Principal - Secondary Schools

• Position Type: Principal and Asst. Principal / Principal
• Date Posted: 1/6/2026
• Location: To be determined
• Date Available: 07/01/2026
• Days of the Week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

POSITION SUMMARY

The primary purpose of this position is to lead with an equity-based lens that will transform outcomes for all students by focusing on personalized learning, family partnerships, and high-leverage teaching and learning practices. The principal will provide instructional leadership by removing barriers and developing a collective efficacy of anti‑racist strategies for marginalized and underrepresented students. These efforts will lead to establishing, promoting, and ensuring that every scholar learns at the highest level. Federal Way Public School principals are charged with leading school efforts that align with the goals within the District’s strategic plan. The principal will foster an environment characterized by high expectations, data‑driven decision‑making, continuous improvement, capacity building, and cultural competence. The principal is responsible for leading and supporting building staff in the daily operation of the school.

The Federal Way Public School District is all about EVERY student achieving at the highest level. As a result, we are committed to hiring talented leaders to drive high outcomes for students through raising academic achievement and closing opportunity gaps.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Instructional Leadership
  • Creates and promotes a culture of belonging and inclusivity where all students, families, and staff feel valued and cared for, providing wraparound services and positive academic and/or behavioral supports as needed.
  • Promotes an environment which fosters high expectations for students, staff, and self.
  • Facilitates collaborative processes leading toward continuous improvement.
  • Leads for inclusive programming for students qualified for special education services and those learning English as a second language and/or any other exceptionality.
• Rigorous Standards‑Based Curriculum and Assessments
  • Creates a vision of powerful teaching and learning, with an urgency to provide a strong foundation for all students to thrive academically and socially.
  • Recognizes the importance of setting high expectations for self, staff, and students in the implementation and delivery of standards‑based curricula.
  • Assists staff in implementing and aligning curricula to state and district standards.
  • Creates and monitors systems that ensure teachers utilize formative assessments to adjust instruction for improved student learning.
  • Designs and implements horizontally and vertically‑integrated academic systems and structures with an equity and inclusion lens to accelerate student growth.
• Using Data to Drive Improvement
  • Develops and monitors a School Improvement Plan that drives continuous improvement and is based on an analysis of achievement results and other data aligned with the District Improvement Plan.
  • Regularly leads and participates in data‑driven conversations with individuals and groups of teachers to review student‑level data, discuss instructional implications, and build the capacity of teachers to lead and perfect their craft.
  • Locates, analyzes, and interprets multiple data sources to inform continuous school‑level improvement efforts.
  • Assists staff in identifying and implementing proven instructional practices that are aligned with state and district learning goals.
  • Ensures that data for diverse student populations is available to all teachers; disaggregated; and with next steps that are clearly defined.
  • Provides evidence of student growth that is aligned with the school improvement planning process.
• Ensuring School Safety
  • Implements a school safety plan that is based upon open communication systems and is effective and responsive to school needs and changing circumstances.
  • Takes responsibility for creating culturally responsive practices that maximize the social, emotional, and intellectual safety of all students; supports the development, implementation, and monitoring of plans, systems, curricula, and programs that support the whole child.
  • Supervises student discipline and welfare and maintains records of individual disciplinary actions.
  • Coordinates matters of student discipline and welfare with parent/guardian, teacher, and support personnel.
  • Supervises attendance and truancy matters.
  • Coordinates student activities with the instructional goals of the school.
  • Assists counselors and teachers in promoting and maintaining appropriate classroom management.
• Strategic and Organizational Leadership
  • Manages both staff and fiscal resources to support student learning.
  • Analyzes instructional employees’ knowledge, skills and abilities as related to the adopted instructional framework and provides or directs staff to appropriate professional development opportunities.
  • Utilizes staffing and scheduling practices in a manner that ensures the school day and school year maximize instructional time to benefit all students.
  • Ensures a safe and positive learning environment for students and staff where the learning and teaching is the focus.
  • Ensures that all resources are leveraged for the purpose of continuous improvement.
• Manager of Talent – Teacher Effectiveness
  • Monitors instruction and assessment practices by using the District’s instructional framework to describe, analyze, and critique teacher performance, and to implement growth strategies where appropriate.
  • Utilizes coaching skills to build capacity in support of the core mission of the District.
  • Utilizes Professional Learning Communities to assist staff in analyzing data that reflect on current practice and inform improvement.
  • Ensures teachers receive regular, direct, actionable feedback regarding their classroom practice to grow professionally and to increase instructional consistency across all classrooms.
• Manager of Talent – Recruitment and Retention
  • Demonstrates inspirational school leadership that can create an atmosphere of inclusive learning for everyone with talents in team building, mentoring, and coaching.
  • Utilizes knowledge of effective instruction and other attributes of successful instructional staff to select highly qualified instructional staff.
  • Assigns staff to specific positions in a manner that maximizes the application of their knowledge and experience to desired student outcomes.
  • Deals with employee discipline in a manner that protects an individual’s due process rights while confronting and responding to unacceptable behavior.
  • Utilizes performance appraisal systems for all staff to recognize outstanding performance and identify and address substandard performance.
  • Evaluates designated certificated staff using the CEL 5D+ Framework for improved instructional practices and to address substandard performance.
• Culture and Equity Leadership
  • Leads for equity toward college and career readiness.
  • Nurtures a school environment that celebrates, respects, and values diversity, where teaching and learning are made relevant and meaningful to students of various cultures.
  • Publicly draws attention to all equity gaps that exist for various groups of students with plans to address their elimination.
  • Initiates activities and discussions that lead to increased cultural competence of staff, informing and expanding teaching practices within classrooms.
• Community Leadership
  • Actively seeks ways to communicate the successes of the school to the broader community, resulting in creation of partnerships to bring additional people and resources into the school.
  • Actively advocates for members of the school community and effectively engages families and community.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree in an approved college program.
• Two years’ experience as an assistant principal or in other leadership positions.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Valid Washington State Principal credential.
• Valid Washington State Teaching credential.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Previous principalship/administrative/coaching/mentoring experience.
• Experience in developing and facilitating engaging professional development for staff.
• Experience working diverse student populations.
• Experience with Project Based Approach, integrating technology in instruction, Standards‑Based Education, Common Core, PBIS, and GLAD.
• Experience building the capacity of others regarding anti‑racist and inclusive practices.
• Experience with real‑time use of data to provide timely interventions for student scholars.
• Experience with cognitive coaching, consensus, and team building.
• Experience in standards‑based curriculum.
• Experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating school‑wide programs.
• Bilingual in Spanish.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

