Chief Superintendent

Chief Superintendent

Calgary Catholic School District

Location: Calgary, AB

The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) is one of the largest publicly funded Catholic school jurisdictions in Canada. It is the largest Catholic school district in Alberta and the third largest among all school districts in the province. The CCSD serves the City of Calgary as well as the neighbouring communities of Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, and the Municipal District of Rockview.

With a budget of over $800 million dollars, the CCSD educates over 64,000 students from kindergarten to Grade 12 in 120 schools. The CCSD, an Alberta Top 85 Employer, has a reputation for excellence in student achievement, strong administrative leadership as well as diligent and responsive governance.

Rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the District exists to educate the whole child—mind, body, and spirit—within a faith-filled learning environment. CCSD partners closely with the Catholic Diocese of Calgary, parishes, families, and communities to ensure Catholic education remains vibrant, relevant, and accessible.

Catholic education within CCSD is understood not simply as an academic enterprise, but also a sacred vocation. Every aspect of District life—governance, leadership, learning, and operations—is guided by Catholic philosophy, social teaching, and Gospel values. The District is committed to excellence in student learning, social justice, inclusion, and responsible stewardship, while honouring its unique Catholic identity within Alberta’s public education system.

The Importance of Catholicity

Catholicity is central to the role of Chief Superintendent and to the life of the Calgary Catholic School District. The Chief Superintendent serves not only as an educational and organizational leader, but as a faith leader who views Catholic education as a vocation. Through spiritual humility, moral courage, and witness to faith, the Chief Superintendent ensures that Gospel values, prayer, and Catholic social teaching shape decisions, relationships, and learning experiences.

By nurturing faith, modelling servant leadership, and fostering a culture grounded in Christ-centered values, the Chief Superintendent safeguards the Catholic identity of the District while leading it with integrity, vision, and compassion in service of students, families, and the wider community.

Position Overview

The Chief Superintendent is the chief executive officer of the Calgary Catholic School District and the educational leader responsible for the overall administration, direction, and faith leadership of the District. Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, the Chief Superintendent provides strategic, visionary, and faith-based leadership to ensure the mission of Catholic education is fully realized across all schools and operational units. The Chief Superintendent provides guidance and support to the Board of Trustees particularly with respect to policy development while providing the Board with timely and accurate accountability reports.

As the senior instructional and operational leader, the Chief Superintendent ensures that a Catholic philosophy of education permeates all aspects of District and school life. The role requires a knowledgeable, practicing, and active Catholic who models Gospel values, servant leadership, humility, and integrity, while fostering a culture of excellence, faith formation, and service.

Key Responsibilities

Catholic Leadership and Identity (Catholicity)

• Ensures that a Catholic philosophy of education permeates all aspects of District and school life.

• Models Gospel values and servant leadership.

• Actively participates in prayer and liturgical celebrations and ensures daily prayer is integral to District and school communities.

• Works collaboratively with the Catholic Diocese of Calgary, parishes, and clergy to strengthen Catholic identity and faith formation.

• Ensures the effective implementation, evaluation, and continuous renewal of the District Religious Education program.

• Upholds and promotes the moral and social teachings of the Catholic faith, including a strong commitment to social justice and the dignity of every person.

• Ensures District and school facilities visibly reflect Catholic identity and values.

Visionary and Strategic Leadership

• Provides clear, faith-based vision and strategic direction aligned with the District’s mission, vision, and values.

• Leads long-range planning, change management, and innovation to meet the needs of 21st-century learners within a Catholic framework.

• Engages trustees, students, staff, parents, and community partners in shared leadership and decision-making.

• Analyzes and uses quantitative and qualitative data to assess progress toward District goals and student success.

• Communicates and celebrates District achievements to inspire continuous improvement and growth.

Instructional and System Leadership

• Ensures all students have equitable access to high-quality Catholic education and effective teaching and learning opportunities.

• Demonstrates a strong understanding of current pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and inclusive education practices.

• Ensures supervision, evaluation, and professional practice meet Alberta Teaching Quality Standards and Superintendent Leadership Quality Standards.

• Promotes high expectations for student achievement, staff performance, and professional excellence.

• Supports meaningful professional learning and models lifelong learning for staff and leaders.

Relationships and Community Engagement

• Fosters a culture of mutual respect, trust, and collaboration that honours the dignity and worth of all.

• Serves as the primary liaison between the Board of Trustees, District leadership and employees.

• Demonstrates strong communication, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Ensures parents and stakeholders are informed, engaged, and valued partners in student learning and faith development.

Operational and Resource Management

• Provides effective oversight of financial, human, physical, and operational resources of the District.

• Ensures District operations align with provincial legislation, regulations, Board policy, and Catholic moral principles.

• Demonstrates sound business, operational, and risk-management judgment appropriate to a large and complex organization.

• Ensures safe, caring, and inclusive learning and working environments across the District.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor of Education degree combined with a Master’s degree. A Doctorate would be considered an asset.

• Valid Alberta teaching certificate (or eligibility).

• In possession of, or prepared to obtain, the Alberta Education Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard designation.

• Knowledgeable, practicing, and an active Catholic with a deep commitment to publicly funded Catholic education.

• Minimum of 15 years’ of progressive experience in education (K – 12), including system-level senior leadership.

• A strong track record of advancing student achievement, instructional quality, and system improvement across diverse learning environments.

• Demonstrated competence in instructional leadership, organizational management, and governance-board relations.

• A track record of managing highly effective leadership teams and supporting organizational culture and staff development.

• Demonstrated stakeholder management experience, building relationships across various stakeholder groups to foster collaboration, partnerships, and consensus.

• Solid understanding of Alberta Education, the Education Act and associated provincial legislation.

• Strong financial and business acumen, including solid fiscal and analytical abilities.

• Successful with leading and managing change and implementing new ideas and innovation.

• Able to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and competing priorities while keeping student success at the center of all decisions.

• Experience in providing strategic leadership in the planning, development, implementation and evaluations of administrative procedure and multi-year education plans.

To learn more about Calgary and CCSD, please visit: https://www.cssd.ab.ca/.

CCSD has engaged the Executive Search Firm, DHR Global, to manage this search. For more information or to apply, please send in your application to CCSD@dhrglobal.com by May 31, 2026. Applications should include a letter addressing how the candidate’s experience matches the position requirements along with a current CV.