NEAAAT is a highly innovative regional public school that inspires and prepares all students with the STEM-related skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to meet future challenges in the global workforce and their communities. Our instructional methods are centered on hands-on, project and problem based instruction thoughtfully designed to challenge students and prepare them for the real world of work. We encourage and support each other to think differently, creatively, and purposefully about teaching and learning, keeping with the idea that we’re all teachers, we’re all learners, and we all have potential for high intellectual and professional growth throughout our lives. Our school currently serves students in grades 5-12 residing in North Carolina’s northeast region.

Position Purpose

The Principal serves as a senior member of the Support Team and plays a major role in developing and implementing the total school program. As a learning leader of the school, the Principal ensures that high quality instruction occurs in every classroom, everyday, leading to student learning outcomes that meet or exceed local performance targets. The Principal creates conditions that result in a positive school climate that is second-to-none. Major job functions include, but are not limited to, developing and implementing policies, programs, curricula, activities, and budgets in a manner that promotes the educational development of each student and the professional development of each team member. The ideal candidate will be a motivated, dynamic self-starter with previous experience at the school and district level and a willingness to devote substantial time to build a world class model for the future of STEM education.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Instructional Leadership and Support

• Leads the development and continuous improvement of a highly effective, results-oriented professional learning community characterized by collective responsibility for academic achievement.
• Ensures that scheduling processes encourage staff input, address diverse student learning needs, and foster high academic growth for all students.
• Creates processes for collecting and using student performance data from a variety of sources to improve instruction.
• Systematically and frequently observes in classrooms and provides coaches with timely and actionable feedback that results in continuous professional growth and academic excellence.
• Develops and sustains strong positive relationships with students by systematically and frequently engaging them in meaningful conversations about their learning, interests, and general well-being.
• Builds a sense of efficacy and empowerment among staff that results in increased capacity to accomplish substantial outcomes.
• Focuses one’s own and others’ attention persistently and publicly on learning and teaching by initiating and guiding conversations about instruction and student learning that are oriented towards high expectations and concrete goals.
• Demonstrates deep knowledge of the school’s curriculum, research-based and emerging best practices, and performance-based assessments by leading and actively participating in meetings where these topics are discussed and holding frequent formal or informal conversations with students, staff and parents around these topics. 
• Facilitates the continuous improvement of Powerful Learning Experiences (i.e. 3D process) in ways that ensure all students consistently meet or exceed grade level or course standards. 

Cultural Leadership and Support

• Serves as a primary brand ambassador for the school and, in doing so, models a personal commitment to excellence and strong adherence to the school’s core values through verbal/written communications, behaviors and actions.
• Demonstrates a deep personal commitment to the school’s mission and vision and grows mutual understanding and strong support for the mission and vision across stakeholder groups.
• Develops deep, positive relationships with students, staff, and parents.
• Maintains student discipline to minimize disruptions and foster a high quality, inclusive learning environment.
• Maintains a collaborative work environment that supports the “team” as the basic unit of learning and decision making within the school and promotes cohesion and cooperation among staff.
• Creates an environment of distributed leadership and empowers staff to recommend, test, and implement creative, innovative approaches for school improvement.
• Implements processes that motivate and empower all members of the school community to make significant decisions.
• Maintains high visibility throughout the school and the school community.

Operational Leadership and Support

• Ensures the collaborative development and implementation of the School Improvement Plan, including active participation from parents and students.
• Collaboratively develops and enforces clear expectations, rules and procedures for students, staff, and parents.
• Supervises and appraises the performance of assigned school staff in accordance with state and local requirements.
• Collaborates with the Chief Operating Officer to efficiently sustain high quality daily operations.

Other

• Carries out all assigned action steps related to the organization’s strategic plan and meets or exceeds annual performance targets.
• Demonstrates a personal commitment to professional growth through participation in professional learning activities. 
• Performs other duties and responsibilities, as requested by the CEO. 

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Ability to consistently meet deadlines, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and achieve program goals and objectives.
• Understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student success.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• Familiarity with current trends and leading innovations in education.
• Ability to work effectively in a collegial, team-centered environment.
• Consistently exhibits positive behaviors that foster motivating conditions for colleagues (a motivator).
• Intrinsically motivated and dedicated to continuous professional and personal growth.
• Represent the school positively in the community.
• Demonstrate functional knowledge of a wide range of technologies to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ability to cultivate effective relationships with post-secondary institutions, employers, community leaders and organizations.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously without direct supervision.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, while adhering to common rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. 
• Ability to provide leadership and to supervise the planning, development and establishment of new, modified or improved programs, services and activities.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to perform under stress, deal with persons acting under stress and adapt when confronted with emergency situations.
• Knowledge of confidentiality requirements in local, state and federal laws and regulations.
• Physical ability (able to exert up to 40 pounds of force occasionally) and dexterity to perform the duties and responsibilities of the job.
• Ability and willingness to work well beyond a typical 40-hour work week in order to maximize effectiveness and meet program deadlines.

Education, Training, Experience

• Master’s degree in school administration, curriculum and instruction, or a closely related field. 
• Minimum of five years experience as a middle or high school educator and previous experience as a school leader.

Certification and License Requirements

• Valid and current NC Professional Educator’s License, including NC Principal Licensure.

Evaluation

• Performance will be evaluated in reference to this job description and local performance goals.

NEAAAT provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, NEAAAT complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. The above statements are intended to describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this position. They are not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and skills that may be required of the employees assigned to this position. NEAAAT employees are employees at will and either party may sever the employment relationship by notice to the other party at any time and for any reason. This description may be revised by the supervisor at any time.