Important Notice Before You Apply: This role requires prior K-12 classroom teaching and leadership experience. Candidates who have not taught in a K-12 setting will not be considered, regardless of other qualifications. Please do not apply if you do not meet this requirement.  

About Intrinsic Schools

Intrinsic Schools is a Chicago-based charter network reimagining public education for middle and high school students. Our model is built on collaboration, belonging, and personalized learning — systematically developing students' ability to think, solve, communicate, and reflect alongside our EPIC Core Values: Empathy, Perseverance, Identity, and Curiosity. Through flexible scheduling, mastery-forward grading, Advisory classes, and individualized postsecondary planning, we ensure every student graduates with a plan tailored to their own goals, interests, and future — with roughly 90% of seniors matriculating directly into college.

About The Role

The Principal in Residence (PIR) is a full-time, school-based leadership role designed for a high-capacity instructional leader who is ready to own the principalship — and committed to building something exceptional from the very start.

What makes this opportunity rare is the runway it provides. The PIR will spend their first full year embedded in the school alongside our current Principal — learning the community, building relationships, and developing their own vision for the school's next chapter. This is not a trial period or a passive observation — it is an intentional, structured transition designed to set the incoming leader up for lasting success.

During year one, the PIR will be present and active across every dimension of school life — in classrooms, in leadership meetings, with families, and alongside staff — absorbing the culture and systems that have been built while beginning to leave their own mark. The current Principal remains in the lead role throughout this year, providing coaching, context, and support as the incoming leader grows into full ownership of the school.

By the start of year two, the PIR  steps fully into the role — not as someone still finding their footing, but as a leader who knows the school deeply, has earned the trust of the community, and is ready to lead with clarity and confidence.

This role is ideal for leaders who are deeply committed to educational equity, have a proven track record of driving student achievement, and are energized by the opportunity to lead a high-performing, student-centered school — with the rare gift of a full year to learn, connect, and build their vision before fully taking the reins.

Ideal Candidate Profile
This role is well-suited for accomplished instructional leaders who:

• Are currently serving as Principal, School Director, Campus Leader
• Have led in school administrative roles for at least 5 years; have demonstrated success in developing teachers and improving student outcomes
• Are eager to grow into whole-school leadership with coaching and feedback
• Are motivated by equity-driven leadership and community partnership
• Have completed a least 5 years of teaching experience in a core content subject
• Have knowledge of personalized learning with a focus on small group instruction
• Operate with a forward-thinking mindset regarding the ethical integration of AI in education, with a commitment to evolving instructional practices to meet the needs of a changing student landscape

Responsibilities:

School Leadership & Vision

• Partner with the Current Principal to build and sustain a culture of transparency, trust, and excellence across all stakeholders — students, staff, and families
• Support the development of the administrative team's school-wide vision and take an active role in investing and mobilizing teachers to achieve collective goals
• Take increasing ownership of school-wide initiatives and leadership responsibilities over time, aligned to readiness and development goals
• Collaborate with the administrative team on hiring diverse, highly-effective teachers and school staff, developing fluency in staffing strategy and inclusive recruitment practices

Instructional Leadership & Teacher Development

• Drive implementation of the school's mission and vision to prepare students for postsecondary success
• Model and support ambitious instruction by ensuring classes are challenging, engaging, and aligned to rigorous standards
• Serve as a direct coach to a designated cohort of teachers — conducting regular observations, delivering actionable feedback, and holding teachers accountable to growth through consistent follow-through
• Develop systems and processes to consistently gauge the level of teaching and learning across the school
• Design and facilitate professional learning that is rooted in research, responsive to current needs, and aligned to the Intrinsic POD model
• Communicate areas of strength and growth related to instruction clearly and consistently to teachers and school leaders

Student Achievement & Growth

• Transparently utilize data to track school progress toward annual goals, analyzing results through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens
• Monitor GPA, attendance, and promotion data and develop school-wide plans for improvement as needed
• Utilize ACT/IAR and benchmark data to develop instructional insights that drive student-centered, challenging instruction and aligned curricula
• Lead data-driven instruction by supporting teachers and coaches to disaggregate data, identify areas of student mastery and growth, and map findings to end-of-year standards and competencies

Coaching, Feedback & Professional Learning

• Provide high-quality instructional coaching through frequent, scheduled classroom observations, actionable feedback, and accountability for adjustment in practice
• Oversee systems to review and provide feedback on instructional and lesson plans
• Connect teachers with relevant resources to strengthen their content and pedagogical knowledge
• Collaborate with the administrative team to plan and facilitate professional development aligned to school-wide priorities

Student Experience & Culture

• Support a culture of joy, celebration, and strong relationships between students and staff
• Ensure a safe and affirming learning environment for all students through consistent school-wide systems of expectations and restorative practices
• Serve as a visible, engaged presence in the building — at arrival/dismissal, during lunch, and across daily school operations — developing fluency in the full scope of school management

Family & Community Engagement

• Respond to the needs of students, staff, and families in an open, proactive, and solutions-oriented manner
• Serve as a point of contact for family engagement and student interventions, partnering with teachers and support teams to determine next steps
• Build credible, trusting relationships with families as a core leadership competency

Principal Partnership

The Principal In Residence will work with Michelle Trojan, a highly-skilled leader at our Belmont Campus. This year, Michelle was recognized as the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) Charter School Principal of the Year. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Intrinsic Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Intrinsic Schools ensures equal employment opportunities regardless of race, creed, gender, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. Intrinsic Schools has a policy of active recruitment of qualified minority teachers and non-certified employees. Any individual needing assistance in making an application for any opening should contact the Department of Human Resources.