Head of School 25-26

Position Title:       Head of School 25-26

• Masters Degree or above-preferably in Educational Leadership
• Appropriate Administrative Experience, License or Certification needed for work permit/visa process
• Ordained or Rostered in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
• Advanced degree beyond Masters degree desired, preferred

• As a school grounded in the Christian faith, Concordia seeks to hire Christian candidates who are interested in the complex questions of faith and spirituality and who are keen to learn and interact with others of different faith traditions.
• Is of strong moral character with the ability to engender trust in his/her leadership
• Managed and directed a substantial school (i.e.: consisting of 20 or more faculty) at the Principal level – minimum of 3 years
• Proven success working with a diverse student population from a wide variety of cultural, social and religious backgrounds.
• Active member of an LCMS congregation
• International school experience or equivalent experience working internationally, preferred

• Demonstrates moral integrity, honesty, kindness, faithfulness
• Is a person of moral principles
• Models a Christian faith walk
• Models servant leadership characteristics
• Demonstrates ability to resolve conflict
• Is collegial and contributing member of the school wide community

• Is inspirational
• Takes personal ownership in fulfilling the mission
• Can “see” the future and articulate, plan, and execute next steps
• Demonstrates a positive, optimistic, can-do attitude
• Demonstrates a passion for teacher and student success

• Leads curriculum based on the most recent understanding about learning
• Ability to develop, implement, and monitor curriculum and learner progress
• Is a leader of learning
• Promotes professional development focused on improving student achievement
• Observes teachers regularly and provides appropriate feedback

• Respectful of all, builds people up, is equitable in relationships
• Is transparent, flexible, and adaptable
• Demonstrates commitment to strategic plan
• Works collaboratively with all in the school and community
• Advocates and nurtures a positive school culture conducive to student learning and teacher growth

• Manages the school, operations and resources to provide a productive environment for learning
• Demonstrate ability to delegate, empower co-workers and develop leaders
• Clearly communicates, both orally and in written form, to a diverse group of cultures and in diverse settings
• Ability to learn quickly and demonstrate flexibility in the face of fast paced change and cultural complex institutions and structures
• Ability to work with government stakeholders and external partners

• Be culturally sensitive and tolerant of the beliefs of other religions represented in the student body
• As allowed by Chinese law, oversee that activities and polices reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Provide prayers/devotionals at special events
• Lead devotions at beginning of P-12 faculty meetings
• Provide spiritual guidance during crisis

• The HOS is the Chief Executive Officer of the school.  As such he/she:
• Is the person who is ultimately responsible for everything that occurs on campus
• Facilitates and coordinates Board meetings
• Ensures that the school remains focused on the mission
• Articulates a vision for the school that moves the mission forward
• Creates a climate on campus that embraces the mission and empowers the faculty/staff to carry out the mission in a positive and collaborative atmosphere
• Serves as the face of the institution to the school’s various constituencies, and as such serves on the Board of Directors of the Shanghai Community Center, the Board of Governors of the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC), represents Concordia at the quarterly meetings of the Shanghai International Schools Association, is the Concordia voting delegate to the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Chinese and Mongolian International Schools (ACAMIS)
• Builds positive relationships with all constituents of the school

• As the legal representative of the school, serves as chairman of the Board
• Is the primary liaison with all PRC government authorities
• Is the primary liaison with the LCMS
• Is a member of all sub-committees of the Board
• Recommends appropriate policies for approval of the Board to ensure the school is fiscally responsible and stays focused on mission.
• Approves all administrative, faculty and student handbook policies
• Ensures compliance of all school policies

• Stays abreast of best practices, trends, and innovations that allows the school to maintain its role of leadership within international education
• Approves significant changes in policies, programs or procedures that impact the curriculum
• Through the Assistant Head of School for Teaching&Learning as well as the Principals and the monitors and manages the curriculum of the school
• Creates a climate that supports faculty driven innovation in the delivery of the curriculum
• Provides leadership to ensure the school maintains full WASC Accreditation – approves the submission of the annual report to WASC
• Approves the annual report provided to the Shanghai Education Commission (SEC)

• Causes a long term Comprehensive School Plan to be created
• Through the Assistant Head of School for Teaching&Learning monitors the implementation of the plan
• Decides which recommendations will be implemented, when implemented and how financed

• Through the Board Finance Committee and the AHOS-Finance & Operations, submits an annual budget to the Board for approval
• Makes recommendations to the Board for annual tuition costs
• Makes recommendations to the Board for annual salary and benefits adjustment
• Through the AHOS-Finance & Operations, provides budget reports for each Board meeting
• Through the AHOS-Finance & Operations, ensures good financial stewardship principles are in place and all accounting conventions are being followed
• Ensures that the school is in good financial health
• Approves and/or denies requests for expenditures not included in the budget
• Ensures best practices for investment of surplus funds
• Through the AHOS-Finance & Operations, creates plans for facility development and maintenance

• Monitors personnel policies and recommends changes to ensure high faculty/staff morale, higher than average retention rates and allows for the recruitment of the best possible faculty/staff
• Responsible for the recruitment of faculty and staff
• Through the Human Resources staff, ensures that all personnel legally meet the requirements of the PRC to be in China
• Ensures procedures are in place to comply with all codes and laws of the various government agencies of China
• Chairs the Executive Council meetings
• Attends additional leadership meetings (Academic and Leadership Council)

• Ensures activities and procedures are in place to support the holistic education of the student body
• Ensures that a healthy extra-curricular program serves the needs of all students, including international travel, athletics, performing arts and clubs
• Provides resources to enable all admitted students to succeed

Application