Principal (Primary)

Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong; Camden (AL); On-site; USD 107,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School in Camden, NSW, seeks a Principal to commence in 2027. The successful candidate will drive Catholic identity, lead teaching and learning, and guide school improvement in partnership with the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong.

The role requires teacher accreditation in a Catholic school, Senior Leadership accreditation, and a commitment to child safety and community engagement within NSW education policies.

Qualifications

• Lead and model Catholic faith in action within a school context.
• Develop culture of effective teaching and learning across all students.
• Build staff capacity through collaborative professional learning.
• Manage innovation and change to align with strategic plan.
• Demonstrate governance responsibilities and regulatory compliance.
• Foster engagement with school, church and local community.

Responsibilities

• Lead school improvement aligned with the diocesan strategic plan.
• Oversee teaching, learning and student outcomes.
• Provide professional learning and feedback to staff.
• Engage with stakeholders to ensure a collaborative school community.

Skills

Leadership

Catholic leadership

Educational leadership

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Current accreditation to teach with NESA

Post-graduate study

Senior Leadership accreditation (Category E)

Job description

The Executive Director of Schools, Diocese of Wollongong, invites applications from suitably experienced leaders for the Principal position at St Paul's Catholic Parish Primary School, Camden commencing at the beginning of the 2027 school year.

In the Diocese of Wollongong, Principals play a significant role in creating vibrant Catholic school communities where every student finds meaning and purpose in their life through experiencing continual growth in faith and improvement in learning. Our principals have access to:

• excellent professional & leadership development programs
  
• first-class support from the Catholic Education Office (CEO) across all critical areas through our culture of connected autonomy
  
• a professional mentor, funded by the CEO
  
• a platform to contribute to the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Paul's is a vibrant Catholic co-educational parish primary school providing a safe, caring and comprehensive education to students from Kindergarten to Year 6 in Camden and the surrounding Macarthur region.

The school’s patron saint, St Paul, enables the school to identify with his teachings, as he taught the Gospel of Christ to the first century world. St Paul is the patron saint of missionaries, evangelists, writers, journalists and authors. He was a teacher of people and through his teaching helped to establish the Christian Church. The school seeks to do the same as it provides opportunities for all stakeholders to be truly present in faith and life. The students are constantly reminded that Christ is with them as they learn in a community embedded in ritual, prayer, sacred music, signs, symbols and our Catholic tradition. This creates a distinctly Catholic pedagogy, the way of St Paul, revealing the school’s true purpose and ministry as Catholic educators.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

To achieve success in the role, the successful candidate will be someone who can:

• Model Catholic faith in action and evidence a deep understanding and commitment to the mission and purpose of the catholic school within the broader evangelising mission of the church.
  
• Develop a culture of effective teaching and learning, by leading, designing and managing the quality of the educational experiences of all students.
  
• Build the capacity of staff within a professional, collaborative learning community through the provision of effective professional learning opportunities, regular feedback and performance management.
  
• Manage innovation and change to ensure that the school’s vision and strategic plan for improvement are aligned, actioned and realised.
  
• Display clear understanding of governance responsibilities and ensure that school processes meet system, NESA and legislative requirements.
  
• Recognise and build on the uniqueness of the school, church and local community to develop a mutually supportive, collaborative and trusting relationship with stakeholders to ensure their engagement in the life of the school.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Current accreditation to teach with NESA
  
• Post-graduate study in a relevant discipline.
  
• Accreditation for Senior Leadership in a Catholic School (Category E) in accordance with the ‘Accreditation to Work, Teach and Lead in Systemic Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong’ policy.

WORKING WITH CHILDREN CLEARANCE

This role is classified as child related work and therefore we require a working with children clearance to be completed prior to your commencement with us.

Closing date: Sunday 18 October 2026 at 11:55pm

Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong is unwavering in our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. This is at the heart of everything we do.

Every child has the right to be informed, heard, respected, empowered and to feel safe.

As school communities and as individuals, we commit to keeping children and young people safe, and to work together with them to create cultures that honour dignity and enrich wellbeing.