Posted: 24-Nov-25
Location: Keaau, Hawaii
Type: Full Time
Salary: $175,600 - $250,800
Categories:
Salary Details:
Preferred Education:
Internal Number: JR-06416
Aloha mai! Mahalo for your interest in Kamehameha Schools. If you are looking for an opportunity to utilize your skills and talents and grow in your profession, while serving and strengthening our Native Hawaiian community, we would love to have you join our 'ohana!
Kamehameha Schools (KS) is seeking an innovative and culturally grounded Principal to lead our Ke Kula Ki'eki'e 'o Kamehameha ma Hawai'i (Hawai'i Campus High School). We are looking for a strategic, student-centered leader who is deeply committed to advancing KS’s mission and developing globally competitive haumana through Hawaiian culture-based education (HCBE) and E Ola! learner outcomes, empowering students to lead and uplift their 'ohana and lahui.
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in PK–12 education, curriculum leadership, and school administration, coupled with a growth mindset and openness to new approaches. They demonstrate a strong understanding of 'Oiwi Edge principles and model continuous learning, helping students cultivate the agency, adaptability, and cultural grounding that give them a unique advantage in fulfilling their purpose and kuleana. This leader advances teaching and learning with curiosity and strategic vision, collaborating closely with campus partners to guide school redesign, foster shared ownership of change, and strengthen relationships. They lead with empathy and clarity to address challenges, navigate differing perspectives, and implement meaningful improvements. Fully engaging with the school’s culture and community, they promote KS’s culture and values while helping learners develop critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and resilience.
The High School Principal aligns curriculum, assessment, and instruction, strengthens operational effectiveness, and drives purposeful program innovation, cultivating a positive and progressive school culture that reflects KS’s mission and commitment to Native Hawaiian learners. If you are an adaptive, collaborative, and mission-driven educational leader ready to shape the future of learning at KS, we encourage you to apply.
Job Summary
Leads students, parents, alumni and staff in achieving the mission and realizing the vision for Kamehameha Schools. Responsible for providing feedback to and communicates with school professional staff, the design and delivery of all pertinent curriculum, assessments, programs and related educational program functions for the campus system including the piloting, implementation, alignment, and timing and sequence of program innovation and change, the effectiveness of the education program, curricular and co-curricular with varying level of achievement from remedial to advanced. Creates conditions that promote a purposeful, positive and progressive school ethos in which students and staff feel connected, known and valued. Creates conditions and builds capacity for institutional learning through powerful student, staff and parent learning communities. Provides curriculum and instructional leadership, manages faculty and staff matters, maintains effective and smooth school operations, directs budget preparation and execution, and oversees management of various school programs.
Essential Responsibilities
Leadership, Strategy, and Planning
- Serves as an instructional leader to enhance effective instruction and high student achievement.
- Supports the implementation of research-based and culture-based instructional design and strategies.
- Leads the development and promotion of an effective educational program that best meets the needs of students.
- Creates a strong learning environment through effective use of relevant and appropriate instructional and operational strategies that establishes a culture for learning, engages all student learner abilities and includes an effective discipline system that reinforces positive student behavior.
- Clearly articulates, modifies and communicates clear lines of authority and governance ladder.
Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction System
- Under the direction of the Po'o Kula or designee, provides feedback to and communicates to school professional staff, the design and delivery of all pertinent curriculums, assessments, programs and related educational program functions for the campus system including the piloting, implementation, alignment, and timing and sequence of program innovation and change.
- Collaborates and communicates with campus leaders to ensure curriculum change follows a timetable of logical and timely development, sequenced so as not to overload teachers with implementation responsibilities.
- Ensure the evaluation of assessment plans to include data analyses and utilization in decision-making at all levels.
Program Delivery and Operational Oversight
- Direct and oversee the creation of campus budget proposal to include a review of current and past fiscal expenditures, projections for future expenses aligned with campus goals, educational strategies and overarching KS strategic plan.
- Ensures that curriculum documents are consistent in format to promote user friendliness for use by classroom teachers.
- Develops broad implementation and communication plans for all curricular efforts on the campus with all stakeholders.
Development and Capacity Building
- With approval from the Assistant/Associate Head of School, responsible for ensuring coherent, focused professional development to improve teacher instructional skills and behaviors as measured by improvement in student learning.
- Coordinates all campus professional development, ensuring that it is congruent with campus goals and priorities.
- Conducts regular, frequent and focused formal and informal observations to include but are not limited to classroom visits and walk-throughs.
- Promotes among students, faculty and staff, the learning of the Hawaiian language, history, culture and values as an integral part of Kamehameha Schools.
Minimum Qualifications - An equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute for the requirements listed.
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum of 5 years of PK–12 teaching experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of school administration, director or manager experience.
- Hawaiian cultural commitment:
- Willingness to learn and exhibit a commitment to an improved, high-quality education system for Native Hawaiian learners.
- Must be able to understand and support the importance of revitalizing and promoting Hawaiian cultural vibrancy in achieving KS' mission and KS' commitment to Hawaiian cultural vibrancy among its leadership, staff and learners system-wide.
- Appreciation for Native Hawaiian culture and language perpetuation.
- Leadership:
- Skilled in distributed leadership and creating conditions, competency and capacity through which students achieve important education outcomes.
- Ability to maintain composure, tact, sensitivity and flexibility during peak periods and crisis intervention situations.
- High level of integrity to handle the highly confidential information regularly seen and discussed.
- Understands the inextricable relationship between culture and education and how that manifests itself in a school setting.
- Management:
- Ability to manage multiple assignments with demanding and competing deadlines under conditions of urgency and pressure.
- Ability to work long and flexible hours.
- Excellent interpersonal skills in order to manage and resolve conflicts.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to set long and short-term goals.
- Good working knowledge of school law, finance, budgeting, and analysis.
- Willing and available to work varied hours, including evening events and travel on a regular basis state-wide and to the continental U.S. as required.
Preferred Qualifications
- School Administration Certification or License.
- Previous work with diverse learners and communities.
- Understanding and experience in age appropriate school.
- Student counseling experience.
- Classroom teaching experience.
- Experience in school administration, curriculum development and instructional supervision, or equivalent.
- Strong computer skills in word processing and spreadsheet applications; familiarity with student information management systems.
- Knowledge of KS mission, strategic plan, policies and procedures.
- Hawaiian language and cultural competence.
- Knowledge of and sensitivity to Hawaiian culture and Christian values.
Physical Requirements
- Frequently sits, perform desk-based computer tasks and grasp light or fine manipulation, talk or hear.
- Specific vision abilities required include close vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.
- Occasionally stand and/or walk, write by hand, and lift and/or carry, push and/or pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds.
- Rarely twist, bend, stoop, squat, kneel, crawl, climb, reach or work above shoulder, or grasp forcefully.
Working Conditions
- This position may involve traveling to various locations, including neighbor islands to conduct business.
- Work is conducted in an office environment and may require work to be conducted in non-standard workplaces.
- Work is typically conducted Monday through Friday at normal business hours but evening and weekend hours are often required to meet goals and objectives.
- On-call status is expected 24:7 for school related business.
Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required. The incumbent may be expected to perform other duties as assigned.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at hr@ksbe.edu or 808-534-8040 if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.