Jobs at The Principia (Now Hiring) — 14 open

Title: Assistant Houseparent (Female)

Department/Location: Home Department (Aron House Dormitory), St. Louis

Position Type: Full-Time, 39 weeks

Summary

The Assistant Houseparent supports the Home Department's mission of creating a safe, nurturing, and spiritually grounded residential experience for boarding students. Reporting to the Assistant Director of the Home Department, this role partners with Houseparents and other School staff to support students' spiritual, social, emotional, and academic well-being while helping maintain a positive and well-organized dormitory community.

The Assistant Houseparent provides student supervision, mentoring, dorm coverage, administrative support, and residential programming support. This position assists with student guidance, communications, and daily dorm operations while fostering a welcoming environment that encourages character development, self-government, and spiritual growth. The Assistant Houseparent serves in a supporting role to the Houseparent team and is not typically assigned primary responsibility for a specific hall of students or ongoing family communications. Maintains effective communication with students, colleagues, and families as appropriate and contributes to a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive dorm community.

Who We Are

At our award-winning Early Childhood through grade 12 Principia School in St. Louis, Missouri, and top-ranked Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, Principia faculty and staff make up a close-knit community of educators, coaches, and professionals taking a distinct approach to education—blending academic excellence with Christian Science-based character education. Principia’s team of over 500 employees supports not only Principia School and Principia College, but also a worldwide network of alumni and friends.

At Principia School, our core value is LOVE. Love and its attributes underpin our foundational beliefs as well as our educational approach. We focus on developing the whole child—intellectually, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually, preparing students for the next steps in life. We foster a challenging yet supportive environment where character unfolds naturally, and talent is cultivated through boundless opportunities. Character education plays an essential role in every aspect of the student experience, and classroom work is augmented by character trips, leadership development, and real-world, hands-on, project-based learning.

Principia employees are part of an engaging academic community preparing students to be tomorrow’s leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. We strive to create a collaborative and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong and are valued.

Primary Responsibilities

Living Conditions:

Living quarters are provided in the dormitory at no cost for the employee. When school is in session, meals are provided in the dining hall without charge. 

Special Requirements:

It is expected that the Assistant Houseparent will be on duty every week that school is in session and on travel days when students are arriving and departing. Assistant Houseparents may be asked to support International Student travel days, which may have different schedules than those of domestic students. They are expected to be available one week prior to pre-season training and one week after graduation in order to attend meetings, participate in professional development training, or perform duties to prepare the dorm. Aron House will be closed during fall character trips, but on-call presence may be needed for unplanned dorm coverage. Houseparents are also expected to work during the following school breaks: Labor Day (1 day), Fall break (4 days), Thanksgiving (3 days), and Martin Luther King Day.

Core Competencies

Principia values the unique strengths each employee brings to their role.

The following competencies are especially important for success at Principia:

• Continuous Learning & Expertise: Demonstrates mastery in your area of responsibility and seeks opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Accountability & Results Orientation: Manages time and priorities effectively, meets commitments, and consistently delivers high-quality outcomes.
• Problem Solving & Judgment: Approaches challenges thoughtfully, considers multiple perspectives, and makes sound, timely decisions that support institutional goals.
• Proactivity & Ownership: Takes initiative, anticipates needs, and drives projects forward with minimal supervision while taking responsibility for outcomes.
• Excellence & Attention to Detail: Produces accurate, polished, and high-quality work; continuously looks for ways to improve systems, processes, and results.
• Service Orientation: Builds positive, supportive relationships and responds promptly and professionally to the needs of students, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
• Collaboration & Collegiality: Works cooperatively across departments and teams; values input from others and contributes to a positive, respectful environment.
• Communication: Shares information clearly and concisely; listens carefully to others and adjusts communication style for different audiences and situations.
• Inclusion & Belonging: Demonstrates respect for all people; values diverse perspectives and fosters a culture of inclusion, belonging, and mutual respect.

Minimum Qualifications

• Student of Christian Science; member of Christian Science Church and/or Organization and completed Christian Science class instruction. If not currently a class-taught member of a Christian Science church, both required within one year of start date
• Supportive of Principia’s guiding statements as articulated here https://www.principia.edu/about/guiding-statements
• Willingness to live in the dormitory setting; this position is limited to male candidates due to the nature of the residential assignment
• Willingness to turn readily to God for guidance 
• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent experience working with adolescents, education, residential life, coaching, or mentoring may be considered
• Experience working with teenagers through education, residential life, coaching, or similar setting
• Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships with adolescents and work collaboratively with colleagues, families, and the broader community
• Valid driver’s license; Encouraged to obtain/retain a commercial driver’s license and drive Principia School buses (Principia provides training); driving records must be in good standing 
• Ability to successfully complete an extensive background check process
• Required to obtain a CPR certificate (Principia provides training) 
• Willingness to support student’s treatment choice which may include chaperoning students on calls with medical personnel, taking students to medical treatment facilities, and providing responsive and timely follow-up care and communications. Facilitate the storage of medication through processes overseen by the Director of Student Health Care. Training in medicine administration is required 
• Willingness to support all boarding students in a co-educational unified boarding program model (Houseparents will only be assigned to residence halls where students share the same birth gender)
• Willingness to nurture spiritual and character development in students who have limited or no prior experience with Christian Science 
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to fostering belonging and mattering within the Home Department 
• Awareness of and ability to develop competency in understanding and supporting the cultural needs of international students within a diverse residential community
• Willingness to contribute to broader School programs beyond dormitory responsibilities throughout the academic year, including coaching, substitute teaching, and supporting performing arts activities

The statements above describe the general nature and level of work but are not a complete list of responsibilities and are subject to change at the discretion of Principia. 

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive hourly range for this position: $21.12-24.07 hourly, on a 39-week schedule, commensurate with experience and qualifications, plus housing and meals on campus.

In addition to salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes:

Equal Opportunity

Principia, a mission-driven institution, believes every person has the right to an equitable and respectful educational environment and workplace. Principia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, family status, disability, age, or military or veteran status.

In hiring, admissions, and related decisions, Principia—as an institution with a religious mission—gives preference, where appropriate, to Christian Scientists.