Job Description

ORGANIZATION 

Young Scholars Charter School is a public charter middle school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving approximately 300 students in grades 5-8 from 31 zip codes across the city. Founded in 1999, the school's mission is to provide a personalized middle school education that challenges, engages, and prepares all students to passionately pursue their dreams and lead a life of active citizenship. Young Scholars Charter School is committed to inspiring and equipping every student to lead a life of achievement, service, and success. The structured and nurturing community, comprehensive programming, and rigorous academic curriculum are designed to build self-motivated citizens, eager learners, and strong leaders—regardless of circumstance. The school boasts a 10:1 student-to-staff ratio, 100% high school acceptance rate, 1:1 Chromebook access for students, and over 60 community partnerships. Graduates are driven young individuals prepared for the future demands of high school, college, career, and the world.

To learn more about Young Scholars Charter School, please visit .

OPPORTUNITY 

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Principal is responsible for leading a high-performing school, ensuring exceptional student outcomes, and fostering a strong school culture. The Principal will oversee all aspects of school leadership, including instructional excellence, staff development, operations, school culture and climate, and family/community engagement. This role requires a visionary and strategic leader who can develop and execute a plan to drive student success while maintaining a culture of high expectations, equity, and belonging.

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced educational leader who is passionate about school transformation and committed to fostering an inclusive and rigorous academic environment. The Principal will play a critical role in setting and executing the strategic vision for the school while developing and retaining top talent, ensuring operational efficiency, and engaging families and communities in student success.

QUALITIES OF A SUCCESSFUL PRINCIPAL

• Exude Passion: The Principal brings energy, enthusiasm, and a deep commitment to the school’s mission, inspiring students and staff to embrace learning with joy and curiosity. They cultivate an environment where passion for education fuels innovation and student success.
• Embrace Responsibilities: The Principal leads with integrity and accountability, ensuring that all members of the school community take ownership of their roles. They model professionalism, foster a culture of responsibility, and empower staff and students to uphold high standards.
• Imagine New Possibilities: The Principal is a visionary leader who embraces innovation and continuous improvement. They encourage creative problem-solving, explore new opportunities for academic and operational excellence, and inspire a mindset of growth and transformation.
• Determined to Succeed: The Principal demonstrates resilience, perseverance, and a results-driven approach to leadership. They set ambitious goals, overcome challenges with strategic solutions, and foster a school culture that encourages determination, effort, and achievement.
• Drive Equity: The Principal is deeply committed to equity and inclusion, ensuring that all students receive the support and opportunities they need to thrive. They champion culturally responsive practices, advocate for historically underserved students, and create a school environment where every individual is valued and empowered.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities of the Principal include:

Instructional Leadership

• Establishing instructional priorities and leveraging deep content knowledge, instructional expertise, assessments, and interventions to achieve ambitious goals for all students.
• Uphold a vision for rigorous and engaging instruction by building staff capacity to implement a variety of pedagogical methods that meet student needs and drive student learning.
• Oversee the planning and implementation of a standards-aligned, college-ready curriculum that effectively meets all student learning needs.
• Ensure exemplary instructional delivery in every classroom by reviewing lesson plans, co-observing instruction, and coaching staff to improve instructional effectiveness.
• Utilize assessments and data to drive performance by creating systems for consistent data collection and analysis to monitor student progress and inform instructional adjustments.
• Develop and evaluate tiered interventions to ensure academic support closes achievement gaps for all students.

Talent Leadership

• Selecting, developing, engaging, managing and retaining a diverse pool of high-performing staff to maximize impact on student achievement.
• Recruit and hire a diverse, high-quality instructional team that aligns with the school’s vision and priorities.
• Manage and develop staff toward high performance through individualized, actionable feedback and continuous professional development.
• Design and implement professional learning structures that increase teacher effectiveness and leadership team capacity.
• Conduct rigorous and comprehensive staff evaluations that drive continuous improvement and hold team members accountable for results.
• Retain and cultivate high-performing staff by providing leadership opportunities and a clear path for career growth.

