Lower School Chaplain - St. Andrew's

LOWER SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

OVERVIEW OF POSITION

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School seeks to hire an enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and passionate full-time Lower School (K-5) Chaplain starting in August of 2026. This position reports directly to the Head of School and works closely with the Lower School Division Head and divisional leadership.

Qualified candidates will be passionate about working with children, possess excellent interpersonal skills, and have strong communication and organizational skills. Clergy Candidates must be priests in good standing with their current Diocese, with an MDiv. from an Episcopal Seminary, or an MDiv. from another accredited seminary along with an Anglican Studies Certificate. Lay Candidates must be confirmed communicants in good standing in an Episcopal congregation with an MDiv, MTS, or DMin from an Episcopal Seminary. Preferred candidates should have experience in working with children.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Spiritual Leadership & Worship

• Plan and lead daily chapel services for Lower School students, with one chapel for grades K–2 and one for grades 3–5, each designed to meet students’ developmental, spiritual, and emotional needs
• Design and lead liturgies, prayers, and worship experiences rooted in the Episcopal tradition and aligned with the mission of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
• Teach and model spiritual practices that nurture faith, reflection, gratitude, compassion, and respect
• Collaborate with Lower School leadership to ensure that chapel themes support religious education, social-emotional learning, DEIB goals, and community values

Pastoral Care

• Provide consistent pastoral care and spiritual guidance to students, families, and faculty within the Lower School community
• Support students through personal, social, emotional, or spiritual challenges in collaboration with teachers, counselors, and administrators
• Serve as a visible, approachable, and trusted presence in the daily life of the Lower School
• Partner with divisional leadership and chaplain team to promote student well-being and a caring, supportive school culture

Teaching, DEIB & Programmatic Collaboration

• Collaborate with divisional leadership and faculty to support and implement the division’s religious education, social-emotional learning, DEIB, and service-learning initiatives
• Integrate themes of belonging, empathy, justice, and respect into chapel, classroom connections, and community programming, in keeping with Episcopal identity
• Support faculty in reinforcing values-based education that affirms diverse backgrounds while remaining grounded in the school’s mission

Community & Family Engagement

• Communicate regularly with families about spiritual life, chapel themes, service learning, and community events
• Plan and lead family-facing chapels, worship services, and special observances (e.g., holiday services, blessings, rites of passage) that are inclusive and developmentally appropriate
• Collaborate with divisional leadership to design events that strengthen connections among students, families, and faculty
• Participate actively in school-wide events, celebrations, and service projects, fostering a welcoming and inclusive community

Service & Outreach

• Design, lead, and coordinate developmentally appropriate community service and service-learning opportunities for Lower School students
• Support and organize student-led service initiatives and drives, empowering students to take on leadership roles in planning, promoting, and reflecting on their service
• Collaborate with faculty and administrators to integrate service projects into the academic, spiritual, and community life of the Lower School
• Foster a culture of empathy, responsibility, and active citizenship by helping students understand the impact of their service locally and beyond
• Build and maintain relationships with community partners and organizations to support meaningful outreach opportunities

Safeguarding & Administrative Responsibilities

• Serve as support to the Safeguarding Record Administrator for the school
• Train to be a Safeguarding trainer
• Collaborate with chaplains’ team and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas to ensure certification and recertification of all employees, tutors, volunteers, and vendors in diocesan Safeguarding programs
• Support employees and supervisors in understanding and implementing diocesan Safeguarding policies related to student interactions, school events and trips, and classroom safety

OUR SCHOOL

St. Andrew’s is a co-educational Episcopal K-12 day school, enrolling approximately 990 students on two campuses in Austin, Texas. The school strives to help young people from diverse racial, religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve their potential not only in intellectual understanding but also in aesthetic sensitivity, physical well-being, and moral decisiveness so that they may lead productive, responsible lives, not only for themselves but also for their community. For more information about St. Andrew’s School in Austin, please access our website: www.sasaustin.org.

OUR MISSION

St. Andrew's develops exemplary scholars, artists, athletes and servants in a loving Episcopal community who are curious, courageous and compassionate global citizens.

TO APPLY 

Please submit your resume and letter of interest to Kathy Quisenberry, Human Resources Manager, at hr@sasaustin.org. Candidates who contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of the community are encouraged to apply.

St. Andrew's is committed to providing equal opportunity in all personnel actions and in the administration of all policies and programs.

St. Andrew's employs individuals without regard to race, color, nationality, ethnicity, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation as protected by federal, state, or local law.