• Criminal background clearance.
• Washington State Driver’s License.
• History of positive evaluations.
• Complete the Right Response training at the advanced level at the next available class and maintain certification annually.

KNOWLEDGE OF

• Equity based mindset and lens, experience transforming outcomes for students and school communities.
• The use of instructional frameworks as a driver of feedback and coaching, supervising, selecting, training, motivating, monitoring and evaluating certificated and classified staff.
• Providing leadership and guidance to staff and educational programs.
• Conflict management and problem resolution.
• Budget planning, monitoring and administration.
• Planning, organizing, prioritizing, scheduling and evaluating programs.
• Current educational research and application.
• Effective decision making.
• Student behavior management and discipline.
• Assessing educational, instructional, curricular effectiveness and recommending improvements.
• Team building.
• Computer and related application programs.
• School board policies and procedures.

ABILITY TO

• Demonstrate a high level of proficiency with computers and technology.
• Demonstrate effective leadership skills both organizationally and instructionally.
• Organize and perform job responsibilities efficiently and independently.
• Demonstrate effective written and oral communications with a community of diversity to include students, staff, parents, and community members.
• Enhance systems thinking.
• Conduct crucial conversations with staff and encourage colleagues to have conversations with each other.
• Practice effective safety and security within individual work routines.
• Develop and maintain positive customer relations with staff and service providers.
• Work collaboratively with District staff and promote teamwork with coworkers.
• Practice ethical and professional standards of conduct including the requirements of confidentiality.
• Work side by side and foster strong, positive relationships with parents, staff, students, and the public in a multicultural and multiracial community.
• Facilitate building consensus decisions while maintaining a focus on learning for all students.
• Implement school and district policies.
• Inspire staff and community to maintain the highest standards of performance for themselves and students.
• Implement a strong discipline plan with consistent follow‑through with decisions.
• Perform job responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES RELATED TO CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND EQUITY

• Knowledge/awareness of own cultural identity and how this influences behavior, and desire to learn about the cultural identity of others.
• Ability to establish and nurture an environment that promotes cultural competence and equitable treatment of staff, students, and patrons of the District.
• Ability to understand and hold self and others accountable for promoting the Federal Way Public Schools’ commitment to “Each Scholar: A Voice. A Dream. A Bright Future.”
• Ability to recognize that each person is a unique individual even as we celebrate their group cultural heritage.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will regularly stand and walk, bend neck and back, use hands for repetitive grasping and pushing/pulling. The employee will constantly be required to sit for extended periods of time and use a computer screen and keyboard. The employee may occasionally be required to squat, kneel, and use hands for fine manipulation, climb stairs or ladders, lift and reach overhead, and lift/carry. The employee must constantly lift/carry up to 5 pounds and must frequently lift or carry up to 15 pounds. The employee will occasionally lift or carry a maximum of 25 pounds. The employee is occasionally required to push or pull a maximum weight of 200 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in indoor conditions and regularly works near video display. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The position constantly deals with frequent interruptions, demanding deadlines, and regularly deals with angry and distraught employees and community members.

WORK SCHEDULE

Work schedule typically works 8 hours per day, Monday through Friday, 260 days per year, or as otherwise determined by the District.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

This position reports to and is evaluated by the Learning Improvement Officer or designee.

REPRESENTATION

Association of Federal Way School Principals.

LEVEL OF COMPENSATION (Per the 2025‑2026 Salary Schedule)

• Secondary:
  • K‑8 School: $177,658
  • Middle School: $181,915
  • High School: $194,037

Doctoral Stipend $3,000

All principals receive 4 days at per diem for TPEP work.

This position includes the following benefits prorated based on FTE: Medical, dental, vision; sick and vacation leave; life insurance; retirement.

Disclaimer The preceding list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary. The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the scope of responsibility and the level of knowledge and skills typically required, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements, skills or duties so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside their normal responsibilities from time to time as needed.

All employment open positions are made available on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or veteran status.

Job descriptions are written as a representative list of the ADA essential duties performed by the entire classification. They cannot include, and are not intended to include, every possible activity and task performed by every specific employee.

Postings current as of 2/22/2026 12:13:24 AM CST.

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