Principal

POSITION: Principal
REPORTS TO: President

Educate. Inspire. Lead.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School seeks a mission-driven, innovative, collaborative, student focused, and community-centered Principal to serve as the chief academic, instructional, and formational leader for the 2024-2025 school year.

Are you hard-working and passionate about accompanying urban scholars on the high school journey to college and career?

Are you inspired by the transformative capacity of an innovative, culturally relevant Catholic and Jesuit education?

Are you a leader that believes in the power of education to create change in the Milwaukee community?

Do you hold high expectations and an academic vision that fosters growth, support, and accountability for all to achieve critical outcomes?

Are you an empathetic and courageous leader, ready to guide a diverse team in a fluid environment? 

Are you efficient, data-driven, and communicative, able to manage multiple projects and stakeholder groups?

If so, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School needs your talent to enrich our supportive, college-bound learning community, serve families who embrace bold dreams for their children, and inspire students to lead through service for and with others.

About Cristo Rey

Cristo Rey Jesuit (CRJ) Milwaukee is part of a national network of 38 high schools transforming urban education by providing a unique integration of college-prep academics, professional experience, and spiritual formation exclusively to students of limited financial means.  At CRJ’s new $35 million campus, just across the Menomonee Valley from Marquette University, in the heart of Milwaukee’s dynamic Clarke Square, Cristo Rey serves a diverse student body of approximately 450 young men and women and 250 alumni.  Students attend class four days per week and work in a professional setting one day per week through our innovative Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP).  It is the collective mission of our staff to provide our students with a Catholic and Jesuit education that ensures they gain admission to—and ultimately graduate from—college. 

Job Description

The Principal is CRJ’s chief academic, instructional, and formational leader and collaborates with other leaders as a member of the school’s senior leadership team. The Principal reports directly to the school’s president and is a full-time, 12-month, salaried position.

Principal Roles and Responsibilities

Catholic and Jesuit Identity and Cristo Rey Mission

• Serve as a spiritual leader for the school; promote and sustain the school’s Catholic and Jesuit identity; ensure that the school’s Christian values and mission drive school decisions, and that liturgical practices, prayer, and Catholic and Jesuit culture are integrated into school life; ensure that time and resources are appropriately allocated to Campus Ministry and Adult Faith Formation.
• Ensure that all members of the school community are treated fairly, equitably, and with respect and compassion; positively support all stakeholders; actively work to create a loving environment; protect the rights and confidentiality of students and staff.
• Actively participate in and support the school’s leadership team; promote and support the importance of integrating academics with the Corporate Work Study Program as part of a college preparatory experience; ensure clear communication of shared expectations for students.
• Actively participate in CRN professional development and take advantage of CRN coaching and support; actively participate in faith formation programs aimed at deepening and nurturing your capacity as a spiritual and mission-driven Catholic school leader.
• Work with the Society of Jesus, the school’s Catholic sponsor, to develop and sustain the school’s religious identity

Teaching and Learning

• Serve as the lead-learner in the building; stay current with research, best practices, and trends relevant to Catholic, urban education, and issues that may be affecting the school’s students.
• Oversee faculty members; conduct regular classroom observations using a research-based framework; maintain a visible and active leadership presence throughout the building; provide teachers and classroom staff with valuable feedback to further develop their professional skills.
• Lead the implementation of the common, rigorous, college-ready Cristo Rey Network curriculum; promote and nurture a college-going culture with high student expectations.
• Lead the implementation of school-wide cycles of formative/interim assessments, analysis of data, and monitoring of student progress; identify and prioritize needs and determine team and individual interventions; communicate academic data to stakeholders.
• Plan and execute a program of professional development informed by instructional, school culture, and student achievement data.  Ensure that professional development is collaborative and aligned with the school’s instructional and formational vision.

