Posted: 09-Mar-26
Location: Santa Monica, California
Type: Full Time
Salary: $160,000-$190,000
Categories:
Salary Details:
POSITION OVERVIEW
Just seven blocks from the Pacific Ocean, in the heart of beautiful Santa Monica, stands a TK-12 Catholic school serving 600 students. Saint Monica Preparatory is the largest ministry of the St. Monica Catholic Community, a vibrant parish known for its warmth, welcome, and joy.
Saint Monica Prep stands at a defining moment in its evolution. Formerly existing as two separate schools, it merged into one unified TK-12 school in 2022. As it nears its 100th year and first accreditation as one unified school, bolstered by significant momentum, the school is poised to deepen its identity and distinction as one cohesive school.
The creation of one TK-12 Principal marks a deliberate next step in this unification. Historically, Lower and Upper School divisions operated with separate leadership structures. That model served each division well. Today, the school’s commitment to a unified identity calls for a single academic leader who can strengthen coherence across grade levels while honoring the traditions that define each.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serve as a strategic partner to the President and represent her at designated events and functions.
- Provide unified leadership of the academic and student life program, including oversight of scope and sequence, curriculum alignment, instructional practice, and holistic student formation.
- Recruit, hire, onboard, support, evaluate, and retain faculty while overseeing a coherent faculty support and evaluation system.
- Support professional development planning and programming for faculty and staff.
- Supervise and support divisional leaders and other direct reports with TK–12 responsibilities, as determined in partnership with the President.
- Guide the school through accreditation and institutional self-study, positioning the community for a successful visiting team review and future strategic planning.
- Ensure the school’s Catholic identity is infused across programs, divisions, and culture.
- Model and promote a culture of inclusion, equity, and belonging.
- Serve as a visible and engaged leader, building strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, and families.
- Act as a key spokesperson for the school, communicating values, priorities, and achievements to internal and external audiences.
- Partner with Advancement, Admissions, and Communications to support enrollment, development, and institutional initiatives.
- Strengthen systems and structures that promote clarity, accountability, and alignment across grade levels.
The School seeks an experienced administrator with depth in curriculum and instructional leadership, strong organizational judgment, communication skills and the emotional intelligence to build trust across divisions. Qualifications include:
- A master’s degree in educational leadership, school administration, or a related field is required
- Senior leadership and teaching experience in a dynamic and complex school context.
- Ability to manage competing demands and adapt to frequent or unexpected changes.
- A stellar communicator in writing and public speaking and with all constituencies; an empathetic listener.
- A systems thinker who can manage processes and teams to deliver multifaceted projects; strong with both the big picture and the details.
- A mission-driven leader committed to the mission of Catholic education and to participating fully in the spiritual life of the community.
- Demonstrated commitment to and experience with supporting an equitable and inclusive school culture.
- A consensus builder who seeks input and stands by decisions.
- An engaged, visible presence with students, faculty, staff, and parents.
- A collaborative, transparent, authentic, empathic, humble, and joyful leader.