Director of Junior School

About the role

St. Michaels University School (SMUS), an independent day and boarding school in Victoria, British Columbia founded in 1906, is recruiting a Director of Junior School. The Director reports to the Head of School and sits on the Senior Leadership Team, providing strategic and operational leadership for the division serving 225 students and their families from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 5. The position is expected to start in the summer of 2027.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of the Junior School, including educational programming, faculty leadership, student wellbeing, budgeting, admissions collaboration and day-to-day operations.
• Champion an exceptional student experience and foster a culture of growth, reflection and continuous improvement.
• Work with colleagues across the school to build a strong, cohesive educational foundation and implement divisional and whole-school priorities aligned with the school's mission, values and strategic plan.
• Build partnerships with families and the broader community to extend learning beyond the classroom.
• Advance evidence-informed teaching practices and use data to strengthen programs and drive improvement.

Required profile

• Accomplished educational leader with significant experience, ideally in an independent school setting.
• Understanding of a Reggio-inspired approach to elementary education.
• Deep knowledge of child development, curriculum and program design, faculty growth and contemporary pedagogy.
• Ability to turn strategic priorities into measurable outcomes.
• Collaborative, values-driven leader who builds high-performing teams through coaching and distributed leadership.
• Skilled communicator and relationship builder with students, faculty, families and community partners.

Required skills

• Data and evidence-informed decision-making
• Curriculum and program design
• Reggio-inspired elementary education

Applications are submitted online through the recruiter, Odgers, with a letter of interest and a detailed resume, by 5 pm PDT on November 20, 2026. The salary range is $160,000 to $195,000 plus a suite of competitive benefits.