How to Draft a Middle Leader Position Description

This Micro-Lesson is intended to instruct Senior Leaders on how to construct a clear and compelling position description for middle leaders. This tool should be used to draft the position description with the middle leader present, and more importantly, for middle leaders the senior leader intends on mentoring. It is also important to note, that to answer some of the questions below, team members will need to be surveyed.

First, reflect on a middle leader that you want to mentor. I am going to provide you some brief instructions for how to create a job description for them, which will be used for supporting their development. Next, invite them to join you in this exercise.

For each dimension (Team, Outcome, and Capability) you will need to draft a descriptive sentence. Ideally, you collaboratively draft these sentences with the middle leader the job description is intended for. Once you have drafted a descriptive sentence for each dimension you will need to draft a 2-3 sentence position description that synthesizes the responses for all 3 dimensions.

For example:

The Head of Faculty is responsible and accountable for creating a collaborative and caring team environment leading to the development of creative, enthusiastic, confident teachers who will take action in an ever-changing environment.

Here are the 3-Dimensional Selection Criteria. For each one I have provided 3 additional questions to help you identify the criteria necessary to describe what will be expected of the Middle Leader:

Team

1. How familiar are the team members with one another?

2. What is each team member's primary professional interest and need for the team?

3. Are they invested in the results of each other’s students?

Outcome

1. What outcome does the school need this team to achieve?

2. What past outcomes has this team achieved?

3. Do the team’s needs align with the school’s? Explain why or why not.

Capability

1. What behaviors and skills does this team need to demonstrate to foster greater interdependence?

2. What beliefs, attitudes, or opinions does this team need to develop or adapt to pursue the school’s objectives?

3. What experience, skills, and dispositions does this team need to develop to achieve the school’s objectives?

Once you have answered each question, you can begin to synthesize the responses into a position description. To do this, first list each answer you drafted for each dimensional question. 3 in total. Summarize those 3 responses into a single sentence. Once you have done this for each dimension draft a 2-3 sentence position description synthesizing all 3-dimension sentences.

Your position description for the middle leader should be easy to read and understand for anyone interested in understanding what this role does and needs to achieve.