Guided by CDS’s mission—to raise proud Jews, confident leaders, and accomplished learners who value excellence and prioritize community—the K-8 Principal oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the K–8 division and serves as a highly visible leader to students, faculty, and families. This role reports directly to the Head of School and works in close collaboration to implement the school’s vision and ensure that students are at the core of all decision-making.

The Principal will help lead CDS into the future by:

-  Keeping students at the center of all academic, operational, safety, and cultural decisions
-  Enriching the lives of each and every family served by the school
 - Building and sustaining a faculty culture rooted in kavod, kehillah, and avodat mashmiut/limudim (respect, community, and meaningful work and learning)
- Strengthening meaningful connections with the broader Pittsburgh and Jewish communities

Key Responsibilities

- Provide visionary leadership for the K-8 school, ensuring alignment with CDS’s mission, values, and educational philosophy
-  Manage all aspects of day-to-day operations for the K–8 division
-  Foster a positive, inclusive, and values-driven school culture
- Supervise, mentor, evaluate, and support K-8 faculty and staff, fostering a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and continuous growth
- Manages employee hiring decisions and employment actions with support from the Head of School, including corrective actions and separations, in alignment with organizational goals and legal requirements.
- Oversee curriculum development, alignment, assessment, and professional growth
-  Support student well-being, discipline, and social-emotional learning
-  Oversee student services and collaborate closely with learning specialists and support staff
- Work closely with the Head of School and operations team to support budgeting, staffing, scheduling, and daily operations
- Communicate clearly and compassionately with families
-  Collaborate on admissions, enrollment, and retention efforts
-  Serve as a primary point of connection for K-8 families, maintaining open, responsive, and compassionate communication
-  Uphold and model CDS’s Jewish mission, values, and commitment to excellence

Professional Growth

Individuals in this role are expected to actively engage in continuous professional development through Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and Prizmah offerings, ensuring alignment with best practices and current educational standards.

Why CDS?

This is a rare opportunity to step into a school with strong momentum, clarity of mission, and a deeply collaborative leadership structure. CDS offers the chance to do
meaningful work, lead with purpose, and make a lasting impact on students, families, and Jewish life in Pittsburgh.

Ideal Candidate

- Master’s degree in Education Leadership, or a related field required.
- 5+ years of Supervisor or Educational administrative role preferred
-  Proven leadership experience as a principal, assistant principal, or senior academic leader preferred
-  Experience in education or a closely related field is strongly preferred
-  Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills
- Deep passion for Jewish education, Hebrew, Israeli culture, and Zionism
- Demonstrated experience leading faculty through growth, change, and continuous improvement
- Warm, visible presence who connects authentically with students, families, and staff
-  Proactive and forward thinking leader with strong solution driven problem solving skills
-  Strong instructional leadership with the ability to coach, mentor, and develop faculty
-  Collaborative leadership style with the ability to partner effectively with administrators, teachers, and families
-  Demonstrates sound judgement, emotional intelligence, and discretion in sensitive situations
-  Organized and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic school environment
- Commitment to fostering an inclusive, values-driven school culture rooted in Jewish identity and community
- Experience managing personnel matters, including hiring, performance management and employee relations, in collaboration with the Head of School
- Computer literacy, experience using G-Suite, comfortable learning the school's existing digital tools (mycomday, schoolpass, DOJO, Clever, Goguardian, Lexia, Math in Focus, Zoom…)

Apply Today

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter and two professional references to:

Abby Lipsitz, Senior Principal Consultant

Partnership for Talent

abby@partnershipfortalent.com

Learn more about Community Day School at comday.org

About Community Day School

Community Day School is a Jewish day school that has a long tradition of outstanding education in general and Jewish Studies. We offer a warm, nurturing, and enriching Jewish community for students, families, and staff. Our students come from Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and unaffiliated families. Our staff is culturally and religiously diverse and we welcome the best applicants regardless of religion. Community Day School is strongly committed to serving a wide range of students, from the intellectually gifted to those in need of extra academic support. Our philosophy of Differentiated Instruction reflects our commitment to keep each child challenged, at his or her level, with the goal of preserving and nurturing a lifelong love of learning. Community Day School graduates are accepted into their desired high schools, take leadership roles wherever they go, and rank among National Merit Scholars and valedictorians in the high schools they attend. Many continue with Jewish learning and Jewish community involvement through high school, college, and into their adult years, returning to Pittsburgh to enroll their own children at the school. Located in Weste...rn Pennsylvania, the Greater Pittsburgh area is home to a vibrant and active 40,000 person Jewish community that supports a full range of Jewish institutions. Pittsburgh boasts strong arts, cultural, medical and educational opportunities, along with diverse neighborhoods and communities. Google, Rand Corp., and other world-class companies choose to make Pittsburgh their home. Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and numerous other colleges and universities populate Pittsburgh with ever youthful, engaged, and vital academic learning communities. Pittsburgh as a city has weathered the recession well with stable real estate values, urban development, and a growing job market. Nestled in the heart of Squirrel Hill, Community Day School’s seven-acre campus is the perfect environment for learning and spiritual growth. The focal point is a beautiful and historic stone building that houses classrooms, state of the art science and technology labs, performing arts spaces, a gymnasium, an art studio, and a music room. Surrounding the building are safe, state-of-the-art playgrounds, our multi-purpose field, a vegetable garden, and most importantly, room for expansion. Community Day School blends traditional architecture with contemporary facilities. We are affiliated with the Schechter Day School Network, the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools, the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Council, and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and we are accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools. We are a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

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Connections working at Community Day School