- Coordinate pastoral outreach in collaboration with the Parent Ministry Committee.
Faculty, Staff & Parent Formation
- Design and lead a comprehensive adult formation program rooted in Dominican spirituality.
- Oversee mission-centered onboarding for new employees (Years 1–3 formation framework).
- Facilitate faculty and staff prayer, annual retreat, and service day.
- Design and facilitate adult formation in the Dominican Charism.
- Prayer at faculty/staff meetings
- Faculty/staff annual retreat & service day
- Mission and Charism Renewal Program for faculty and staff
- Coordinate parent formation in the Dominican Charism.
- Recruit parent volunteers in collaboration with Campus Ministry.
- Accompany the Parent Ministry Committee in facilitating mission-centered events (approximately four annually).
- Welcome parents into school programming, particularly liturgical and prayer opportunities.
- Foster a culture grounded in Catholic intellectual tradition and Dominican spirituality.
Oversight of Campus Ministry & Community Culture
- Supervise the Director of Campus Ministry and the Director of Community Culture.
- Ensure liturgical life, retreats, service programs, and other initiatives reflect Dominican charism.
- Promote an inclusive community grounded in Catholic social teaching and the Dominican charism.
- Support the Director of Community Culture in the commitment to creating an inclusive community in which every individual is valued, human dignity is preserved, and the Beloved Community plan is implemented.
- Collaborate with the Director of Campus Ministry in planning student and parent faith formation events, including Living Veritas and Father/Daughter Mass and Brunch.
- Support the Director of Campus Ministry in facilitating comprehensive student faith formation.
Administrative Responsibilities
- Participate in strategic planning processes.
- Develop and manage departmental budgets; review and audit budgets of supervised departments.
- Meet regularly with the Head of School and Principal regarding mission-based policies and initiatives.
- Manage direct reports, including attendance tracking, leadership support, and professional development approval.
- Perform other reasonable duties as instructed by the Head of School.
- Remain current in developments in Catholic theology, spirituality, and Dominican educational practice.
- Perform other reasonable duties as assigned by the Head of School.
- Meet regularly with the Head of School and Principal to discuss mission-based policies and initiatives.
Qualifications:
- Commitment to embracing the mission of St. Agnes Academy
- Practicing Roman Catholic in good standing
- BA in Theology, Liturgy, Pastoral Studies, Educational Leadership, or related field; MA is preferred with five years’ experience
- Demonstrated understanding of Dominican spirituality (strongly preferred).
- Must show a demonstrated competency in multicultural, ecumenical, and interfaith issues
- An ability to continue and advance the ecumenical and inter-religious understanding among students, faculty, and staff on campus, and support all students in their own unique faith journey.
- An understanding of the spiritual/religious development stages for contemporary teenagers/young adults and the capacity to implement programs to meet these spiritual developmental aspirations
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Canva, and other ministry-related technologies.
- Strong work ethic with the ability to manage multiple, and occasionally simultaneous, deadlines and projects.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Excellent accuracy in completing project work
- Excellent judgment, confidentiality, discretion, and diplomacy
- Highly organized and reliable with demonstrated success working in a quick-paced, dynamic environment with many responsibilities, with the ability to act efficiently on last-minute projects
- Completed Safe Haven and Diocesan Human Sexuality training
Work Environment:
St. Agnes Academy is committed to hiring, developing, and retaining a diverse and highly competent
faculty and staff. This position operates within a professional, educational environment and regularly utilizes modern office technology, including computers, phones, printers, and digital communication tools.
Physical Demands:
This job operates in a professional/educational environment. The physical demands described here are representative of those required of an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
The physical requirements described below are representative of those necessary to perform the essential functions of this role. In this position, the employee will regularly engage in a combination of seated and active work, including working at a desk or computer workstation; communicating in person, by phone, and via electronic communication; moving throughout campus/office locations; using hands and arms for routine tasks; and occasionally lifting or moving materials weighing up to 25 pounds.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.