This paper deals with what happens when national educational policies meet structures of implementation at the school district and school level. Focus is on the position that is directly subordinated to a municipal committee or board and with responsibility for education. This position we call superintendent. By focusing on this position and the prerequisites for the person holding the position it may also be possible to investigate some of the preconditions for learning. The chapter starts with a short description of the Nordic governance system at present, gives some results from earlier studies about the superintendent and is followed by results from Nordic surveys. The findings address the power distribution between the state and the municipalities in the national school governance across the Nordic countries. The underlying argument suggests that these system characteristics are crucial in determining the context for municipal superintendent leadership in practice. The conceptual model of the Nordic superintendent is discussed in the light of empirical data from all Nordic countries. Finally, the chapter takes up in essence to what extent leadership for learning is a relevant perspective for analysing Nordic superintendent leadership as it emerged from the data.