Description

Position Summary

Education for Change is seeking an Interim Principal to lead Cox Academy with a strong focus on relationships, trust, and organizational health. We are looking for an experienced and successful public school principal with a demonstrated track record of leading a school community and supporting strong outcomes for students and staff. This experienced leader will step into an established school community, listen closely, build credibility with staff and families, and provide the stability, clarity, and follow-through needed for students and adults to thrive.

The Interim Principal will strengthen adult culture by building a cohesive team, communicating clearly, and establishing consistent expectations for how people work together. They will be visible and observant, maintain an accurate pulse on the school, and ensure staff feel heard, supported, and accountable. This leader will collaborate with others, delegate effectively, monitor progress, and close the loop on commitments.

The Interim Principal will also strengthen school culture and student experience by ensuring consistent behavior systems, strong daily operations, and a safe, inclusive, and joyful learning environment. Working closely with the Chief of Schools and EFC leaders, they will carry out established school and network priorities, respond effectively to emerging needs, and create the conditions for strong teaching and learning.

Key Responsibilities of the Interim Principal include:

Leadership, Communication, and Adult Culture

• Build trusting relationships with staff, students, and families by being visible, listening closely, observing school dynamics, and maintaining an accurate pulse on the school community.
• Communicate clearly and proactively with the people who need information, at the right time, and ensure communication cycles are completed. Manage conversations so stakeholders feel heard and leave with clarity about decisions, next steps, and what will or will not happen.
• Lead collaboratively while also using distributed leadership: engage others in problem-solving, delegate clear ownership, monitor progress, and hold individuals and teams accountable for follow-through.
• Effectively manage and develop adults through clear expectations, timely feedback, support, and accountability, while building a cohesive and healthy team culture.
• Work closely with the Chief of Schools and EFC leaders to implement established priorities and direction. During the interim period, execute and strengthen existing instructional and schoolwide priorities.

Student Culture, Behavior, and School Climate

• Build a safe, inclusive, and joyful school culture with clear expectations and consistent schoolwide behavior systems.
• Respond effectively to student behavior and safety situations by assessing the issue, identifying appropriate next steps, communicating with the necessary stakeholders, and ensuring those next steps are carried through.
• Use observation and relevant student information, including attendance, discipline, and school climate trends, to identify patterns and adjust supports, systems, and supervision.
• Maintain high expectations for students while ensuring students and families are treated with respect and experience a strong sense of belonging.
• School Operations and Execution
• Ensure strong daily operations by maintaining clear routines, systems, staffing plans, supervision, meetings, and communication structures that allow the school to run effectively.
• Stay organized and consistently close loops on commitments, scheduled actions, and emerging issues. Establish clear ownership, timelines, and progress monitoring so important work does not stall.
• Manage the operations team and deploy people, time, and resources effectively in support of school priorities and student needs.
• Identify operational problems early, coordinate solutions across teams, and follow through until issues are resolved.

Family, Community, and School Partnership

• Build and maintain trusting relationships with families through accessible, timely, and responsive communication, including clear follow-up when concerns or questions arise.
• Create meaningful opportunities for families to engage in the school community and participate in their child's education.
• Support efforts to recruit and retain students and staff by strengthening the school experience and building confidence in Cox Academy.

Teaching and Learning

• Support implementation of EFC and Cox Academy's established instructional priorities and partner with school and network leaders to maintain focus, consistency, and strong execution.
• Use relevant academic and school data as needed to understand progress, identify challenges, and support leaders and teams in taking appropriate next steps.

Qualifications:

To fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Interim Principal candidate will bring:

• Demonstrated ability to build trust quickly, listen well, read organizational dynamics, and lead effectively during periods of transition or change.
• Strong communication skills, including sound judgment about who needs to be informed, when communication is needed, and how to ensure decisions and next steps are clear.
• Demonstrated success managing adults, building strong teams, delegating responsibility, monitoring progress, and holding others accountable for results and follow-through.
• Strong organization and execution skills, with a track record of following through on commitments and closing loops.
• Experience managing school operations, student culture, and behavior systems, including the ability to assess situations, determine appropriate next steps, and ensure implementation.
• Ability to work collaboratively, receive direction, and execute established priorities while exercising sound judgment about when to seek input or escalate concerns.
• Experience working effectively with diverse school communities and building inclusive environments where students, staff, and families feel respected and heard.
• Belief that all students can excel at high levels, paired with empathy, humility, and a growth mindset.
• Minimum of 2 years of educational administrative experience, including responsibility for adult management and school culture.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university.

Preferred Qualifications

• Elementary school leadership experience.
• Charter school experience.
• Experience working in a unionized school environment.
• Master's degree in a related educational field and/or valid Administrative Services Credential.
• Spanish bilingual proficiency.

Benefits

EFC offers a competitive salary and benefits package. See here for the salary steps. 80-90% of Medical/Dental/Vision plan costs are paid by EFC; participation in CalSTRS/CalPERS as appropriate. For more information, please email [redacted].