Crimson Academies
Deputy Principal - Future School at Crimson Academies in Auckland, NZ
Job Description
A Welcome from the Principal
Kia ora,
Thank you for your interest in leading alongside me at Future School. We’re a young, ambitious school - built from scratch in 2025 - and we’re now looking for a Deputy Principal who wants to help shape what a school can be, not just run one that already exists.
This is a genuine second-in-charge role. You’ll carry real weight across staff leadership, curriculum, wellbeing and day-to-day operations, and you’ll deputise for me fully when I’m away. It suits someone who is a strong, experienced educational leader, and who is energised rather than unsettled by the pace and ambiguity of building something new.
If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you.
Ngā mihi,
Lisa Squire
Principal, Future School
About Future School
Future School is a school reinvented for what’s next. Located in Takapuna, Auckland, we teach Years 1–13 (ages 5–18) as part of the Crimson Academies network — giving our students and staff access to a global network of specialist teachers and mentors.
Our mission: through relationships and belonging, we ignite lifelong wonder and grow learners with the agency to shape their own future, and the compassion to contribute to a better, more interconnected world.
We offer full-time face-to-face, hybrid and online schooling models, and work in close partnership with other Crimson Academies schools — opening up unique opportunities for our learning community and our teaching team alike. At the heart of it all is a personalised model of education, built around each student’s unique strengths and focused on helping them fulfil their own ambitions.
What makes us different
Small classes — an average of 12 students — with ability-based tutorials and 1:1 literacy support
Personalised learning at each student’s own pace
Real-world, project-based learning with industry mentors and authentic outcomes
Multiple curriculum pathways enabling flexible progression
A deliberate focus on future-ready skills: AI, interpersonal skills, coding, entrepreneurship and design thinking
About the Role
Purpose
The Deputy Principal is the Principal’s key partner in leading Future School day to day, and deputises fully for the Principal in their absence. This is a generalist, whole-school leadership role — not limited to a single portfolio — reflecting the size and stage of the school.
Reports to
Principal
Key responsibilities
Deputise for the Principal, including representing the school externally when required
Lead, coach and performance-manage teaching staff alongside the Principal
Champion curriculum quality and consistency across our Years 1–13 pathways
Lead student wellbeing, behaviour and restorative practice systems
Oversee day-to-day operational decisions and staffing logistics
Model and uphold Future School’s culture, mission and values
Person Specification
Essential
Current New Zealand teacher registration (or eligibility for registration) and a valid Practising Certificate
Proven senior leadership experience in a school setting (e.g. Deputy/Assistant Principal, Team Leader, Head of Department, or equivalent)
A track record of leading and developing teaching staff
Strong understanding of NZ curriculum, assessment and student wellbeing practice
Excellent relational skills — with students, staff, whanau and the board
Comfort with ambiguity and a genuine appetite for building new systems, not just maintaining existing ones
Satisfactory referee checks
Desirable
Experience across more than one curriculum pathway
Experience with project-based or personalised learning models
Experience leading schoolwide change, implementation of projects
You’ll thrive here if you’re someone who’s
Positive, with a good sense of humour
A confident, natural communicator with students, staff and whanau
Warm and professional
Future-focused, and genuinely curious about how AI and technology can change learning
Comfortable being highly visible and hands-on in a small, close-knit school
For a confidential conversation about the role before applying, contact Lisa Squire, Principal, at l.squire@crimsonacademies.school or 021339962
We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of children. Appointment is conditional on current, verified NZ teacher registration and a Practising Certificate (which includes Police vetting carried out by the Teaching Council), a risk assessment consistent with our Children’s Act 2014 obligations, and satisfactory referee checks.