Kansas City Christian - Head of School

Next-Ed•Prairie Village, KS

About The Position

Kansas City Christian School (KCC) is a PreK–12 Christian school serving preschool, elementary, and upper school students. Its Christ-centered approach integrates spiritual formation into academics, discipline, community life, and the conduct of its adults. KCC seeks to develop servant leaders with an integrated biblical worldview, Christ-like character and wisdom, and the academic, vocational, and life skills to make a difference in the culture around them. The Head of School is the school's executive officer, its sole employee of the board, and ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. Within the board's Ends Policies and Executive Limitations, the Head holds full operational authority: the board defines the outcomes the school exists to produce, and the Head determines the strategies and means to achieve them. The role leads and cultivates a flourishing community of students, teachers, parents, alumni, and supporters, grounded in the gospel and united in pursuit of Christ-centered education. The Head also personally shepherds the faculty and staff. The Head reports to the board and leads the administrative team, which includes academic leadership across preschool, elementary, and upper school; student life and athletics; finance and operations; advancement; admissions; marketing; and security and facilities. The Head sets and communicates strategic direction, develops and executes long-range plans, and cultivates a Christ-centered culture and comprehensive spiritual formation framework. The role leads academic and co-curricular programs, accreditation and compliance; recruits, develops, and supports school personnel; and oversees advancement, fundraising, admissions, retention, and marketing. The Head also directs financial planning and sustainability, including tuition, compensation, financial aid, budgeting, reporting, and reserves, and oversees school operations, facilities, technology, security, emergency preparedness, and child protection. Compensation will be competitive with comparable schools in the area.

Requirements

Mature disciple of Jesus Christ, active member in good standing of a local Bible-believing church, whose public and private life aligns with the school's moral and ethical commitments.
Deep understanding of Christian education's role in preparing and discipling youth.
Record of discipling teachers or staff and ability to teach Scripture to adults in a way that applies to their work.
Sense of calling to lead a Christian school, confirmed by people who know the candidate well.
Wholehearted agreement with KCC's Statement of Beliefs and unconditional acceptance of its mission, with willingness to affirm and uphold both without reservation.
Master's degree or higher in Educational Leadership or a related field.
At least four years of leadership experience in education; Christian school experience is preferred, and K–12 experience is preferred.
ACSI Head of School certification held from the start of employment and maintained current, reaching Standard level or higher within three years; a full state or national head of school certificate also qualifies after completion of ACSI's Bible and Christian Philosophy of Education requirements.
Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans that foster improvement and growth.
Demonstrated experience building organizational systems for communication, personnel, planning, and processes.
Sound financial judgment, including ability to read financial statements and audits, develop and manage multi-year budgets, and consider tuition, compensation, financial aid, and giving as an integrated system.
Capacity and commitment to lead fundraising personally, including cultivation and solicitation of major gifts; a record of fundraising success is preferred.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for engaging diverse stakeholders.
Working familiarity with policy governance (Carver, Aligned Influence, or comparable), or demonstrated capacity to operate effectively within it.
Genuine love for children and evident joy in being among students.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a Christian school setting.
K–12 experience.
Record of success in personal fundraising, including cultivating and soliciting major gifts.

Responsibilities

Communicate KCC's mission, vision, direction, and strategic priorities to staff, families, and the wider community.
Monitor the school's environment, enrollment trends, educational landscape, opportunities, and risks, and inform the board.
Propose a 5–10-year strategic plan, translate the adopted plan into operational priorities and measurable goals, rally stakeholders around execution, and assess progress on a defined cadence.
Model and champion Christian faith, servant leadership, Christian character, and the spiritual life of the school.
Personally shepherd faculty and staff through Scripture, prayer, discipleship, and encouragement toward excellence in Christian education.
Foster a hospitable community that welcomes families across backgrounds and means.
Build and maintain a comprehensive PreK–12 spiritual formation framework for students and adults.
Maintain a visible presence in school life, teach in chapel and classrooms, and provide dependable opportunities for parent engagement and feedback.
Lead the community through conflict and difficult seasons, honor a biblical grievance process shaped by Matthew 18, and define a loving, restorative, predictable, and consistently applied student-discipline framework.
Work with the administrative team to develop and implement a comprehensive PreK–12 biblical worldview education and continually improve curriculum.
Steward athletics, fine arts, and student leadership programs that develop the whole student and deepen community.
Maintain standards of academic excellence, measure student growth against meaningful external benchmarks, and ensure programs serve the range of learners enrolled.
Prepare students for college, vocation, and life through appropriate counseling and tracking graduate outcomes.
Lead accreditation and maintain compliance with government and accreditation requirements.
Recruit and retain administrators, faculty, and staff who demonstrate mission alignment, integrity, spiritual maturity, and professional excellence.
Develop faculty and staff as Christian educators, strengthening biblical integration and their ability to form students spiritually.
Cultivate a healthy, collaborative workplace; establish clear decision-making, communication, and reporting processes; and lead, delegate to, and hold the administrative team accountable.
Maintain sound personnel systems for hiring, evaluation, and professional development; develop future leaders and document operational processes for succession.
Serve as chief advancement officer and public face of the school, integrating development, enrollment, and marketing leadership.
Cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and institutional funders, and build a recurring development program that raises needed funds.
Lead admissions and retention, set and monitor enrollment targets across PreK–12, and ensure cohesive marketing and branding.
Represent KCC among local churches, civic organizations, and the wider Kansas City community.
Develop an annual, multi-year-informed plan for tuition, compensation, financial aid, and the budget within board financial policies.
Calculate the annual cost to educate a student and set tuition according to the board's pricing policy.
Set faculty and staff compensation and benefits through a documented, performance-rewarding plan benchmarked against comparable schools.
Administer need-based financial aid under the board's written policy and build annual budgets grounded in realistic enrollment and tuition.
Manage the budget within board-approved limits, maintain an unqualified external audit, manage cash flow, debt, and reserves, and provide timely, accurate financial reports to the board.
Maintain professional-standard physical security, emergency preparedness, and crisis-response systems, including staff training and drills.
Uphold child-protection standards in hiring, supervision, and reporting, and foster a climate that protects students from harm, harassment, and bullying.
Oversee buildings, grounds, property, facility budgets, construction, rehabilitation, and long-range campus planning.
Ensure reliable technology infrastructure and adopt educational technology that demonstrably improves student learning and teacher efficacy.
Protect school assets through sound insurance, maintenance, and risk management.