Full-Time

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Who We Are:

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School is a 12th grade only, tuition-free public charter high school, with a singular focus on supporting youth aged 17-20 who have been pushed out of traditional schools. During our 1-year intensive programming, we support students with high school diploma attainment, vocational certification attainment, and skill development. At YouthBuild, we work to intentionally disrupt the cycle of poverty and support our students to achieve post-secondary success (4-year college, 2-year college, vocational training program, or liveable wage job).

YBPC's mission is to empower young adults (17-20 year-olds) to develop skills and connect to opportunities by fostering an environment of love, support, and respect for their whole person. Students graduate high school and successfully transition to college and career as critically conscious leaders committed to positive change for themselves and their communities. 

The Opportunity:

Eager to lead youth development programming for high school students and you believe endlessly in students’ potential, we are searching for a principal to lead YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School beginning June 2023. A leader who is passionate about building community and committed to the persistence and stamina required to do the work. A person who does not shy away from giving critical feedback and can easily navigate different communication styles and the various constituents in a school community. Open to feedback and eager to improve, this individual’s primary goal is to provide students with choices at the next level in a learning environment that is simultaneously challenging, stimulating and fun.

The Principal serves as the school’s educational leader and strengthens instructional spaces (academic, workforce and specialized services) to ensure our school community meets the needs of students and educators while also preparing students for success in their futures beyond YB. Reporting to the CEO, the principal is a senior leadership team member. The Principal will directly supervise the school culture, academic programming, special education, and student support teams. YouthBuild Philadelphia recently adopted an ambitious 5-year strategic plan. The execution of that plan will be heavily led and facilitated by the school principal. Click here to learn more.

Who You Are:

• You are equity-focused. You are unapologetic about your belief that all children can achieve. You believe that anti-racist, pro-Black and LGBTQ advocacy practices and frameworks are essential to change the status quo for all students.
• You are collaborative. You make decisions with others, focusing on what is best for students. You thrive on constructive feedback and look towards people in all positions to help you improve.
• You love coaching and developing others. You see the unique strengths people bring to the table and celebrate them loudly. You know how to provide feedback that supports growth and inspires action.
• You are invested in our core values and community agreements. You hold high expectations for yourself and the entire school community. You examine your own biases in your pursuit of equity for all. Every opportunity to learn something new excites you.
• Young people energize you. You ensure that students have limitless possibilities to achieve their full potential.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Instructional & Vocational School Leadership

• Identify academic priorities and set measurable goals to achieve priorities
• Build an effective system to monitor goals to ensure the team is on track to achieve priorities
• Develop and implement a rigorous teacher coaching, observation, and support cycle focused on student achievement and staff development
• Proactively support the integration of restorative practices within instructional efforts across the school
• Ensure access to mission critical and mutually beneficial partnership opportunities that expands YouthBuild’s capacity to deliver high quality programming and enables the program team to meet and exceed targets for enrollment, barrier reduction, skill development, and placement and retention post graduation   
• Observes and coaches instructional staff and leaders to drive pedagogical growth and student achievement

People Management and Development

• Plan and lead weekly professional development that meets the needs of the instructional staff and results in improved achievement
• Oversee and lead the implementation of our existing school health & safety program
• Positively contribute to our school community’s overall leadership vision and climate 
• Directly manage and evaluate members of the leadership team against annual goals, effectively leveraging strengths and identifying and supporting areas of development
• Inform the school’s professional development strategy to ensure that all staff across YouthBuild have access to the training, coaching, and practice needed to build and sustain relationships and respond appropriately to student choices that may interfere with their success

School Climate & Culture

• Proactively lead and support communications around the school calendar, scheduling, instructional hours, and related expectations for staff and students
• Manages the successful creation of, revision of, and maintenance of strong school policies that lead to a consistent, fair, and effective school culture
• Actively contribute to restorative practices to proactively build positive relationships with students and staff members 
• Utilizes meaningful feedback from students, staff, families, and the community to strengthen school programs and practices
• Lead evolution of outreach & recruitment work with students (new applicants and new enrollees) into our school community each year, in coordination with the program team
• Supports student belonging, celebration, and leadership through Community Meeting engagement and advisory vision 
• Ensures students have ample opportunities to explore interests through robust extracurriculars
• Has a visible presence throughout the school and consistently attends community events

Governance and Senior Leadership

• Proactively lead and support planning and communication regarding the school calendar and schedule
• Collaborate with the Board of Directors Program Committee Chair to oversee the Program Committee, including but not limited to managing committee membership and, leading quarterly Program Committee meetings intended to enhance program implementation and standards, as well as to keep the Board informed of developments and progress
• Manage, with fiduciary responsibility, a multi-million dollar operating budget for programming to ensure that financial decisions are strategic and are connected to schoolwide and departmental benchmarks
• In partnership with the Human Resources Department, manage recruitment, employment, and termination of staff in compliance with applicable employment laws  
• Oversee the coordination, integration, and delivery of all programs, contracts and related services, promoting collaborative relationships between program areas and ensuring that the expectations of funders, partners, constituents, clients, and other stakeholders are consistently met
• Represent YouthBuild at public events and interface with partners and funders, as necessary
• Mentor YB students/alumni and consistently engage directly with young people in school-wide spaces
• Other responsibilities as assigned by the CEO

• A commitment to educational equity, anti-racism and anti-bias
• Demonstrated experience affecting positive organizational change and leading staff to accomplish ambitious goals in the face of challenging obstacles
• Demonstrated values that align to restorative practices
• Willingness to reflect on impact data and connect data with priority instructional practices
• Positive and personable with an ability to relate to various constituencies and stakeholders
• A relentless work ethic, perseverance, a high degree of patience, and grit to push through challenges
• High energy with the ability to multi-task and execute quickly
• Strong judgment, initiative, and decision making
• The desire and humility to grow as a leader and truly serve the school before oneself
• Ability to deliver a direct and difficult message while remaining warm and supportive
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills as demonstrated by the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with principals, teachers, colleagues, and diverse community members
• Excellent leadership, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills, strong customer service orientation, including expectation setting. The ability to influence through listening, writing, and presenting

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required; Master’s Degree strongly preferred 
• Current principal certification required
• A minimum of 10 years of educational experience, 5 of which must have been in a school leadership role (current or previous experience of a principal, strongly preferred) 

Expected Principal Search Timeline

4/14 - Priority consideration application deadline

4/17 (week of) - Initial interviews

4/24 (week of) - 2nd round of interviews and school visits 

5/4 (tentative) - Principal search decision and offer 

6/5 - Target start date