What Are the Different Types of School Administrator Jobs?

The principal is the most well-known of all school administrator jobs, but there are many others in the field of education. School administrator jobs can also differ depending on the type of institution; colleges and universities are more likely to have administrators than high schools or elementary schools, and schools with larger enrollments are more likely to have administrators. The administration of a school includes vice principals, deans, career counselors, and athletic directors. Department heads may or may not be included in the administration, but they do have some responsibility for overseeing other teachers.

All students, staff, and programs associated with the school are under the supervision of the principal. He or she is essentially the school’s general manager, and should be exceptionally qualified to obtain the highest level of school administrator positions. The president of a college or university will be the equivalent position, overseeing all aspects of the university or college as a whole. A board of directors or a school board may serve as the school’s overall governing body, meaning the principal or president will report to them.

Deans are administrators who oversee each of the school’s departments at colleges and universities. Teachers or professors within the department may apply for these school administrator positions, or qualified applicants from outside the department or school may apply. Members of the department staff may vote to promote one of their own to the position of dean on occasion. Depending on the school’s administrative structure, a dean will report to the college president or vice president. The dean, who may work with assistant deans to run the apartment, will be responsible for the department’s funding and structure.

Athletic directors are in charge of all aspects of the school’s sports programs. Athletic directors and assistant directors are two examples of school administrator jobs in the athletic department; assistant directors may be in charge of each individual sport within the program. A baseball director, for example, may be solely responsible for the baseball program, while a football director will oversee all aspects of the football program. The executive director will report to the assistant directors, who will work with the school’s president or vice president.