Principal - Nelson Bay

Lead with purpose. Lead with heart. Lead St Michael’s into its next chapter.

St Michael’s Primary School, Nelson Bay is seeking an exceptional Permanent Full-Time Primary Principal to join our school community from January 2027.

Nestled in the beautiful Port Stephens region, just 45 minutes from Newcastle CBD, St Michael’s is a vibrant K–6 school of approximately 275 students where every child is known, valued and encouraged to thrive.

At St Michael’s, we celebrate the creativity, individuality and talents of every student and teacher. Our school is built on a strong culture of inclusion, innovation and belonging, where quality learning experiences inspire students to be curious, confident and courageous learners.

With a clear commitment to academic excellence and the development of the whole child, St Michael’s provides an environment where students are both nurtured and challenged to reach their full potential.

This is an exciting opportunity for an inspiring and relational leader to build on the school’s strengths, empower staff, engage families and lead a thriving school community into its next chapter.

If you are ready to make a lasting difference in the lives of children, staff and families, we would love to hear from you.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Principal will lead across the school community to: 

• Model faith in action 
• Develop and shape a shared vision focussed on providing quality educational experiences and learning outcomes for all students 
• Nurture positive relationships between students, teachers, and all other stakeholders 
• Support and monitor the learning and growth of effective teachers 
• Set high standards for students and staff performance. 

EXPERIENCE/CRITERIA

• Practising Catholic active in the life of a Eucharistic community, with an understanding of their baptismal call to share and witness the good news of Jesus Christ 
• Demonstrated ability to articulate and create a shared improvement agenda that aligns with system priorities and embeds an evidence-based practice with high expectations for student learning and teacher practice. 
• Proven strong interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated capacity to build solid trusting relationships with students, staff, families, and all stakeholders 
• An ability to effectively analyse and respond to student data on Catholic identity, academic performance, behaviour, and wellbeing to enhance learning outcomes. 
• Demonstrated ability to effectively optimise the school’s human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational and educational outcomes 
• Demonstrated understanding of relevant legislative and legal frameworks including equity and diversity, work health and safety and performance management principles in the management of staff and the capacity to implement relevant plans and policies to ensure strong governance 
• Experience in the role of Religious Education Coordinator (primary schools), or in the roles of Ministry Coordinator and/or Leader of Learning Religion (secondary schools) (Desirable)
• Experience working across more than one school setting (Desirable)
• Active participation and leadership in education forums (i.e. Principal/Assistant Principal Professional Associations/Networks)  (Desirable)

QUALIFICATIONS

• Qualifications as a four-year trained teacher or Master of Education qualification (or approved as Threeyear trained due to significant prior experience as a Teacher within the system).   
• Postgraduate qualifications (Category E) in Religious Education, Theological Studies, or a willingness to enrol and complete within four years of appointment 
• Postgraduate qualifications (Category E) in Educational Leadership combined with a minimum of ten years teaching experience or an equivalent combination of experience, training, and achievement 
• Active NESA Accreditation  
• Current paid NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) number  
• Completion of anaphylaxis training. 

How to Apply

Please submit your application and include:

Cover Letter (max 2 pages):

Address the selection criteria and describe your suitability for the role, referencing key responsibilities.

Resume:

Highlight your professional experience, qualifications, and achievements relevant to the role.

References:

Xref Reference Checks

As part of the recruitment process, you will be required to complete two separate reference checks through Xref:

1. Professional Referee Checks
You will receive an email from Xref requesting you nominate at least two (2) professional referees, including your current Principal, and provide their contact details.

2. Parish Priest Reference
You will receive a separate email from Xref requesting you nominate your Parish Priest and provide their contact details.

Please ensure you carefully read each Xref request and nominate the appropriate referees before submitting your details.

Once submitted, each referee will receive an email and SMS from Xref inviting them to complete the reference. Completed references will be automatically returned to the hiring manager for review as part of the recruitment process.

For Further Information

To view the Candidate Pack click here or for a confidential conversation, contact:

• Duilio Rufo, Assistant Director – ••••@mn.catholic.edu.au | 04•• ••• 673

Applications for this position will only be considered if submitted through the following platforms: our careers page on our website, mnpeople, Indeed, Seek, or LinkedIn.

Applications close: Sunday 2nd September 2026 at 11.59pm

Additional information

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable persons and preventing those in our care from suffering abuse or neglect.  It is committed to implementing and maintaining compliance with the NSW Child Safe Standards and the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards and takes a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of children or vulnerable persons.  All who work in the name of the Diocese must comply with the Diocesan Safeguarding Framework Policy and act in accordance with the Diocese’s Code of Conduct which includes the Diocese’s Safeguarding Commitment Statement. Employees are required to undergo a National Police Check and retain a valid NSW Working with Children Check where necessary, in accordance with legislation.