Watkinson School, offering inventive learning to Hartford and surrounding
communities since 1881, seeks a Front Office Receptionist to serve as a key member of the Watkinson School community. This is a part-time position, working approximately 28 hours per week, Monday through Friday during the school year from 7:30 am to 1 pm.

The Front Office Receptionist plays a central role in the school’s admissions, advancement, and community relations efforts. As the first person guests encounter upon arriving on campus, the Front Office Receptionist sets the tone for the entire visitor experience through their professionalism, warmth, and knowledge. This position’s responsibilities include but not limited to:

Reception Duties:

– Serving as an ambassador for the school’s admissions, advancement, and
community relations efforts.
– Greeting guests to Watkinson School, helping them connect with their host, and/or giving them directions to their destination.
– Maintaining and distributing the student absence list and tracking and communicating about late arrivals and early dismissals.
– Communicating with families to confirm and follow up on student absences.
– Implementing guest visit protocols.
– Answering and transferring phone calls to the proper recipients.
– Answering questions about the school for a variety of stakeholders, including students, faculty, parents, visitors, vendors, or other callers.
– Develop and maintain a front-office information hub that contains all critical reception information
– Performing miscellaneous front-office and reception tasks and functions as they arise.
– Serving as a member of the safety & security committee, supporting
emergency communication, and being well versed in the emergency procedures of the school.

Administration & Operations Duties:

– Supporting the coordination of events for stakeholders, such as Watkinson community events, forums, and rental events.
– Supporting the coordination of the school’s facility rentals, including fielding inquiries, scheduling visits, managing the rental calendar, and communicating with renters.

– Serving as a point of contact for transportation vendors and communicating scheduling changes due to weather, holidays, etc.
– Assisting with student, faculty, and other databases.
– Performing tasks to assist with the ongoing effort to digitize and store
information, such as scanning and organizing documents.

Qualified applicants will have:

– Very strong customer service orientation
– Experience maintaining confidential information and the ability to handle
sensitive information and data
– Strong interpersonal and communication skills
– The ability to problem solve and switch regularly between tasks
– Strong organizational skills
– Experience with Office and Google platforms
– Central belief in the importance of excellence in education
– Enjoy working with a wide range of people

Please send a cover letter and resume or document summarizing your prior experience and applicable skills to receptionist@watkinson.org

Watkinson School is an equal opportunity employer and an open and affirming community. We seek candidates of diverse backgrounds. Watkinson offers a retirement plan with generous employer match and free lunch during working hours.

Watkinson School, offering inventive teaching to Hartford and surrounding communities since 1881, seeks a full-time upper school History teacher for students in grades 9-12. Successful applicants will demonstrate creative approaches to instruction and a commitment to reaching all students. Applicants must possess enthusiasm for working in a dynamic environment, teaching heterogeneously grouped classes, and developing and sustaining positive relationships with parents, faculty, school leadership, and staff. 

The candidate must be an accomplished teacher who is active and current within the field and who is willing and able to help all students learn, grow, and progress.  Responsibilities include teaching upper school History courses; these could include required year-long courses, as well as semester-long electives.  Other duties include supervising clubs, being an academic advisor, and taking on other aspects of school life.  Applicants should be prepared to share previous coursework and curricular design should they be contacted for an interview. 

A degree in a related field is necessary.  The ideal candidate is a passionate and skillful historian, educator, and collaborator who is eager to work closely with their peers to build thoughtful and responsive curricula that work toward the mission and operation of the school.  They will also be committed to anti-racist education and teaching focused on inclusivity.

Watkinson is an equal opportunity employer and an open and affirming community that seeks candidates of diverse backgrounds. This 10-month position will begin in August 2025. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and three references to historyposition@watkinson.org

Watkinson School, offering inventive teaching and learning to Hartford and surrounding communities since 1881, seeks an energetic and qualified individual to be its Head Coach of Varsity Fencing for the 2025-26 season.

This position will run mid-November through early-March. Practice times are 3:00 – 4:30 Monday through Friday (Wednesdays are 2:00 – 3:45). Competition days vary throughout the week and include Saturdays.

We are seeking a dynamic, inspirational leader and role model for our Varsity Fencing program. This coach will be responsible for promoting the values of leadership and sportsmanship, planning and executing productive practices, developing effective training plans and sport strategies for both practices and competitions, and collaborating with the Athletic Director and assistant coach to build a competitive program aligned with the Watkinson community’s mission and culture. The ideal candidate will enjoy
interacting with a diverse group of students.

Other Qualifications
● Coaching experience with a school or club program
● College and/or high school fencing experience
● Ability to generate enthusiasm for the sport among current students
● Ability to attract prospective students to Watkinson School
● School van driving license or willingness to obtain license is preferred

Watkinson School is an equal opportunity employer and an open and affirming community. We seek candidates of diverse backgrounds. This is a part-time, stipended position. Interested candidates should send a letter of application, resume, and three references to: athleticsposition@watkinson.org.