Head of School

Cardinal Newman School is a Catholic co‑educational, college preparatory school serving grades 7-12, offering a comprehensive education that includes athletics, fine arts, and a wide range of extracurricular activities. The school is a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston. As a Catholic middle school and high school, its mission is to provide an integrated and rigorous Catholic educational program to young men and women of diverse socio‑economic and cultural backgrounds, who value and embrace the traditions of an education deeply rooted in the Catholic faith.

Students are challenged to embrace truth, live virtue, pursue academic achievement, act with integrity, lead courageously, work for justice and engage in generous service. Anchored in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, within the Cardinal Newman School community, every student is known, the dignity of all is appreciated, and apparent and potential gifts are explored and developed in mind, body and spirit.

Position Summary: As a Catholic school leader in the Diocese of Charleston, the Head of School of Cardinal Newman School serves as the chief executive and spiritual leader of the school community, entrusted with the integrated formation of students, the faith life of faculty and staff, and the stewardship of institutional resources. As both academic and organizational head, the Head of School is responsible for ensuring the advancement of the Catholic mission and the operational vitality of the school.

The Head of School recognizes that Catholic schools exist to partner with parents in the Catholic education of their children and advances this work through a generous spirit of collaboration with the faculty and staff of the school.

This individual provides a visible credible witness to Christ the Teacher, faith‑filled leadership rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church and collaborates closely with diocesan leadership, clergy, faculty, families, and benefactors to promote a shared vision of Catholic education.

The Head of School oversees educational excellence, faculty supervision, faith formation, enrollment management, advancement, finances, facilities, and strategic planning. The individual must model Christian discipleship, inspire virtue and scholarship, and guide the community toward spiritual and academic excellence.

Classification: Exempt, Full Time

Reports To: Superintendent

Catholic Culture and Mission

• Serve as the spiritual leader of the school, ensuring all aspects of school life reflect the teachings and values of the Catholic Church.
• Joyfully model Catholic faith through prayer, moral conduct, participation in the sacraments, and personal integrity.
• Lead ongoing faith formation opportunities for faculty, staff, and students.
• Collaborate with the chaplain, campus ministry, and theology department to foster an environment of prayer, service, and virtue.
• Ensure integration of Catholic teaching across all areas of curriculum and culture.
• Strengthen the partnership between parish, school, and broader diocesan communities.
• Promote respect for the dignity of every person and a culture that embodies the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Academic Leadership and Supervision

• Serve as the instructional leader, upholding high academic standards and fostering curriculum excellence rooted in Christian anthropology.
• Recruit, hire, evaluate, and retain mission‑driven teachers and administrators who embody the Catholic faith.
• Supervise and assess faculty and staff performance; provide guidance and professional development resources to enhance instructional quality.
• Maintain compliance with diocesan, state, and accreditation requirements.
• Encourage innovation and cross‑curricular integration consistent with Catholic philosophy.
• Develop and implement effective methods to measure student achievement, faculty performance, and program success.

Advancement and Enrollment Management