Company Operating Name: St. George’s School
Business Address: 4175 West 29th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6S 1V1
Title of the Position: Head of School
Executive Summary:
One of Canada's foremost independent day and boarding schools, St. George's School provides an exceptional education to 1,205 boys from Kindergarten through to Grade 12. Set on two beautiful campuses in Vancouver, British Columbia, and drawing on nearly a century of heritage, St. George's is distinguished by its integration of academic excellence, leadership development, entrepreneurship and a deep commitment to the holistic development of fine young men. With boarding students drawn from 18 countries worldwide, the school enjoys a local, national and international reputation as a leader in boys' education.
The Board now seeks an outstanding successor to David Young, who will step down in 2027 after six years of highly successful leadership. Our next Head will join a school in remarkable health — financially strong, strategically clear and energized by the recent completion of the largest building project in our history. Arriving at the midpoint of an ambitious ten-year strategic plan, the new Head will have genuine scope to shape its direction before leading the creation of the strategy that will carry St. George's into its second century. The school's centennial in 2030 provides a powerful and timely platform for that next chapter.
The successful candidate will be an inspiring, collaborative and entrepreneurial leader with the vision and presence to build on exceptional foundations. A passionate advocate for boys' education, the successful candidate will lead with confidence, embody the values of the school and inspire trust across a close-knit and deeply invested community. Strong leadership skills with the ability to attract, develop and retain exceptional people and further enrich a culture of shared purpose and high performance are essential. Our next Head will be an outstanding communicator, able to inspire our community and build authentic relationships with donors and philanthropic partners. We seek a leader who believes in our mission and brings the energy and ambition to take one of Canada's truly great schools into an extraordinary next chapter.
Job Duties:
St. George’s is a high performing school with an almost 100-year tradition of excellence. Our next Head of School will join a thriving community ready to embark on the next chapter with energy and ambition.
This leadership challenge is about evolution rather than revolution. Our new Head of School will strike a careful balance between enriching our existing strengths and leading change and innovation in service of our mission.
The key responsibilities of the Head of School are:
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- To lead, embrace and take ownership of the continuous development and effective implementation of the strategic plan, engaging creatively, challenging constructively and bringing visionary leadership to realize our vision and live our mission.
- To invest the early years in post in developing a deep understanding of the essence of St. George's, building strong relationships across our community, and using this as the foundation from which to lead the development of the next strategic plan.
- To build a high-trust, collaborative partnership with the Board, working together to advance the mission, vision, and strategy for St. George’s continued success.
Educational Leadership
- To be a powerful and persuasive advocate of the value-add of boys' education, positioning St. George’s as a recognized global leader.
- To anticipate and respond to the forces reshaping independent education, including the implications of AI, evolving models of learning and a global landscape of increasing competition and complexity.
- To build on the school's innovative curriculum, integrating academic excellence with leadership development, entrepreneurship and wellness, and ensuring programming that is genuinely differentiated and world-class.
Organizational Leadership
- To lead, inspire and empower a talented Leadership Team, delegating effectively and supporting those individuals to realize their goals, and achieve and expand their potential.
- To attract and retain exceptional faculty and staff, creating the conditions in which talented people choose to build their careers at St. George's.
- To sustain and enrich an organizational culture of excellence that is ambitious yet deeply human, collaborative, and supportive of people at their best.
- To work in partnership with the Board and the Chief Financial and Operations Officer to ensure effective resource management and long-term financial sustainability.
Advancement
- To be a compelling storyteller, sharing an inspiring vision for St. George’s with new and existing donors to further enrich the culture of giving on which the school is built.
- To lead our endowment campaign with ambition and purpose, diversifying access for boys regardless of financial means.
- To lead preparations for our centennial in 2030, ensuring this milestone is used to celebrate the school's history, amplify our contemporary ambitions and generate further philanthropic momentum.
Partnerships and External Engagement
- To operate as a dynamic and compelling ambassador for St. George’s on a local, provincial, national and international stage.
- To further strengthen our position as Canada’s world school for boys, contributing to the global conversation about boys’ education and educational innovation.
- To develop our growing portfolio of partnerships, engaging with businesses, universities and other partners to create high-impact, novel programs and experiences to deepen boys’ learning.
- To champion the school's outward-facing summer and community programming, including Summer at Saints, which position St. George's as an entrepreneurial hub and contribute to the diversification of our community.
