Principal Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

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Your job description is the first touchpoint between your company and your new hire. With millions of people searching for jobs on Indeed each month, a great job description can help you attract the most qualified candidates to your open position. To get you started, here are some tips for creating an effective job description.

Principal job title

A great job title typically includes a general term, level of experience and any special requirements. The general term will optimise your job title to show up in a general search for jobs of the same nature. The level of experience will help you attract the most qualified applicants by outlining the amount of responsibility and prior knowledge required. And if your position is specialised, consider including the specialisation in the job title as well. But avoid using internal titles, abbreviations or acronyms to make sure people understand what your job posting is before clicking.

  • Principal
  • Assistant Principal
  • Principal (Secondary School)
  • School Principal

Hire your next Principal today.

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Hire your next Principal today.

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Principal Job Description Examples:

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

Principal job summary

A great job description starts with a compelling summary of the position and its role within your company. Your summary should provide an overview of your company and expectations for the position. Outline the types of activities and responsibilities required for the job so job seekers can determine if they are qualified, or if the job is a good fit.

Example of a Principal job summary

Our secondary school is interested in hiring an experienced Principal to manage school operations and provide strong leadership to our teachers and staff members. The ideal candidate will be active in the community and make themselves available for parent consultations, taking parent suggestions and discussing the educational needs of individual students. Our Principal will also be responsible for arranging major and minor building maintenance programs, while ensuring that every teacher has the resources they need to meet the state’s curriculum requirements.

Principal responsibilities and duties

The responsibilities and duties section is the most important part of the job description. Here you should outline the functions this position will perform on a regular basis, how the job functions within the organisation and who the employee reports to.

  • Uphold our educational policies and integrate the common core government guidelines into each class curriculum
  • Create benchmarks for students and teachers and track progress towards those goals
  • Develop programs that improve teacher performance and assist students in understanding class material better
  • Provide guidance to the school’s network of student leaders and challenge those leaders to make the school a better place
  • Respond immediately to concerns from parents and school board administrators

Principal qualifications and skills

Next, outline the required and preferred skills for your position. This may include education, previous job experience, certifications and technical skills. You may also include soft skills and personality traits that you envision for a successful hire. While it may be tempting to include a long list of skills and requirements, including too many could dissuade qualified candidates from applying. Keep your list of qualifications concise, but provide enough detail with relevant keywords and terms.

  • Master of Education
  • 2+ years’ experience as a Principal or in a school leadership role
  • Commitment to creating a productive educational experience
  • Valid teaching registration
  • Proven history in improving teacher performance
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills

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Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

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