The research team set out to explore how the position of deputy principal is perceived and enacted in Irish primary and post-primary schools. A review of the literature, national and international, and the views of 120 deputy principals (49 primary; 71 post-primary), through online questionnaire responses and 10 (5 primary; 5 post-primary) one-hour interviews, shape this report. The literature review highlights a lack of clarity about the role of deputy principal, with practitioners engaging in a multiplicity of tasks. The extent and range of these often depend on the practices and preferences of the principal. Recent years have seen movement worldwide where deputy principals increasingly share in management and leadership as well as administration within the school. We note, however, that within the discourse of ‘distributed leadership’, the deputy principal position is rarely discussed. Participants identify significant job satisfaction in addition to role tensions and frustrations.