About this role
Heritage Christian School exists to serve Christ by partnering with parents to provide biblically faithful, academically excellent education. Our vision is to become a City on a Hill–a school distinguished by its commitment to Christ, academic excellence, character formation, and meaningful impact on families and the community. We are seeking a spiritually mature, relationally strong, and highly capable Principal who shares this vision and is passionate about Christian education and the formation of students, teachers, and school culture. The principal will serve as a key member of Heritage’s leadership team, working closely with the Head of School and Director of Learning to ensure that the mission, vision, values, and educational standards of Heritage are consistently lived out in the daily life of the school.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Administrative Responsibilities
- Employ excellent written and oral communication skills
- Handle sensitive information and situations with confidentiality and integrity
- Understand the business functions of the school (e.g., budget, facility, operations, etc.)
- Uphold board and administrative policies for the school
- Work closely with the Head of school and Business Manager to manage employment and human resource matters including contracts, salaries, benefits, employee handbooks, etc.
- Participate on the leadership team
- Continuously meet or exceed all ACSI accreditation standards
- Ensure compliance with state reporting standards and teacher licensing
Faculty
- Collaborate with the Director of Learning (DOL) in developing and implementing a sound and rigorous academic program that fulfills the expected student outcomes and is based on a biblical worldview
- Supervise and evaluate faculty, both formally and informally, with at least one annual written evaluation by providing encouragement, feedback and accountability.
- Collaborate with DOL and HOS to assist with faculty meetings, regular trainings, and in-service professional development
- Foster professionalism, collegiality, community, and ethical conduct in the faculty
- Promote a learning experience marked with excellence
- Support HOS in maintaining a strong presence among teachers, students and families
- Address performance or behavior concerns directly and constructively
Student Formation
- Monitor student well-being
- Establish consistent expectations for student behavior
- Ensure disciple is fair, restorative and appropriately consequential
- Support teachers in classroom management
- Help students develop responsibility, integrity, respect and Christian character
- Oversee middle school student council implementation
Parents
- Develop strong and trusting relationships with parents
- Respond appropriately to parent questions and concerns
- Help resolve conflicts at an appropriate level
- Reinforce the partnership between home and school
- Administer the school’s discipline policies and standards of conduct
- Support teachers in healthy parent communication
QUALIFICATIONS
Education Required
Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership
Certification Required
- ACSI teaching credentials
- ACSI All Levels Principal or Superintendent certification or the ability to obtain
- State of Iowa Principal certification, or the ability to obtain, is highly desirable
Experience Preferred
- 6-8 years of administrative experience in a school setting with previous successful teaching background
- Previous experience leading in a Christian school environment is highly desired
- Experience leading, or familiarity with, a school-wide Teaching for Transformation™ initiative
Spiritual Qualities
- The principal is a committed follower of Jesus Christ and seeks to live as His disciple demonstrating a desire for spiritual growth in all aspects in his/her life.
- The principal will be an active member and faithful participant of a local Bible believing church.
- The principal will have experience with, and preferable training in, biblical worldview development and integration in the educational setting.
- The principal will continue to follow spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and spiritual education.
Academic Preparation
- Prior classroom and educational leadership experience and skill
- Demonstrated competencies in leading individuals and teams, daily implementation of school-wide initiatives, and community building among staff and larger school community.
- Clear commitment to personal and staff professional growth
Christian Lifestyle
- The principal acknowledges that all sexual relationships must be within the bond of Holy Matrimony between one man and one woman. Additionally, the Principal shall sign, without reservation, Heritage Christian School’s Declaration of Moral Integrity.
- The principal will conduct themselves as a Child of God at all times, protecting their bodies as God’s temple (I Corinthians 3:16-17, Eph. 5:18, and Romans 13:13-14).
- The principal will not use, practice, or participate in occult activities.
- The principal will exhibit the qualities of a biblical leader as stated in I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, and I Peter 5:1-3.
Christian Leadership
- Wholeheartedly support, and sign without reservation, the HCS Statement of Faith and Core Values
- Demonstrate an understanding of, and a desire to lead in, a missional school
- Agree with, and sign, the Heritage Christian School Appropriate Conduct Standards
- Know, model, teach, and enforce the school’s adopted Vision, Mission, and Expected Student Outcomes
- Know, model, teach, and enforce the Core Values of Heritage Christian School to students, faculty, staff, parents, and prospective parents