Culture Leadership

• Establishing and sustaining a vision for school culture built on systems, routines, and rituals that foster a love of learning, promote joy, and affirm student identity.
• Uphold a school-wide model of success by implementing routines that maximize instructional time and maintain a structured, safe, and supportive learning environment.
• Design and implement behavioral support systems that ensure all students receive appropriate interventions to meet their social-emotional needs.
• Foster a vibrant school community that reinforces belonging through meaningful rituals, celebrations, and culturally responsive practices.
• Uphold high expectations and accountability for student behavior, ensuring consistent and equitable implementation of consequences and positive reinforcement.
• Develop student leadership and engagement by integrating service-learning, mentorship programs, and student-led initiatives.

Family & Community Leadership

• Engaging families and communities as partners to enhance student achievement and school culture.
• Build strong relationships with families and ensure all families feel welcome and empowered to support student success.
• Develop and maintain clear communication systems to keep families informed about student progress and school initiatives.
• Actively engage families in student learning by providing resources, workshops, and opportunities for meaningful involvement.
• Leverage partnerships and community resources to enhance academic and extracurricular opportunities for students.
• Represent the school in the community in a way that fosters trust, partnership, and advocacy for student success.

Operational & Strategic Leadership

• Establishing and maintaining a school environment that operates efficiently and in compliance with regulations to maximize learning and improve performance.
• Lead annual strategic planning to establish clear academic and operational priorities that align with the school’s mission.
• Develop and refine school systems to ensure efficiency in scheduling, attendance tracking, and instructional support.
• Maximize use of available resources by aligning budget decisions with strategic priorities. 
• Ensure full compliance with legal and policy requirements including district, state, and federal education standards.
• Maintain strong collaboration with network leadership to align best practices and support school-wide improvement efforts.

Personal & People Leadership

• Operating with direction and clarity driven by optimism, resilience, cultural competence, and personal responsibility for outcomes.
• Set and communicate a compelling vision for student success, investing all stakeholders in achieving the school's mission.
• Effectively manage change and drive school transformation by fostering innovation, adaptability, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence by actively seeking feedback, modeling self-reflection, and fostering a culture of learning among staff.
• Maintain a high degree of personal responsibility and resilience in the face of challenges, continuously identifying solutions and raising the bar for performance.
• Model cultural competence and equity leadership by leading courageous conversations and ensuring an inclusive school environment where every student can thrive.

PRIORITIES

A successful first year in this role for the Principal will include:

• Driving High-Quality Instruction: Ensure all teachers effectively implement the curriculum and use data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes.

• Strengthening School Culture: Establish clear expectations, routines, and systems to create a safe, structured, and inclusive learning environment.

• Building & Retaining a High-Performing Team: Recruit, develop and manage school leaders, teachers, and staff through targeted coaching, professional development, and performance management.

• Enhancing Family & Community Engagement: Develop robust communication channels with families and cultivate strategic partnerships to support student success.

• Ensuring Operational Excellence: Oversee facilities, staffing, and compliance to maintain smooth school operations and position the school for long-term success.

Requirements

In order to fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Principal candidate will be:

• A proven instructional leader with 5+ years of educational experience, including success leading a middle school or instructional team at the middle school level.

• PK-12 Admin I Certification required; Admin II preferred.

• A strategic and data-driven decision-maker, experienced in using student achievement data to drive continuous improvement.

• A developer of people, skilled at coaching and leading teams to achieve ambitious student outcomes.

• A relationship-builder, able to cultivate trust and partnerships with staff, families, and community stakeholders.

• A culturally competent and equity-focused leader, committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive school environment where all students can thrive.

• A strong operational manager, able to oversee facilities, compliance, and school-wide systems effectively.

Benefits

This position offers a competitive salary range of $105,000 - $120,000 for a candidate of 0-4 years experience as a school principal and robust benefits including medical, dental, retirement and a PTO package of paid personal, sick, and vacation time, including roll over sick time and an annual bonus for strong attendance. More details can be provided upon request.

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume online at . For technical assistance or support with the application process, please contact candidates@edgilityconsulting.com.

Young Scholars Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.

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