Conducting an Executive Search for a Head of Primary in an Independent Anglican School
The Brief
Building on an established relationship after the successful appointment of the Deputy principal, an independent, multi-campus co-educational school located in Victoria approached Future Leadership to support the appointment of a new Head of Primary. The successful appointee needed to be an excellent communicator, innovative, and a strong educational leader who could consider the future of education delivery while staying connected with contemporary practices to drive a culture of excellence. Reporting to the Principal, the Head of Primary is responsible for supporting the Principal and working to provide a comprehensive and excellent modern academic education.
Candidate net Promote Score
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Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
The Process
Leveraging Future Leadership’s extensive network of known candidates and contacts in the education sector, over 70 targeted connections were made to identify appropriately qualified candidates. The search process, led by Liam King, was supported by an online advertising campaign.
Candidates were assessed based on their experience in a large school setting, along with their ability to bring ideas, imagination, and innovation to the school. The assessment process included several stages:
Key steps included:
- Initial Screening: Candidates were initially screened based on their resumes and cover letters to ensure they met the basic qualifications and experience required for the role.
- Preliminary Interviews: Suitable candidates were invited for preliminary interviews to further assess their suitability. These interviews focused on their leadership style, educational philosophy, and ability to innovate. Following these interviews a Shortlist of six candidates was provided to the client.
- Reference Checks: References were checked to verify the candidates past performance and gather insights into their leadership capabilities and interpersonal skills.
- Panel Interviews: All six of the shortlisted candidates were invited for first round panel interviews with the selection committee with three candidates progressing to second round interviews including a school tour and a 10-minute presentation where candidates were asked to present their vision for the future of primary education at the school.
- Final Assessment: The final assessment involved a comprehensive evaluation of each candidate’s performance throughout the process, including feedback from the selection committee and 360 reference checks.
Throughout the process, Future Leadership maintained close communication with the school to ensure that the search was aligned with their expectations and requirements.
The Outcome
The selection panel chose a candidate who was a former Deputy Head of Junior School at a well-known independent school and had prior experience as a Year Level Coordinator and Junior School Coordinator.
The successful candidate’s strengths lie in their ability to build trust and rapport with their team, creating cohesive and collaborative work environments.
