School Principal

Job Title: School Principal

Work Year: 12 months

Employment Type: Exempt

Salary Range: $112,500 - $150,000 

Supervisor: Executive Director 

OUR MISSION

Invictus Academy of Richmond prepares 100% of students in grades 7-12 to thrive in the colleges of their choice, solve relevant problems, and communicate with confidence.

______________________________________________________________________________

OUR SCHOOL

Invictus creates joyful, rigorous classroom cultures where students understand the importance of the content they are learning, and how it connects to their everyday lives and ambitions. 

We believe in academic rigor, collaboration, have an unwavering belief in our students’ capabilities, and do whatever it takes to support their growth. 

We build trusting, authentic relationships with students, families, and colleagues. With these relationships as our foundation, we work closely with each other to support students in meeting the highest academic and behavior expectations. At Invictus, we are eager to learn about and implement restorative approaches to support students to be their best selves.

Invictus Academy of Richmond embodies humility and constantly strives to strengthen our knowledge, skills, and practice. We crave feedback and welcome opportunities to grow through observations, coaching meetings, and professional development. 

We are fiercely solutions-oriented. We never shy away from a problem that we must solve to achieve our mission, but always bring potential solutions to the table. 

______________________________________________________________________________

THE ROLE

The Principal, in collaboration with the Executive Director, is responsible for providing visionary leadership and strategic direction to ensure the successful implementation of the school's mission and philosophy, particularly in alignment with Invictus' educational principles. 

This role requires effective management of students and staff, fostering a culture of academic excellence and strong behavioral expectations, in order to prepare students for success in college, career, and beyond.

In close partnership with the Executive Director, the Principal develops, owns, and executes on a shared vision of success. This includes overseeing and supporting teams that serve different functions on campus, such as Operations, Curriculum and Instruction, School Culture, Student Supports, and College Access. The Principal is responsible for seeing the big picture, ensuring the right people are in the right roles, creating clarity and cohesion across the team, following through on roles and responsibilities and fostering a climate of accountability and results. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Principal manages and oversees all functions of the school, including the following: 

Instructional Leadership and Student Achievement Results

The Principal sets the tone, and is an ambassador of, a powerful vision for student achievement. The Principal is relentless about achieving strong student outcomes and identifies ways to continuously impact student learning, including the following:

• Coach, supervise, and evaluate Director of Curriculum and Instruction, who owns a shared vision for effective academic programming at Invictus 
• Oversee a Leadership Team that reviews and reflects upon measures of progress towards school-wide academic goals, and action plans for continuous improvement 
• Support effective and impactful coaching of teachers, in alignment with the Invictus Teacher Evaluation Rubric
• Ensure academic policies and practices are aligned to a strong, rigorous vision of college preparatory academic success for students 
• Support the development and utilization of data-driven practices to grow teacher practice and close student learning gaps 
• Oversee the planning, design, and facilitation of school-wide professional development sessions throughout the school year for staff to enhance their effectiveness in the classroom.

School Climate and Culture 

The Principal is relentless about fostering a safe and positive school environment and identifies ways to continuously impact student and school culture, including the following:

• Coach, supervise, and evaluate the Dean of Students, who owns a shared vision for a positive learning environment that supports student achievement, behavior and character development, as well as a safe, orderly, and joyful campus
• Support the Deans’ Office to implement systems to support high expectations for student behavior and conduct, in alignment with Invictus’s foundational vision for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
• Oversee and support the use of data-driven practices to collect and respond to school culture and climate data
• Ensure follow through of behavior and discipline policies and practices that address student needs and maintain high behavioral expectations for all students, in service of student achievement
• Collaborate with the Dean of Students to address any major disciplinary issues immediately and in alignment with Invictus’s vision for the use of restorative practices 
• Oversee the use of strong systems for parent and guardian communication, including parent phone calls, conferences, events, and other touchpoints 
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with families, the community, and relevant stakeholders.

