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Department of Defense Education Activity

Assistant Principal (Special Education)

Location: Germany, Ramstein
Requires Relocation: Yes
Start Date: 16/01/2026
End Date: 30/01/2026
Offering Type: Multiple Appointment Types
Hiring Paths: Federal employees - Competitive service, Federal employees - Excepted service, Internal to an agency - appears on USAJOBS
Service Type: Excepted
Travel Percentage: 25% or less
Full Time On-site

Department of Defense Education Activity

About Department of Defense Education Activity

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), as one of only two Federally-operated school systems, is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD). DoDEA is globally positioned, operating 160 accredited schools in 8 districts located in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA employs approximately 15,000 employees who serve more than 72,000 children of active duty military and DoD civilian families. DoDEA is committed to ensuring that all school-aged children of military families are provided a world-class education that prepares them for postsecondary education and/or career success and to be leading contributors in their communities as well as in our 21st century globalized society. .

Summary

Job summary

About the Position: This is a Full Time/Seasonal Assistant Principal (SPED) position for multiple DoDEA schools located on Ramstein Air Base, in Ramstein Germany. Federal employees in Ramstein Germany are currently entitled to receive a 42% Post Allowance (COLA) in addition to the base salary.

Major duties

Develop and implement administrative plans, in conjunction with district and school resources, that supports the use of instructional and assistive technologies, to ensure a successful Child Find process. Lead programs and services aimed at prevention and early intervention through inform data-driven decision making across all grade levels. Lead and manage multiple Student Support and Case Study Committees to best address student, family, and staffing needs across multiple schools while ensuring adherence to all legal and policy requirements. Gather and analyze student achievement and other related data to inform the decision-making process, especially regarding special education and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

Qualification

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See HR Public Portal - Applicant Reference Article: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements (DoDEA) for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Competitive Service Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Civilian Employee Current Excepted Service Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Employee Current Excepted Service Department of Defense Employee Current Permanent Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Employee To qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Education: The course work must have been completed at, or accepted by, a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Applicants must provide copies of official bachelor's and master's transcripts (include EDS and Doctorate if applicable). Acceptable degree pathways are listed below. Semester hours for credit bearing internships or practicum experiences in educational leadership and/or supervision is accepted. a. Master's degree in Educational Administration/Educational Leadership. OR b. Master's degree reflecting 30 semester hours of graduate level course work. Of the required 30 hours of graduate level course work, a minimum of 20 of those semester hours must be Educational Administration/Educational Leadership. Note: Applicants who submit a valid unencumbered fully professional administrator license with a certification comparable to DoDEA Assistant Principal and issued from a State Board of Education of the United States and its U.S. territories or National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) will be considered to have fulfilled the semester hour requirement for Educational Administration/Educational Leadership and be found eligible. All undergraduate and graduate official transcripts are still required to be submitted with application. AND Specialized Experience: A minimum of three years of successful classroom teaching, specialist, or special education experience at the PK -12 level is required.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Foreign Degrees and Course Work from Non-accredited Institutions. Credits or degrees earned from a foreign college or university must be evaluated prior to acceptance. Three evaluation procedures are acceptable: The work may be evaluated and interpreted by the International Education Research Foundation, Inc., Credential Evaluation Service, Post Office Box 3665, Culver City, CA 90231-3665 or www.ierf.org/ or 310-258-9451. The foreign institution that awarded the degree is on a list endorsed by a regionally accredited university or on a list endorsed by a state department of education for the purpose of teacher certification in that state (this procedure will require an English translation of the transcript and a copy of the document awarding the degree, together with an authenticated list produced by an American university or a state department of education); and The work may be evaluated by the graduate division of a regionally accredited university and declared the equivalent of similar undergraduate or graduate work in a U.S. institution. Graduates of non-accredited institutions may have their undergraduate work validated by admittance to graduate school and completion of a minimum of 5 semester hours of credit in a regionally accredited graduate college. Failure to provide all the required information as stated in the vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Additional Information regarding overseas appointments: If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12. If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12. If an employee brings a family member to an overseas location who requires medical or dental care, then the employee will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only. Family member appointments will expire based on the sponsor's rotation date. Family member appointments may not exceed two months after an employee is no longer considered a family member within the local commuting area due to PCS or divorce of sponsor or, in the case of a child, the age of 23. Family members are defined according to the DODI 1400.25, Vol.1232 as: For a military member whose duty station is in a foreign area, the member's spouse or unmarried dependent child. For a civilian US employee as defined by section 2105 of Title 5, United States Code, the employee's spouse, domestic partner, or unmarried dependent child, or unmarried child of the employee's spouse or domestic partner. A family member must physically reside with his or her sponsor to receive family member preference.