Overview
The Kew-Forest School, a PS–12 co-educational day school founded in 1918 in Forest Hills, NY, seeks an experienced and highly skilled individual to serve as Director of Facilities & Safety. Kew-Forest is proud to enroll an astonishingly diverse student body representative of Queens and New York City, including approximately nine percent of whom are international students. The Kew-Forest School promotes diversity in its hiring process and is committed to supporting its inclusive community by hiring culturally diverse faculty and staff to work with our equally diverse students, families, and employees.
The Director of Facilities & Safety (DFS) is a working, hands-on leader responsible for the daily care, maintenance, safety, and operational readiness of the School’s campus. Reporting to the Head of School and collaborating closely with the Director of Finance & HR, the DFS ensures that Kew-Forest’s physical environment and safety systems actively support teaching and learning in a safe, welcoming, and mission-aligned setting.
Kew-Forest occupies a historic, heavily used school building that requires continuous maintenance, repair, and problem-solving. As a result, this is not a desk-based or primarily supervisory position. The Director of Facilities & Safety is expected to work in the field each day, performing and overseeing minor and mid-range carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC repairs, responding to immediate needs, and leading by example alongside the facilities and safety team.
This role is not a fit for candidates who view facilities leadership as primarily administrative or removed from daily physical work. Kew-Forest is seeking a leader who values hands-on craftsmanship, takes pride in solving real-time building challenges, and sees daily maintenance and repair as essential to the care of students, faculty, and community. Candidates who prefer a more administrative or desk-based role are not encouraged to apply.
