head of school and administrative searches

Gowan Group will guide your school to a successful hire of senior level administrators

head of school searches

The Gowan Group offers a unique opportunity for schools in leadership transition. All of our consultants know the process from all of the key perspectives. We have been on search committees, been candidates ourselves, and counseled schools through the process. That expertise is difficult to replicate. Most importantly, our collective experiences helps us to look objectively to keep reminding schools what they need in a candidate to thrive going forward.

The Gowan Group believes in an inclusive, transparent process in which your entire school community can learn and grow together. Grounded in data, both quantitative and qualitative, we lead a strategic process towards identifying the best fit for the new leadership role. We believe this is a community wide process to better understand the strengths and challenges of the school.


the details

  • Our expert consultants will guide the school’s HOS search committee in forming the position prospectus and communicating with all constituencies, bringing them into the process as is appropriate.

    We will then use our vast network and deep knowledge of independent schools to identify the candidates who fit your school best.

    We will lead the committee through the process of narrowing the field and will work with the committee to ensure outstanding campus visits for the finalists

  • While the process can expand or contract to fit the needs of your school, in general it is best to allow four to six months for the entire process (from forming the HOS search committee to celebrating the hire of your new HOS)

  • Schools are intricate ecosystems with many constituents who feel passionately about the school. A consulting firm that understands this - and knows the intricacies of the HOS search process - will help you avoid “mis-steps” and ensure that you find the leader who will take your school into the future successfully

senior administrative searches


Gowan Group will partner with your school to bring your senior administrative searches to a successful conclusion. As explained below, we offer two levels of support: Committee Facilitation and Sourcing & Vetting.

committee facilitation

Gowan Group will lead your school’s search committee to a successful resolution - landing the best person for the role at your school.

  • A Gowan Group consultant will guide the search committee through the entire search process - from developing an effective position description that highlights the school's value proposition, to providing anti-bias training to committee members, to developing interview questions, to scheduling the campus interviews.

  • We will use our broad network and expert knowledge of hiring platforms to identify strong candidates and screen them to ensure the committee’s time is well-spent.

sourcing and vetting

For schools who have a good handle on the mechanics of conducting a search, The Gowan Group offers the Sourcing & Vetting package.

  • Our consultant will provide broad exposure to your job description across multiple platforms. Gowan Group’s rich network and deep knowledge of digital hiring platforms ensures a rich candidate pool.

  • As potential candidates respond, we will screen them and pass along the qualified candidates who seem to be a potential match for your school. This will save your committee a great deal of time and effort and allow them to focus exclusively on serious candidates.

onboarding and continued support

Gowan Group believes that an effective onboarding program is ley to the success of new hires. We will work with the school to suggest an onboarding program on campus - and we will work with all Gowan candidates to orient them to the profession and the high expectations that people will have for them. We will also conduct monthly check-ins with those Gowan candidates. There is no charge for this service.

If you would like to schedule conversation with one of our consultants to discuss a Head of School search or support for a senior administrator search, please click on the button below.

Westport, Connecticut