School Culture and Family Involvement

• Foster and promote a school culture that values diversity and the unique gifts that all staff, students, and families bring to the school community; foster the creation of an inclusive school environment, and ensure that parents are welcomed and acknowledged as partners with the school; develop and implement strategies for meaningful and reciprocal family and community engagement.
• Lead the school community to create a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement, complemented by high levels of support; promote and articulate a vision for continuous improvement that recognizes existing equity gaps and commits to their elimination.
• Serve as a model of the school’s values and mindsets, and hold self and others accountable to maintaining high standards; actively promote the regular exchange of affirming and constructive feedback among members of the school’s staff.
• Ensure an active co-curricular life of the school, which gives students opportunities to develop their non-academic talents and interests (musical, artistic, athletic, etc.).
• Uphold Student and Family Handbook expectations to build a nurturing, respectful, and safe environment for all to ensure conditions are conducive to teaching and learning.

Strategic Planning

• Lead the school community to develop a detailed, concrete, and compelling vision for academic excellence that encompasses academics, school culture, community engagement, alumni engagement (when applicable), and partnership with the Corporate Work Study Program.  This vision must reflect a critical understanding of the students’ varied cultural identities, along with the school’s Catholic and Jesuit identity; consult with the President and other stakeholders to incorporate their understanding of the school’s context and to secure their investment in the school’s vision for excellence.
• In consultation with the President and other key stakeholders, develop a multi-year strategic plan that is aligned to the school’s shared vision of excellence, that leverages the resources of the Cristo Rey Network, and incorporates knowledge of current realities and progress-to-goals.
• Predict the needs of staff, students, and families in pursuing the strategic plan, adjusting over time, as necessary; anticipate barriers, and develop measures of effectiveness and plan for contingencies.
• Design and execute processes and systems for progress-monitoring with goals and metrics across all critical areas of the strategic plan.
• Establish concrete, ambitious, meaningful medium- and long-term goals that serve as qualitative and quantitative indicators of students’ college-readiness.

Allocation of Resources and Supervision of School Personnel

• Audit time, personnel, and resources to ensure college-readiness for all students.
• Set and communicate clear expectations for excellence, and define responsibilities for staff; delegate tasks and responsibilities in ways that are consistent with role definitions; maximize the impact of each team member under your chain of supervision.
• Develop and execute strategies to improve performance of staff over time and hold staff members accountable.
• Monitor progress on multiple work streams and individual expectations.  Acknowledge progress, celebrate successes, and intervene in a prompt, direct, and professional way to address gaps when needed.
• Consistently follow federal and state policy and establish a high bar for professionalism and discretion when handling personnel issues.

Additional Skills

• Deep commitment to education attainment for low-income, urban youth from Milwaukee.
• Flexibility, energy, stamina, and foresight to be an effective leader
• Ability to build a shared vision and inspire commitment to a mission
• Ability to build relationships with a diverse staff and parent community
• Ability to plan anticipating barriers in advance and recognizing needs school-wide
• Strong collaboration with others and the willingness to solicit input prior to developing strategies and solutions
• Ability to motivate and influence others to achieve excellence in the workplace
• Openness to feedback
• Ability to think critically and reflectively, and to prioritize effectively
• Openness to growth and a commitment to continuous learning
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to develop and execute an effective school budget

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in an educational field
• Principal’s license (or commitment to complete licensure)
• Minimum five years experience in school leadership
• A commitment to Catholic and Jesuit education
• Demonstrated ability to connect with urban students and families
• Demonstrated ability to serve as the faith leader of the school
• Proven background in curriculum design, teacher supervision, and data analysis
• Demonstrated understanding of the college qualification and acceptance process
• Background in designing and executing school improvement plans
• A commitment to personal and professional integrity and moral character
• Fluency in Spanish preferred

Procedure:

All interested and qualified applicants with a passion for Cristo Rey’s mission are invited to apply. Please include the following:

• Resume
• Cover Letter (not longer than one page).
• Responses to the following questions (not longer than 1000 words total):
  • How would you define effective Catholic and Jesuit leadership?
  • What past experiences in educational leadership have prepared you to serve as a principal of a Cristo Rey school?

• References: Please include three professional references.

Please email your completed application as an attached PDF to [email protected].

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School provides equal employment opportunities to applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, or national origin.