Title:Principal

Division:Making Waves Academy

Reports to:Making Waves Academy CEO (with oversight by the MWA Board of Directors)

Status:Full-time, Exempt (Year-Round)

Supervises:A Vice Principal, three Assistant Principals, the Director of New Teacher Development, the Director of College & Career Counseling, and the Director of Athletics

Position Summary

The role of the Principal is to provide senior leadership for Making Waves Academy (MWA), a 5th-12th grade, high-performing, public charter school. This new role leads the 5th-12th grade school through the supervision of one Vice Principal, three Assistant Principals, the Director of New Teacher Development, the Director of College and Career Counseling, and the Director of Athletics.  The school is broken down into three clusters (developmentally aligned) – the “senior high” cluster (10th-12th grades), the “junior high” cluster (7th-9th grades), and the “elementary cluster” (5th-6th grades).  The Principal focuses on the oversight, management, and leadership of the whole school (5th-12th grades), while also focusing on the appropriate approaches to student discipline and restorative practices work through the Vice Principal.  Both the Principal and Vice Principal work together to support instructional and cultural coherence and effectiveness across the school that is aligned with MWA’s mission and values. 

The Principal is the senior leader most responsible for making sure compliance, culture, and program goals are met.  In this senior leadership role, the Principal is responsible for communicating regularly with the CEO and must be responsive and accountable to both the CEO (and indirectly, the MWA Board of Directors) in the following areas as they relate to the MWA mission, vision, and values, including the following as it relates to our tagline: 

• LEARN – A focus on early intervention and remediation of academic skills in math, reading, and writing and social-emotional decision-making development in the lower grades (5th-6th); a continued focus on social-emotional development, academic skill development, and preparation for high school-level rigor and decision-making in the middle grades (7th-9th), and continued social-emotional development, academic skill development, and post-secondary pathway exploration along with college access exposure in the upper grades (10th-12th grades). 

• GRADUATE – We have had great success with helping students meet the important milestone of earning their high school diplomas.  With our graduation requirements aligned with the California college and university admissions requirements for “a-g” course completion, we expect as close to 100% of our students to graduate, earn their high school diplomas, be college-eligible, and “early career” ready.

• GIVE BACK – We expect students to “recycle their success” (taken from the Making Waves Affirmation) and give back in a myriad of ways – from volunteering within the community to participating in programs and volunteering in the larger Richmond community and beyond.

Primary Responsibilities

Leadership & Oversight

• Provide leadership to the school community, modeling the mission, vision, and values of the school in areas such as direction, order, pace, communication, and community member engagement.  Provide oversight and set the vision for student and adult learning.
• Provide direction to the Vice Principal, Assistant Principals, direct reports, and the faculty and staff.  Supervise, evaluate, hire, and terminate members of this team in collaboration with our Human Resources Department and Talent Team.
• Meet regularly with key leaders across the school to assess and discuss progress towards WASC/LCAP goals and quarterly goals (using the 15Five OKR tool).  Share data and analysis with CEO, MWA Board, and other community members as appropriate.  Work closely with, seek input from, and provide updates to various governance and community member entities – e.g. MWA Board, School Site Council (SSC), and the charter authorizer board.

School-wide Systems and Practices

• Utilize systems to identify and track progress on school-wide WASC/LCAP goals using key performance indicators and metrics, analyze and act on the data provided, gather and utilize information from MWA internal and external community members to assess the overall health of the school, and assess whether or not or to what extent actions, strategies, and outcomes are in alignment with the MWA mission, vision, and values.
• In collaboration with the Vice Principal and Assistant Principals, develop instructional monitoring and oversight systems that provide clear direction and support to faculty and staff.  Ensure professional development plans, practices, and implementation is in alignment with MWA’s WASC/LCAP goals.  Ensure that the Professional Development Plan for faculty is clear, guaranteed, and viable, and connects to formal and informal classroom observations, lesson and unit plan development, formative and summative assessment development, and annual performance evaluation.  Regularly and formally review, discuss, and analyze data with the Assistant Principals and other site-based leadership whose work supports differentiated support and instruction.  With MWA instructional leaders, assess progress against the Professional Development Plan and WASC/LCAP goals throughout the school year.  Share formative data, observations, and analysis regarding the execution of the plan, including successes and challenges, with the CEO.
• In alignment with MWA practices, procedures, and Board policies, make sure all MWA staff meet regularly with their supervisors to discuss their responsibilities, their progress towards goals, and their medium and long-term professional goals. Make sure that formal feedback cycles occur throughout the year, that clear and measurable performance goals are set, and that a written formal review for all MWA employees occurs by the end of the school year.  Ensure that all MWA staff are monitoring the safety and well-being of students and adults in the community, adhering to Mandated Reporter requirements, and communicating any concerns, with respect to safety and well-being of MWA staff and students, to the CEO and MWA Board in some cases.
• In conjunction with the MWA Central Office finance team, provide leadership and oversight in the budget development process, manage resources against the MWA Board-approved budget, and ensure fiscal policies are being followed.
• Take the lead in modeling, supporting, and facilitating training that supports a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all members of the community (e.g. racial/ethnic, socio-economic, gender, sexual orientation).

Communication/Community Member Engagement

• Develop and maintain a spirit of productive and responsive working relationships with various MWA community member groups including parents/guardians, students, faculty, staff, board members, visitors, and other administrators. 
• Monitor school culture and be proactive in collecting pulse checks and administering surveys to assess how students, parents, and staff are doing, what is working, and what could be improved.  Through your leadership, develop and maintain a positive culture of student achievement, efficacy, cultural competency, professionalism, data-informed decision-making and analysis, and appropriate use and application of technology. 

Additional Responsibilities and Expectations

Mission Alignment

• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, Making Waves Academy’s mission, core values, standards, competencies, and code of conduct outlined in the Employee Handbook.
• Participate in the school community – attending school competitions, performances, assemblies, and extracurricular activities.

Other

• Make sure that there is a system in place that accounts for there always being a designated administrator in charge in your absence.
• Make sure that there is a system that accounts for there always being an administrator in attendance for interscholastic competitions and school events.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers, photocopiers, portable two-way radio transceivers, and smartphones.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to frequently walk across the middle and upper school campus, participate in campus supervision duty each week, lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary, and sit for long periods of time.

Travel

Some travel is required for MWA-related events, such as workshops or conferences.

Experience

• 7 years or more of school leadership experience leading and supervising adults.
• 7 years or more working with and developing budgets.
• 6 years or more of direct teaching experience in a K-12 school setting, particularly in schools serving underserved communities.
• 10 years or more work experience in a public school environment (particularly charter schools).
• Experience working with students and families from historically underserved communities.
• Knowledge, experience, and alignment of efficacy approach to teaching and learning.
• Curriculum knowledge base and experience with Common Core standards.

Education

• Advanced Degree required (MA, MBA, Ed.D, or Ph.D.)
• Admin Credential required