Operational Management

The Principal believes that the school must run seamlessly, with a strong attention to detail to support teaching and learning and student and staff moral and identifies ways to continuously impact student and school culture, including the following:

• Coach, supervise, and evaluate the Director of Operations who owns the shared vision for strong schoolwide operations 
• Work with the Director of Operation to ensure the execution of strong systems and routines to support student learning, including daily attendance, arrival, transitions, lunch, dismissal, and supervision 
• Manage the school budget prudently, ensuring resource allocation is aligned with school priorities and goals, in coordination with the Executive Director 
• Oversee resource management to support the school's objectives
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations and back office team to meet compliance and reporting deadlines, as needed 
• Support the Director of Operations to ensure that school events and programming are mission-aligned, well planned, and staffed for effective execution 
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations and leadership team to support high staff morale, including through planning staff events, retreats, and other programming to support teamwork and relationship-building
• Support student recruitment and enrollment, in collaboration with the Student Recruitment and Enrollment Manager to ensure the school is meeting its enrollment targets
• Adhere to Invictus Academy Human Resources policies and state/federal employment laws

Student Supports: 

The Principal believes that the school must foster a positive and inclusive school environment that supports the academic and personal development of every student, including the following:

• Coach, supervise, and evaluate the Director of Student Supports, who owns the shared vision for ensuring effective implementation of Invictus’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports for students 
• Coach, supervise, and evaluate the Director of College Access to ensure student access to college knowledge, summer programming, college counseling, and other college access supports 
• Support the Director of Student Supports to ensure strong cohesion between general education and special education teams, in alignment with Invictus’s vision for Universal Design for Learning 
• Collaborate with the Director of Student Supports to ensure resource provision sufficiently supports special populations, including students with IEP’s, foster youth, newcomers, and English Learners 

Leadership and Team Management: 

The Principal believes that only through working together as a team with high levels of respect, accountability, collaboration, self-reflection, and feedback will the school be able to meet its ambitious goals, including the following:

• Lead the process for hiring staff, in collaboration with the Executive Director 
• Communicate the vision that supports the school’s goals and values
• Collaborate with the leadership team to develop an instructional program and school environment that prepares every student for success in high school, through college and in life
• Lead the process for establishing school-wide, team, and individual goals, implementing data-driven systems for continuous progress monitoring and action planning for growth 
• Lead and inspire the school community, promoting a culture of continuous improvement
• Lead the execution of systems to ensure strong performance and accountability of all staff members towards a shared vision of school success 
• Lead others through a vision of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Hold direct reports accountable to performance expectations and follow through with school protocols and procedures.
• Continually monitor progress on all measures of school and staff performance.

______________________________________________________________________________

To you, the “how” of what you do is just as important as the “what.” You build trusting, authentic relationships with students, families, and colleagues. You embody humility, take ownership for your continued growth, and crave feedback. You are also fiercely solutions- oriented. You never shy away from a problem and bring potential solutions to the table. You are highly reliable and collaborate closely with other school leaders in pursuit of our mission.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Believe deeply in the Invictus Academy mission and vision 
• Can demonstrate understanding and commitment to Invictus’s educational philosophy
• Build strong, trusting relationships with students, parents, and staff through empathy and honest communication 
• Possess strong attention to detail in all aspects of your work  
• Maintain poise in a fast-paced, urgent environment
• Communicate clearly and confidently, both in speaking and writing  
• Thrive by getting and giving honest, direct, and frequent feedback
• Ability to lead and inspire a diverse team of educators 
• Value diversity and are willing to step out of your comfort zone in service of students 
• Assume best intentions of your community, including colleagues, students, and families
• Possess strong organizational and managerial skills
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
• Make decisions based on rigorous analysis of data 
• Have at least 3-5 years of relevant experience in schools, including at least 2 years of leadership experience
• Have knowledge and skill in reading and analyzing budgets 
• Possess technological proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel 
• Earned a Bachelor’s degree, at a minimum
• Have TB clearance
• Have background check clearance

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bilingual in Spanish
• Master’s degree in Education or a related field
• Administrative credential
• Relevant leadership experience in an educational setting, preferably as a Principal or Assistant Principal
• Proven track record of improving student achievement and fostering a positive school culture

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This position is on-site. The employee must have sufficient mobility to report to campus, work in an office, and engage with students and families, with or without reasonable accommodations. The employee may be required to do light lifting, pushing/pulling, and bending, with or without accommodations. The employee must possess the ability to communicate with students, parents, and colleagues, with or without reasonable accommodations.

NON-DISCRIMINATION 

Invictus Academy acknowledges and agrees that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity. Invictus Academy shall not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by California or federal law. Equal employment opportunity shall be extended to all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including but not limited to recruitment, selection, hiring, upgrading, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, layoff, recall, and dismissal from employment.