Job Description: Principal, MLK Jr Campus, 2024-2025

Last Edit: 12/19/23

Job Title: Principal

FLSA Status: Professional Exempt

Reports to: Chief Academic Officer

Yu Ming Charter School seeks a dynamic, innovative, and experienced leader to join our team, committed to uplifting and supporting educators who in turn nurture lifelong learners who are bilingual, bicultural and able to create change in their own lives and in our community. We seek leaders that are excited by the possibility of transforming the traditional model of education to be learner-centered through personalized and project based learning that cultivates both the cognitive and social emotional skills our students need to thrive in school and beyond. Yu Ming leaders thrive on exploration, collaboration, and seek to continuously learn and grow as individuals and team members.

ABOUT YU MING CHARTER SCHOOL

Yu Ming Charter School is a non-profit, tuition-free network of public schools located in Oakland and San Leandro and open to all residents of California. As a leader in Mandarin Immersion education, our mission is to nurture our inclusive and diverse community to become empowered, engaged, and outstanding global citizens. We currently serve 864 students across three campuses, and continue to grow our enrollment each year. Our intentionally diverse student body comes from many racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds representing 70 zip codes across the Bay Area and 29 home languages. Founded in 2011, Yu Ming is the first Mandarin immersion public charter school in the state. 

We believe every child, regardless of their background or zip code, deserves a free, high-quality education that prepares them today to succeed tomorrow. Ranked the #7 Elementary School and the #2 Elementary Charter School in California by U.S. News, Yu Ming is a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a 2020 and 2023 California Distinguished School. Yu Ming’s future-forward model prepares young people to succeed and thrive in an interconnected and multicultural world through personalized and rigorous learning experiences, active student agency, whole child and community focus, and multilingual education. As a result, our students far outperform their peers in the district, county, and state, regardless of socio-economic status, race, language background, and learning differences. We are closing the opportunity gap for our historically underserved students every day. To learn more about our innovative school visit our website www.yumingschool.org.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Principal of Yu Ming Charter School (YMCS) at MLK Jr Campus collaborates with Yu Ming’s Principal team, Director of Academics and Chief Academic Officer in the development, coordination, articulation, and evaluation of curriculum, instruction, professional development, and assessment. The Principal will oversee the day-to-day instruction for its G4-8 school; lead the implementation of Yu Ming’s dual-immersion instructional program; find, retain and develop high-quality faculty and staff; and support all members of this diverse community with cultural competence and an emphasis on respect and inclusion. This person will report to the Chief Academic Officer and will supervise teachers and other staff. This person will work in close collaboration with a team of equity-minded and learner-centered teachers committed to ensuring every child can achieve college and career readiness and become bilingual and biliterate changemakers in their own lives and communities.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• One or more of the following areas of expertise:
  • Personalized learning; service learning; 
  • Anti-racist, anti-bias education; 
  • “Whole child” education and deep knowledge of social-emotional learning; and
  • Mandarin immersion or dual language immersion.
• Skills to form and maintain relationships with a broad range of individuals and across areas of difference like cultural background, linguistic heritage, race, class, socio-economic status and family structure.
• Ability to balance the urgency of problem solving in the moment with the need to establish enduring systems so the school can run efficiently over the long-term.
• Exceptional people management skills that inspire team members, help identify their areas of growth and opportunities to support them in their professional development
• Highly flexible and comfortable with change, growth, and possibility.
• Skilled collaborator, communicator, and relationship-builder.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership Responsibilities, duties may include:

• Serve as a supervisor and coach of teachers in the YMCS teacher evaluation, growth, and development system.
• Serve on the School Site Leadership Team and Instructional Leadership Team.
• Support the daily school operations as needed.
• Participate in the hiring process and inform staff recruiting and hiring decisions.

Principal Responsibilities, duties may include:

• Maintaining the school’s highly rigorous academic program by serving as an instructional coach and working with teachers to set appropriate goals and priorities (and metrics for their measurement).
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with all school stakeholders (students, faculty/staff, parents, board members), ensuring transparent lines of communication at all times and addressing issues and concerns in a timely and constructive manner.
• Ensuring that all teachers and staff have clear lines of communication to and from the administrative team, that everyone understands who their supervisor is and is receiving regular feedback, support, and evaluation of their progress and areas for development.
• Ensuring the school provides adequate student services that meet students’ academic and social emotional needs and those related to school safety, including developing and staffing these functions appropriately and measuring results to ensure their effectiveness.

Yu Ming Professional Culture Responsibilities, duties may include:

• Yu Ming school leaders are deeply committed to doing and being their best, and to growing their skills as professionals and as individuals, so our daily and annual expectations reflect that commitment.

• Exhibit a high level of honest and humble self-reflection owning good and bad outcomes.

• Effectively respond to and implement constructive feedback.

• Create a healthy, high-achieving environment where staff and students feel challenged, and also fully supported and valued.

• Regular attendance, dependability and punctuality in conformance with the standards is essential to the successful performance of this position

• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A proven instructional leader with experience running a high performing school and is knowledgeable about best practices in language immersion programs.
• A seasoned professional and experienced manager who knows how to recruit, coach, and develop teachers and staff at all levels.
• An exceptional relationship builder who can quickly gain the confidence of multiple stakeholder groups including families, faculty/staff, and students.
• A passionate advocate for all students and families who has a commitment to building a strong culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Yu Ming.
• Knowledgeable about the academic and social emotional needs of students, especially those of different racial, linguistic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Dynamic and versatile, able to engage a variety of stakeholders in dialogue and speak in a clear, compelling and authentic manner both about the school’s goals and priorities and the leader’s decision-making process and plans towards meeting them.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• CA administrator credential preferred.

Terms of Employment: 12 Months

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

COMPENSATION

Yu Ming offers a generous salary and benefits package which includes:

• $115,000-$130,000 annual base salary
• 100% core benefits coverage on select plans
• Free Access to an Employee Assistance Program offering a variety of services including

counseling and legal aid

• Participation in CalSTRS Retirement System
• 2 weeks paid time off per calendar year, plus school holidays and breaks
• 7 Sick days per calendar year

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit the following at https://yumingcharterschool.bamboohr.com/jobs/

• First combined PDF document which includes the following:
  • A Resume
  • Copies of valid California or out-of-state administrative credential/certificate if applicable but not required
• Second combined document which includes the following:
  • A cover letter, not to exceed two double-spaced pages, describing your experience leading a school, the most significant event in your career as a leader, and your long-term goals
  • Three letters of recommendation (one from an immediate supervisor) dated within 12 months

Application submission screening and initial phone interviews will be completed on a rolling basis. 

Yu Ming Charter School is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity at all levels.