SCALE: Administrator
CONTRACT: 12 Month
REPORTS TO: Middle School Principal

JOB SUMMARY

The Middle School Associate Principal is an educational leader who partners with the Middle School Principal and leadership team to advance Taipei American School's mission of cultivating an enduring commitment to learning, personal well-being, and service. The Associate Principal helps ensure that every student experiences the Middle School as a place where learning is meaningful, relationships are strong, and a deep sense of belonging supports both individual growth and collective success.

As a visible, accessible, and student-centered leader, the Associate Principal champions a Middle School experience that reflects TAS's mission, values, Schoolwide Learning Outcomes, and commitment to belonging. The Associate Principal supports faculty in designing learning experiences that develop critical and creative thinking, self-direction, collaboration, communication, well-being, and global-mindedness, while fostering a culture where all students are known, valued, challenged, and supported.

The Associate Principal promotes continuous improvement in teaching and learning, supports the professional growth of faculty and staff, and helps ensure that school programs, systems, and practices are aligned with TAS's strategic priorities and commitment to a coherent student experience. The Associate Principal contributes to a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and collective responsibility for student success.

The Associate Principal is a member of the Educational Leadership Team and Middle School leadership teams. In the absence of the Middle School Principal, an Associate Principal may assume responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the division.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Strategic Implementation

• Advance TAS’s mission, core values, strategic priorities, and Schoolwide Learner Outcomes in partnership with the Middle School Principal and leadership teams.
• Help advance a future-focused vision and structures for Middle School learning through innovative programs and practices that prepare students to thrive in a changing world.
• Use data to guide decisions, evaluate programs, and support continuous improvement.
• Lead assigned initiatives, committees, or school-improvement efforts that strengthen the TAS and Middle School experience.

 Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Growth

• Support high-quality, developmentally, and culturally responsive teaching and learning for young adolescents.
• Partner with the Administrative Team, Academic Dean, coordinators, and coaches to strengthen curriculum coherence, alignment, implementation, and responsiveness to student learning needs.
• Observe, coach, mentor, and evaluate assigned faculty, educational specialists, and other personnel under the Associate Principal’s leadership.
• Contribute to faculty professional learning, induction, recruitment, and onboarding.

Student Support and Well-Being

• Coordinate support for students focused on academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and well-being needs.
• Partner with counselors, learning support, health professionals, teachers, and families to develop appropriate interventions and follow-up.
• Support student behavior and accountability through consistent, caring, and restorative approaches that promote growth and belonging.
• Ensure significant student concerns, interventions, behavior matters, and safeguarding cases are documented appropriately and addressed in alignment with TAS procedures and applicable local regulations.

Family and Community Engagement

• Build trusting relationships with students, families, faculty, staff, and colleagues.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with families regarding student progress, concerns, and support.
• Help design and facilitate parent gatherings, transition programs, schoolwide events, and community forums that strengthen family partnership and community connection.

Student Life and Community Culture

• Strengthen a culture of belonging, inclusion, responsibility, and mutual respect.
• Design, develop, and/or refine advisory (homeroom), student leadership, transitions, and community-building programs.
• Support grade-level programs, assemblies, and other student-life initiatives that strengthen belonging, engagement, and school culture.
• Maintain a visible and engaged presence throughout Middle School spaces, activities, and events.

Safeguarding, Safety, and Emergency Response

• Uphold TAS child safeguarding, student safety, and crisis-response policies and procedures.
• Coordinate appropriate response, communication, and follow-up when serious safety, mental health, bullying, abuse, neglect, or safeguarding concerns arise.
• Support emergency procedures, drills, and response protocols.

Middle School Operations

• Support daily Middle School operations in ways that promote student learning, faculty effectiveness, safety, and a positive family experience.
• Coordinate with divisional and schoolwide offices on schedules, communications, student records, health and safety, facilities, technology, events, and transitions.
• Help plan and implement key divisional processes, including the opening and closing of school, reporting periods, student trips, assemblies, calendars, handbooks, and grade-level transitions.
• Respond to emerging student, faculty, family, and operational needs and ensure timely follow-up.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in education or a related field
• A minimum of five years of educational experience
• Demonstrated leadership experience in an educational setting
• Experience supporting adolescents and working collaboratively with families, faculty, counselors, and other school professionals
• Experience with faculty supervision, coaching, or evaluation

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in education or educational leadership
• Administrative or educational leadership certification
• Experience in an international, independent, or American curriculum school.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a diverse and multicultural community.
• Strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and technology skills.
• Experience leading innovation, program development, or school-improvement initiatives from design through implementation and evaluation.
• Experience with safeguarding, child protection, student conduct, crisis response, and restorative practices.
• Strong understanding of young adolescent development and the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs of middle school students.
• Familiarity with standards-based learning, advisory programs, social-emotional learning, and middle school best practices.
• Experience using student, faculty, and program data to guide decision-making and school improvement.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Interested applicants should submit an application along with the following:

1. Resume

2. Cover letter

3. Four referees — at least three must have directly supervised the applicant, including one current supervisor. Please provide each referee’s name, relationship, phone number, and email address.

4. Two written responses to the prompts below (maximum 750 words each).

Leadership Philosophy and Strategic Alignment

Please submit a written reflection of no more than 750 words that connects your leadership philosophy to the current strategic work of TAS.

To help us understand your authentic leadership practice, please ground your response in specific experiences rather than general statements. In your reflection, describe:

• one leadership belief that strongly guides your work;
• one example of how that belief has shaped your decisions or actions as a school leader; and
• how that belief would inform your contribution to the future of Middle School learning, student belonging, and faculty growth at TAS.

We encourage you to refer directly to one or more of TAS's strategic initiatives and to make clear how your leadership experience and approach align with the direction of the school. 

Collaborative Leadership in Practice

Please submit a written reflection of no more than 750 words describing a specific project or initiative in which you collaborated across roles, teams, or departments to support a shared school goal. Explain how your contributions helped strengthen alignment, coherence, or consistency within a grade level, division, program, or the broader school community.

Closing date: 21 September 2026

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible, as Taipei American School reserves the right to close the selection process at any time.