Assistant or Associate Professor in K-12 School Leadership

Position Description

The University of Calgary (UCalgary), located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations) as well as the Tsuut'ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The university recognizes that the City of Calgary is also home to Nose Hill Métis District 5 & Elbow Métis District 6 of the Métis Nation of Alberta. By virtue of the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877, the university recognizes that we are all treaty people. The City of Calgary is home to a culturally diverse community. Together, we share this land, strive to live together, learn together, walk together, and grow together "in a good way."

The Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, invites applications for two appointments at the tenure-track rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with research, professional practice, and teaching experience in the area of K-12 School Leadership. The appointments will commence July 1, 2027, or at a mutually agreeable date.

Building on the current strengths of our expertise in K-12 school leadership, consideration will be given to applicants who have research and scholarship in school and/or school system administration, governance and/or strategic planning. The increased complexity of educational leaders requires both the instructional capacity to build a cohesive, robust learning environment, and competencies to lead well in increasingly complex learning environments. A candidate who has research expertise regarding the evolving nature of educational leadership would attend to the complex roles that educational leaders must embody in school and/or school system administration, governance, strategic planning, and/or risk and liability.

Preference will be given to applicants with the following areas of expertise:

• Leadership among school superintendents and principals;
• Systemic thinking and skills of school superintendents and principals;
• Strategic management, managing diversity and emerging problems; and
• K-12 leadership experience; expertise and scholarship related to leadership theory and school improvement.

Application Details

The successful applicant will have:

• A doctorate in Education (or related discipline);
• A strong record of research and knowledge mobilization (commensurate with rank);
• Evidence of a research program in school leadership with a proven ability to obtain research funding (commensurate with rank);
• Demonstrated capability in teaching in areas of school and/or school system administration, governance and/or strategic planning at the undergraduate- and graduate-levels;
• Demonstrated capability in graduate student supervision; and
• Engagement with local, national, and international professional and other communities (commensurate with rank).

Applicants at the assistant professor level must present evidence of an on-going research program beyond the doctoral dissertation, a publication record, evidence of successful teaching, and evidence of some engagement with professional and other communities.

Applicants at the associate professor level must provide evidence of an established, externally funded research program, a strong publication record, evidence of successful teaching and graduate supervision, and evidence of established academic collaborations and engagement in professional and other communities.

Information about programs and research in the Werklund School of Education can be found at our website (http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/).

The closing date for applications is October 16, 2026.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit an application online via this link: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/18009724-assistant-or-associate-professor-in-k-12-school-leadership and include in one combined PDF:

• Cover letter;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Statement outlining research, teaching and/or service experience;
• Brief description of present and aspiring contributions to the field;
• Reprints of two (2) representative academic publications; and
• Names and contact information for three referees.

Applications should be addressed to

Dr. Dianne Gereluk, Dean
Werklund School of Education
University of Calgary

Questions regarding this opportunity should be addressed to Dr. Dianne Gereluk, Dean by email (dean.werklund@ucalgary.ca)

Our comprehensive benefits and pension program is designed to promote a productive level of health and well-being to staff members through coverage for health, dental, life insurance, income protection for disability, and retirement income planning. To learn about our comprehensive benefits package please visit this link (http://www.ucalgary.ca/hr/academic_benefits_pension).

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy (https://www.ucalgary.ca/indigenous-strategy/) committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (https://www.ucalgary.ca/provost/strategic-initiatives/office-institutional-commitments) (https://www.ucalgary.ca/equity-diversity-inclusion) (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).