Digital transformation is generating profound changes in educational governance, requiring the restructuring of competencies among managerial staff at all levels. In this context, subject group leaders play a crucial intermediary role in organizing professional activities and implementing instructional innovations at the group level. However, existing studies have primarily approached the competencies of subject group leaders from traditional management perspectives, without fully integrating the requirements of digital competencies and governance in digital environments. This paper aims to systematize the theoretical foundations for the development of subject group leaders in the context of digital transformation, while analyzing international competency frameworks such as UNESCO’s ICT-CFT and the European Commission’s DigCompEdu to propose an integrated competency framework. The study employs methods of document analysis and synthesis, comparison, and theoretical generalization. The findings propose a competency framework consisting of four core domains: professional management; digital competencies in management and professional practice; leadership for innovation and change management; and staff development and the building of digital learning communities. Additionally, the study develops a conceptual research model as a foundation for subsequent empirical studies, thereby contributing to the theoretical basis for developing subject group leaders in the context of digital transformation in education.