Deputy Principal

Riverhead School; Riverhead; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Riverhead School in Auckland, New Zealand, is seeking an exceptional educational leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Deputy Principal. You will be warm and demanding, with strong EQ, outstanding communication, and the ability to lead with empathy and accountability.

Visits are welcome. This is a significant instructional and organisational leadership role with responsibility across curriculum design, teacher efficacy, data-informed practice and school systems.

Qualifications

• This is a significant instructional and organisational leadership position.
• Key portfolios include curriculum design and fidelity; Practice Leader and Senior School leadership; teacher efficacy; data-informed practice; PLT and PRT organisation; induction; CRT leadership; timetabling; EOTC; Bump@r and learner leadership; school systems and structures; Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally sustaining pedagogies.

Responsibilities

• Be collaborative, evidence-informed and curious. Seek feedback, challenge your own thinking, champion learner agency and be prepared to be vulnerable and brave.
• Be ready to deputise for the Principal, providing calm, visible and values-aligned leadership when required.

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Primary and intermediate (Years 1–8) / kura tuatahi, Deputy principal

Riverhead School is looking for an exceptional educational leader to join our Senior Leadership Team.

We are not looking for perfection. We are looking for someone who is growable, coachable, reflective, and brave; someone who loves learning, genuinely likes children, and wants to make a difference.

Our new Deputy Principal will be warm and demanding, highly relational while holding high expectations for themselves and others. You will bring strong EQ, communicate exceptionally well, remain calm under pressure, manage people with empathy and accountability, and have the agility to pivot when circumstances require it.

You will be collaborative, evidence-informed and curious. You will seek feedback, challenge your own thinking, champion learner agency and be prepared to be vulnerable and brave.

This is a significant instructional and organisational leadership position. Key portfolios include curriculum design and fidelity; Practice Leader and Senior School leadership; teacher efficacy; data-informed practice; PLT and PRT organisation; induction; CRT leadership; timetabling; EOTC; Bump@r and learner leadership; school systems and structures; and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and culturally sustaining pedagogies.

At Riverhead, our systems, structures and ways of working are deliberate. We expect our leaders to understand the why, learn our practices, endorse them with fidelity, evaluate their impact and contribute thoughtfully to their ongoing development.

You will also be ready and able to confidently deputise for the Principal, providing calm, visible and values-aligned leadership when required.

If you are an ambitious learner and leader who wants to grow people, strengthen practice and contribute to an exciting school culture, we would love to hear from you.

Visits are welcome.

Kris Hughes
21 School Road, Riverhead, Auckland 0820
*********@riverhead.school.nz
09 412 9105

Physical address:
21 School Road, Riverhead