Community and Culture
- To model the values of St. George's in every aspect of leadership, embodying the humility, excellence and humanity that unite and define the community.
- To be a visible, approachable, and authentic presence across all areas of school life, actively engaging with students, faculty, staff, and families.
- To lead with cultural intelligence and empathy, demonstrating sensitivity to the nuances of a diverse community.
Skills Requirements:
The next Head of St. George’s will be an inspirational leader with the vision, energy and ambition to lead our dynamic community in its next century. This is a significant leadership opportunity to build on our established reputation for progressive, boy-centered learning, and establish St. George’s as a world-class independent school.
The successful candidate will demonstrate most or all the following experience, skills, knowledge and personal attributes.
Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree.
- A minimum of 10 years of senior leadership experience in independent schools.
- Demonstrable experience of strategic planning and execution, balancing long-term vision with disciplined delivery.
- Strong academic credentials with the intellectual flexibility to flourish and lead in an organization committed to academic excellence.
- Experience in leading, inspiring, and empowering strong teams, with a clear commitment to the continued professional development of our leaders, faculty, and staff.
- Demonstrable success in managing strong relationships with a range of different stakeholders, effectively balancing different needs and priorities.
Skills and Knowledge
- An exceptional communicator, with the ability to inspire and engage across a wide range of audiences.
- The strategic skills to further develop an already high-performing institution, with a collaborative approach to decision-making.
- An understanding of how boys learn and an appreciation for what boys will need to excel in today’s world; and the ability to articulate a confident and compelling case for all boys’ education in a contemporary context.
- An appreciation of boarding programs and the ways in which they enrich the wider school community.
- A global perspective on education and a clear view of Canada’s role in the world and the opportunities and challenges for St. George’s in a rapidly changing sector.
- A deep and reflective listener, an inspiring and persuasive speaker, and an excellent writer.
- A clear appreciation of the role of advancement in modern school leadership and a personal commitment to relationship building with key alumni and donors.
- A strong understanding of the business dimensions of successful 21st century school leadership as demonstrated by a strong record of school revenues / school financial health / annual fundraising revenues / school operating margins / faculty retention rates / etc.
Leadership Style and Personal Attributes
- A leadership style characterized by humble confidence: self-assured and decisive, yet open to feedback, deeply collaborative and instinctively inclusive.
- High levels of emotional intelligence with the ability to build trust across a diverse, multigenerational community.
- An authentic belief in the benefits of boy-centered education and a genuine resonance with St. George’s commitment to Building Fine Young Men. One Boy at a Time.
- Visionary and entrepreneurial in outlook, with the energy and bandwidth to pursue ambitious ideas while maintaining the discipline to execute with rigor.
- Courageous and resilient, willing to make difficult decisions and navigate complexity while communicating with transparency, thoughtfulness and discretion.
- Strong personal drive with the energy, decisiveness and stamina to hold in balance the various competing demands placed on the Head of School.
Terms of Employment: Full Time, Permanent.
Language of Work: English
Wage: St. George’s is committed to ensuring compensation is in the top decile of Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS). The salary range for the role is $500,000-$700,000 CAD (to be negotiated based on candidate’s experience and credentials).
Benefits: The Head of School receives a comprehensive and generous benefits package which includes a beautiful, 5-bedroomed family home adjacent to campus. Rent is covered as part of the package with the Head of School responsible only for taxable benefit tax payments on the adjusted rent value.
Our benefits include relocation allowance, car allowance, SERP, Vancouver Club membership, exec Health and Wellness spending, contribution towards financial planning, pension, life insurance, critical illness insurance, and professional development costs relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the Head of School.
Location of Work: Vancouver, Canada
Contact Information: For further information about the role, please contact Dr Gordon Lobay at [email protected] (+44(0)203 9287420). Applications can be submitted to https://plusportal.perrettlaver.com/VacancyDetail/bb41e37e-b1f6-9361-2fdc-3a220666389f
Pay: $500,000.00-$700,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Commuter benefits
- Company events
- Company pension
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Discounted or free food
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Housing allowance
- Life insurance
- Mileage reimbursement
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Store discount
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision care
- Wellness program
Application question(s):
- Did you submit your application through the link within the job post? If not, please do so as your application may not be considered.
https://plusportal.perrettlaver.com/VacancyDetail/bb41e37e-b1f6-9361-2fdc-3a220666389f
Work Location: In person
