Job Description

Requisition Number 3409BR

About the Agency

The Aga Khan Academies is an integrated network of residential schools dedicated to expanding access to education of an international standard of excellence to exceptional young men and women regardless of their ability to pay. The Aga Khan Academies' foundational values include pluralism, meritocracy and civil society. Housed in spacious and attractive campuses with beautiful facilities, the Academies offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum from the Primary Years Programme to the Diploma Programme and provide a rich opportunity for both teachers and students alike to grow both professionally and personally. The first Aga Khan Academy opened in Mombasa, Kenya in 2003. This was followed by an Academy in Hyderabad, India in 2011, Maputo, Mozambique in 2013 and Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2022. More information...

Agency Aga Khan Academies

The position The Head of Academy is effectively the Chief Executive of the school. They are appointed by and accountable to the Board of Governors (AKS Mozambique) and the Aga Khan Schools Head Office team. The Head leads the Academy's senior leadership team and has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the Academy's day-to-day running within the strategic and financial policy framework established in consultation with the Head Office and for the realisation of His Highness the Aga Khan's vision.

Specific tasks and responsibilities will include: ensuring that the vision and mission for the Academy is implemented; overseeing teaching, learning and students' standards of achievement; ensuring that the Academy is distinctive and relevant, through the provision of an outstanding and transformative international education for students from a diverse range of backgrounds; articulating and delivering a clear educational vision that embodies the values of the Academy and builds on the strengths of AKDN in our mission to develop ethical leaders who will act as agents of societal change. The Head will promote academic excellence, a service ethos, pluralism, a strong ethical base and intercultural understanding; acting as a role model to students and staff, setting high standards of personal conduct, and dealing with discipline firmly yet fairly; developing strong personal relationships with parents and students by being visible and accessible; developing the profile of the Academy externally, with potential donors and partners; building enrolments from within and beyond Mozambique; further developing and embedding appropriate leadership, including middle leadership structures; building a high-performing team, and continuing to attract, develop and retain excellent staff, including building local capacity, and developing in the minority of expatriate staff the ability to build sustainability and local staff capacity; clear and documented decision-making, which is consultative, where possible; maintaining communications within, across and outside the Academy, fostering openness, transparency and collaboration; championing the Academy in its dealings with other schools and organisations, ensuring it is embedded in the local community and connected nationally and internationally; developing and delivering effective marketing strategies and admission policies to recruit students with diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds, working in partnership with other agencies within the AKDN and beyond; balancing the needs of a complex set of stakeholders including teachers, support staff, students, parents, local community representatives, AKS and AKDN staff, governments and private donors; leading the implementation of Academy network policies within the Academy, and playing a full part in the affairs of the AKS and AKDN (including travelling to meetings as appropriate); developing the Academy's links with other Academies and schools in the AKS network and with other schools and educational organisations in Mozambique and in eastern and southern Africa

The requirements

Experience, Knowledge and Qualifications Leadership and Management - proven ability gained in senior positions in schools with reputations for educational excellence; Academic Leadership - a reputation as a respected educational leader and thinker with a record of improving teaching and learning, and of introducing new techniques and approaches; Team Building - proven ability to develop effective management structures, to build, lead and develop teams, to align activities, to set objectives, and to assess performance within an established vision; Experience of the IB (PYP-MYP-DP); Experience of Boarding/Residential Community Life External Relations - experience of marketing a school to parents and the ability to demonstrate a capacity to build successful relationships with donors, corporations, governmental organisations, other schools and development agencies; Financial Management and Stewardship - experience of working in schools with constrained finances, and an appreciation of the need to be engaged in developing realistic strategic and operational plans, of using and allocating resources wisely and with an entrepreneurial mind-set, and of establishing sustainable budgets and successfully implementing them whilst instinctively knowing what aspects of a school budget must be protected in order to assure quality. Ideally, experience of having led and managed a school to mature development and working with limited resources. Leadership Competencies External Awareness - an informed and critical awareness of the prevailing and evolving trends in the wider educational world; Internal Awareness - organisational sensitivity, with a genuine interest in people at all levels Vision and Creativity - the ability to craft a compelling vision, to convey it with consistency and passion, and to think in new ways about problems, inspiring innovative solutions; Relationship Building - the ability to establish and sustain strong relationships with parents, students, teaching and non-teaching staff, AKS Head Office and AKDN staff, alumni and other stakeholders; People Development - the ability to identify, recruit and retain the best staff Personal Characteristics Intellectual Capacity and Stamina - the ability to deal with a wide span of duties, and the flexibility to balance the internal and external demands of the role of Head of Academy within a development framework; Open minded and intellectually curious, with the ability to inspire others to push boundaries, and the confidence as a leader to handle the consequences of an active and engaged school community; People Skills - high levels of emotional intelligence, and the ability to judge people's character, to spot talent, to recruit, develop and retain excellent staff, and to form successful and diverse teams; Collaborative Mindset Excellent communication skills Decision Making - a consensual yet decisive approach, with the ability to inspire and energise debate, to facilitate group thinking, and to move assertively when required; Consultation - the confidence to encourage dialogue on key issues, and the willingness to seek input and advice from all quarters of the community; Cultural Awareness - a total commitment to the values of an international residential school, underpinned by an adaptable yet also clear minded approach that accepts differing points of view, and incorporates a commitment to fostering a community in which all parts feel valued and motivated to participate; Values -a firm belief in the values of service, community and education as the key drivers of developing future leaders; Excellence - an instinctive understanding of what constitutes 'excellence' and what it takes to achieve and sustain it, with a determination to constantly seek improvement for students, staff and all stakeholders.

Sector Social Development

Salary Salary and package to attract the best candidate

Job Expires 03-Jul-2023