In the article, the authors tried to present a characteristic of the managerial competencies of a modern school principal. Based on the analysis of scientific, pedagogical, and specialized literature, the content of the concepts of "management" and "competencies" was revealed. The work reveals the features and functions of the head of the school.

The paper defines the requirements for a modern head of a general education organization of secondary education, and describes his professional competence. It is more appropriate to correlate the professional competence of the head of an educational organization with the activity. It forms the entire system of human communication (interaction, exchange of experience, acquisition of knowledge), combines efforts that stimulate the activity of participants, and activity, in turn, encourages them to personal development and self-improvement.

The authors of the article tried to present some results of psychological and pedagogical diagnostics (the test "What kind of leader are you?", "Questionnaire for students of pedagogical direction", "Questionnaire for directors of a new formation".