About the School

Founded in 2013 and located in Ward 4, Sela serves approximately 300 students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in grades PreK-5. Sela is a small, nurturing community that empowers every child to become a compassionate global citizen through rigorous academics, joyful learning, and cultural exploration. Our students learn in both English and Hebrew, developing the empathy, curiosity, and intercultural understanding needed to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world. For more information about Sela PCS, please visit our website.

About the Role

Sela is seeking a Head of School beginning SY 2026-2027 who is a skilled academic leader and a transparent and effective communicator. Sela’s Head of School will serve as an enthusiastic champion of the school’s mission and community. This school leader will be responsible for managing the school’s leadership team and for partnering with the Board of Directors and broader DC education community. The Head of School will drive high academic rigor for all students, with a simultaneous focus on both language development and cultural humility; they will ensure Sela’s compliance with Washington DC’s charter accountability structures.

The ideal candidate is a culturally competent, reflective collaborator with a track record of results who inspires others, models empathy and accountability, and ensures every student and adult in the Sela community thrives in an environment of bilingual excellence, warmth, and joy. This individual will build upon Sela’s many existing strengths and the strategic priorities defined by the Board and community to lead the institution through a successful 15-year charter renewal and thriving second chapter of its commitment to the youth of Washington, DC. 

Key Responsibilities

Leading a team of 50+ employees, the Head of School will:

• Provide academic leadership, ensuring academic rigor and achievement across the student population, with particular attention to student subgroup performance. Work with and through the school leadership team to make sure Sela faculty have the training, systems and resources to meet performance goals and the holistic needs of all students.
• Build and sustain a joyful, inclusive, and equitable school culture that honors Sela’s diverse student and staff communities and empowers and motivates teachers, staff, leaders, families, and students.
  
• Ensure that Sela is a school of organizational excellence, working together with the Board of Directors and senior school leadership to build enrollment; organize Sela’s resources (people, time, and funds) towards strategic ends; and secure Sela’s compliance with DC Charter accountability frameworks.
  
• Distinguish Sela as an outstanding community asset, serving as Sela’s ambassador to the DC education community and beyond.
• Inspire and unite students, staff, and families to realize Sela’s mission and vision.
• Build on the strong foundation of Sela’s strengths - including its committed and diverse faculty and family community - while continuing to evolve its model and its culture to build for the future.

More detailed information on the Head of School’s Responsibilities can be found in the full job description here.

Skills, Competencies & Qualifications

Successful candidates will sincerely believe in Sela’s core values: belief in the academic potential of all students, diversity as a core community strength, and global citizenship as an outcome of language immersion and cultural engagement. In addition, they will demonstrate capacity in the following domains:

• Instructional Excellence: Demonstrates a deep understanding of data-informed instruction, effective dual-language pedagogy, and successful practices for supporting the academic success of diverse learning populations.
  
• Collaborative Team Builder & Community Partnership: Excels at developing and motivating staff, fostering trust, and leading through shared decision-making while building authentic, transparent relationships with families and community stakeholders to strengthen collective impact.
  
• Strategic and Adaptive Thinking & Operational Acumen: Balances long-term vision with the flexibility to respond to evolving community and organizational needs. Aligns systems, people, and resources to sustain high performance and organizational health.
  
• Emotional Intelligence: Leads with self-awareness, empathy, and resilience, creating a supportive environment for students and adults alike.
  
• Equity-Driven Leadership: Demonstrates a deep commitment to Sela’s commitment to diversity as both a stated value and also the lived experience of its community, building a culture of belonging and modeling culturally responsive practices.

Successful candidates will have:

• Bachelor’s degree required. A graduate degree in K-12 school administration, nonprofit leadership, education, business, or a related field is preferred.
  
• At least 7 years of leadership experience, including instructional and operational oversight; charter school leadership experience is a plus.
  
• Proven record of improving student achievement and building a strong, equitable school culture.
  
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills with diverse communities.
  
• Experience with long-term planning, budgeting, and staffing. Demonstrated success in driving high-impact short and long-term initiatives. 

Additional detailed information about the skills, competencies, and qualifications sought in the next Head of school can be found in the full job description here.