Role overview

Cowichan Valley School District invites applications to its Elementary and Secondary Vice-Principal and Principal pools.

The district is in the beautiful Cowichan Valley on southern Vancouver Island, between Victoria and Nanaimo, serving communities from Saltair in the north to Spectacle Lake on the Malahat and west to the Lake Cowichan region. We are honoured to be learning on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Cowichan, Malahat, Stz'uminus, Penelakut, Halalt, Ts'uubaa-asatx and Lyackson peoples. The district serves approximately 8,150 students, including 1,700 who identify as Indigenous, across 23 school sites with an annual budget of over $108 million. Further information is available at sd79.bc.ca.

Successful candidates will remain in the Elementary and/or Secondary Vice-Principal and Principal pools for a two-year period and are expected to lead in alignment with the Cowichan Valley School District Strategic Plan.

The Opportunity

We seek instructional leaders who centre Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being, reconciliation, and equity in school improvement. You cultivate inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments that honour Indigenous students, families, and communities; advance equitable outcomes for Priority Learners; and strengthen staff capacity in evidence-based instruction and assessment across disciplines.

You will design and steward a coherent student improvement & achievement cycle—setting goals, co-developing responsive pedagogy, monitoring impact using multiple sources of evidence (quantitative and qualitative), and iterating practices—so that literacy, numeracy, and mental well-being improve for every learner. Your leadership aligns school growth planning with district priorities and the Strategic Plan.

Key Leadership Competencies

The successful leader demonstrates:

Visionary: Communicates a clear, compelling direction focused on improved student learning and equitable outcomes; builds urgency that inspires collective action.
Energetic: Sustains momentum, calibrates the pace of change, and engages in ongoing reflection about personal impact and growth.
Collaborative: Builds trusting relationships; facilitates non-hierarchical communication; engages staff, students, families, and Indigenous partners in co-defining change.
Systems Thinker: Sees patterns across classrooms, schools, and district; accepts ambiguity; aligns structures and resources to remove barriers for learners.
Outward-Facing: Models curiosity and inquiry; brokers partnerships and resources that enrich learning and well-being.
Politically Astute: Navigates priorities across school and district; adapts influence strategies to context; maintains support for shared goals.
Pedagogical Leader: Uses multiple forms of credible evidence to make decisions; keeps laser-like focus on instructional improvement and transformation.

Role Expectations

Advance Reconciliation & Indigenous Education

Partner meaningfully with local First Nations and Indigenous communities; embed Indigenous Ways of Knowing across curricula and school culture; ensure processes are relational, respectful, and restorative.

Lead the Student Improvement & Achievement Cycle

Co-create ambitious, measurable goals; align professional learning; implement evidence-based instructional and assessment practices; analyze classroom, school, and district data; adjust strategies to accelerate growth for all learners—especially Priority Learners.

Elevate Literacy & Numeracy

Implement tiered, responsive pedagogy and assessment to strengthen early and

continuing literacy and numeracy; monitor progress with common assessments and classroom artifacts; close persistent gaps.

Champion Mental Well-Being

Integrate social-emotional learning, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming approaches; strengthen connectedness and belonging; coordinate services with school and community partners.

Ensure Inclusion & Equity

Reduce barriers through Universal Design for Learning and culturally sustaining pedagogy; apply human rights and SOGI-inclusive practices; ensure equitable access to programs, transitions, and pathways.

Build Collaborative Professional Cultures

Lead collaborative inquiry cycles; coach and supervise for growth; provide actionable feedback focused on pedagogy, assessment, and learner success; celebrate improvement transparently.

Mobilize Resources & Partnerships

Align people, time, and budget to priorities; engage families and community partners in learning; communicate progress clearly and often. (Aligned with the District Strategic Plan.)

Education & Experience

Demonstrated leadership with respect to equity, reconciliation, and inclusion.
Master's degree in administration, Educational Leadership, Curriculum, or a related field.
Valid Certificate of Qualification issued by the Teacher Regulation Branch (BC Ministry of Education and Child Care) or eligibility for qualification.
5 years of successful teaching experience

Candidates should bring a proven record of instructional leadership grounded in evidence-based instructional and assessment practices; the ability to lead literacy and numeracy improvement; and a deep commitment to mental well-being, inclusion, and equity for Priority Learners and all students.

Compensation — Annual Pay Range

Elementary Vice-Principal: $130,901 – $138,313 / Elementary Principal: $149,228 – $157,676
Secondary Vice-Principal: $138,313 – $145,721 / Secondary Principal: $157,676 – $166,124

How to Apply

Please submit one PDF containing your cover letter, detailed résumé with three supervisory references, a brief statement of philosophy, and any other relevant supporting documentation. Please use your name as the title of the PDF. In your submission, please clearly state which pool you are applying for. Email your application

to Jen Christenson, Sr. Manager of Human Resources, by 12:00pm on Friday, August

10, 2026, at jchristenson@sd79.bc.ca. We appreciate all applicants, however, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.