Brilla Public Charter Schools

Elementary School Principal

About Brilla Public Charter Schools

Brilla Public Charter Schools is a network of K-8th grade schools that currently serves nearly 1,800 students from Mott Haven, University Heights, and other neighborhoods in the Bronx. The network is growing from its current four elementary and two middle schools to five elementary and five middle schools educating some 4,000 students in the Bronx and Paterson, NJ. The Charter Management Organization (CMO) for Brilla Schools Network is Seton Education Partners, an organization inspired by the Catholic educational tradition, that also manages the Seton Teaching Fellows missionary program and El Camino, an after-school Catholic faith formation program. At the heart of the Seton educational mission is our dedication to help students become young men and women of good character and spirit who are prepared for excellence in high school, college, and beyond.

Brilla combines a Classical approach to education - an emphasis on an ennobling and content-rich curriculum, inductive inquiry-driven instruction, and virtue formation that fosters an encounter with Truth, Beauty, and Goodness - with co-teaching practices and individualized online instructional support. We approach the formation of our students holistically and maintain high academic expectations. Ours is a joyful community that honors the dignity of each student, our staff members, and the families we serve.

Position Overview

The Principal is responsible for the academic, character formation, and cultural outcomes of the school campus, bringing to life the mission of Brilla Schools by fostering a school community and culture that upholds Brilla’s Essential Practices as outlined by the Schools’ Pillars: Formation, Engagement, and Execution.

Each campus has one Principal who oversees instruction and directly manages the school’s academic and cultural administrative team. Through each administrator, the Principal oversees and is responsible for: academic achievement; faculty development; and staff, student, and community culture. Principals’ development of their administrative teams, including instructional support staff and Assistant Principals, requires strong relational skills and a capacity to foster leadership in others. While each administrator brings specific expertise to the school, the Principal’s coaching and direction of the administrative team as a group is critical, ensuring Brilla’s vision is executed with clear, cohesive, and consistent alignment.

Each Principal serves alongside a Director of Operations who leads the campus-based operations at each school. This key leader is responsible for ensuring operational excellence and is a senior leader in tandem with the Principal. All campus-based academic, character, and cultural staff report to the Principal. All campus-based operations staff report to the Director of Operations. Together, they advance the mission and ensure excellence at their school.

Competencies and Responsibilities

Execution: Principals are required to prioritize resources and information strategically in order to ensure the cohesive implementation of Brilla’s educational mission. Sound execution requires an appreciation for the fact of finite resources and the application of disciplined, practical wisdom.

• Achievement Orientation & Drive: Sets ambitious goals, takes initiative, follows through to get results. Has a relentless pursuit of excellence and a “whatever it takes” attitude. Demonstrates resilience and resolve in the face of change. Has a consistent history of personal success.
• Instructional Leadership: Is a strong teacher with a good quality filter for instruction. Has strong planning and instructional skills and experience coaching others. Understands what makes schools succeed or fail.
• Decision-making: Can make decisions in a timely manner and in the face of ambiguity. Considers consequences of decisions, stands by difficult decisions, and communicates decisions effectively.
• Organization and Self-Management: Utilizes effective personal organization systems to prioritize work appropriately and minimize stress; models universal professionalism through communication, attendance, preparedness, punctuality, attire, and mutual respect; honors deadlines and commitments.
• Fiscal Stewardship: Establishes appropriate financial objectives aligned to school priorities; holds self and others accountable for accurate and effective monitoring of expenditures; understands and upholds financial processes.

Engagement: Principals ensure that the campus culture reflects a person-centered ethos that fosters a community where all members are valued and embrace responsibility for the collective flourishing of the school. Principals’ goals include inspiring all members of the school community to align word and deed in service of the shared educational mission.

• Communication: Listens, writes, and speaks effectively, conveying professionalism and respect. Able to inspire others by inspiring confidence and demonstrating graceful poise when speaking to stakeholder groups. Creates a climate in all gatherings that invites participation and honest discussions.
• Student Focus: Always puts the needs of students first. Creates intentional experiences that foster joy, a love of learning, and a sense of belonging to the school community, while employing a warm and firm approach that communicates love, respect, and high expectations.
• Team Leadership: Works effectively in a team environment, encourages initiative in others and effectively manages conflict. Embraces the 'One School' mentality, in words and actions, by championing collective over personal successes. Builds authentic buy-in to decisions and priorities, and facilitates purposeful opportunities to strengthen staff members' connections and sense of belonging to the school community.
• Partnerships: Fosters and manages a welcoming and engaging culture of hospitality; consistently collaborates with outside providers to ensure cohesion across the school and extended-day programs; actively engages personnel as members of the school community; manages and evaluates the effectiveness of academic and operational partnerships within the school; identifies and explores partnerships that are aligned to priorities and areas of need.
• Flexibility: Comfortable in a fluid start-up environment; able and willing to adapt in the face of unexpected changes.
• Strategic Thinking: Accurately and thoughtfully identifies areas of current or potential weakness and addresses them with urgency; thinks creatively about challenges and opportunities grounded in best practice; intentionally collaborates with peers, managers, and direct reports, and authentically remains open when seeking counsel; prioritizes decisions aligned to strategic priorities while considering the impact on time, money, and human capital.

Formation: Principals are responsible for helping all members of the school community to develop in mind, body, and spirit through instruction in the Classical tradition, a robust character initiatives approach, and an explicitly joy-filled environment. The goal of formation is to equip all members of the school community with the dispositions necessary to lead free, flourishing lives.

• Continuous Learning: Constantly seeks opportunities to learn and improve, making use of successes, failures, and data to take calculated risks.
• Critical Thinking & Problem-solving: Approaches challenges in creative and analytical ways. Integrates and acts upon new information quickly, and is comfortable thinking about details and the big picture.
• Cultural Competence: Is able to read and adjust to cultural differences, and effectively works cross-culturally.
• Self-awareness: Is aware of own strengths and weaknesses and the perceptions of others and adjusts accordingly. Is open to feedback, works to improve upon weaknesses, shows a balance of confidence and humility, and behaves professionally.

Qualifications

• The confidence that education can awaken the imagination to limitless possibility, stir the heart to love what is good, and inflame the mind to seek understanding of truth.
• An unwavering, confident, and enthusiastic commitment to the educational mission of the Brilla Schools Network in service to the school community.
• A relentless dedication to providing all students with an academically robust, inspiring, and joyful learning experience.
• Aptitude in creating the conditions for educators to realize their calling through exercising their diverse gifts and passionately awakening the passion for learning in children.
• An appreciation for the continuing development of character and virtue in children and adults, alike.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution
• Capacity for managing many diverse projects.
• A history of instructional excellence.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; and ability to work well in a team.
• Familiarity with and appreciation for the Classical liberal arts tradition (highly desirable).
• At least two years teaching in an urban school serving predominantly low-income children with demonstrated exemplary student achievement results (preferred).
• Successfully serving in a leadership position in a charter school (preferred).
• Experience with the Core Knowledge® Scope and Sequence (preferred).
• Special Education credential and experience (preferred).
• Proficiency in Spanish (preferred).

Diversity & Inclusivity

We are building an organization in which talented people from all walks of life and past work experiences can join our team and make significant contributions. We are particularly committed to attracting and developing professionals who share the life experiences or backgrounds of the students we will serve.

To Apply

Initial application materials include: a cover letter and a resume that includes information on student achievement results in your school(s).

Resumes without cover letters will not be reviewed.

Brilla provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees.

The base pay range for this position is 150,000 - 180,000 per year. Pay may vary within the stated range, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, will be provided.

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