Senior School Principal

4187BR

Aga Khan Academies

The position

The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka is the fourth in the network of the Aga Khan Academies established by His Highness the Aga Khan. The Academy features state-of-the-art facilities, a multicultural student body and an experienced team of educators and staff. We provide students with education of the highest standard in order to prepare them for lives characterised by leadership and service. Admission to the Academy is competitive and based on student merit.

As with all the , we are committed to excellence in all aspects of education. This commitment includes the academic curriculum as well as the campus where students live and learn.

Our campus is architect designed and purpose-built. It features state-of-the-art classrooms and resource areas, and extensive sports facilities. These outstanding facilities provide an inspiring environment for both students and staff.

Purpose:
As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Senior School Principal will work with the Head of Academy and other colleagues to achieve the goals of the Academy in Dhaka and to support the vision and mission of the Academies network as a whole. The Senior School Principal will also collaborate with staff of the Aga Khan Schools, which is responsible for strategic planning, policy formulation and system oversight of the network of Academies. In addition, s/he will collaborate with the educational leadership in sister Academies to ensure network consistency, customised to local context.

Main responsibilities:

Staffing and staff development:

• Ensure that the Senior School has a full complement of highly skilled and committed staff.
• Oversee the recruitment, professional development, supervision and appraisal of all Senior School staff.
• Communications and community relations: Ensure that the necessary communication channels are in place with all stakeholders to support the effective operation of the Senior School. Work to promote the mission and vision of the school to a wide range of external stakeholders.
• Oversee the establishment and maintenance of a safe work environment that ensures effective learning for students, promotes a culture of life-long learning among staff & students, promotes strong student and staff relations, and generates a high quality and rewarding work experience

Administration:

• Oversee all administrative functions pertaining to the successful operation of the Senior School.
• Ensure that administrative and on-going decision-making processes are data driven and that appropriate and effective data collection and archiving mechanisms are in place for all required areas of activity.
• In collaboration with other members of the SLT, provide leadership in the development of academic policies and practices (curriculum, assessment and reporting)
• Lead the planning and implementation of the Academy’s annual graduation programme.
• Lead the budgeting process for the Senior School, including planning, monitoring, and variance analysis, as well as act as an approval authority within the Academy’s limits of authority.

Students:

• Work with the admissions team to ensure that the selection of students serves to identify students who are well aligned with the expected student profile.
• Ensure the highest quality of relationships between students and between students and adults, based on mutual respect.
• Establish and promote high standards for all students for academic performance and behaviour, consistent with the philosophy, mission and values of the Academy.
• Work with the university counsellor to ensure that students are well supported in their chosen post-secondary pathway.

The requirements

Pedagogical Collaboration:

• Collaborate with Dean of Studies and Curriculum and Programme Coordinators to implement, assess and review strategies to develop more enquiry and research-based teaching and learning and to ensure this takes place.
• Create conditions which ensure that the Senior School is focused first and foremost on effective teaching and learning according to the standards, principles and practices of the IB MYP and DP programmes.
• Ensure appropriate and timely explorations and applications of innovative and effective approaches to teaching and learning.
• Work closely with the Junior School Principal and the Dean of Studies to ensure that there is strong pedagogical alignment between the Junior and Senior Schools and the quality of the student experience is consistent throughout the Academy.

Professional Development:

• Ensure that Lead Teachers are supporting their departments to improve teacher capacity and performance in their subjects.
• Support the Dean of Academics and curriculum and coordinators to deliver a coherent and solid curriculum in area(s) of specialization, including the identification of teaching and the preparation of a teacher training/induction programme.

Required Attributes:

• Knowledge and understanding of secondary education, understanding of school-university progression as well an understanding of and a commitment to the IB MYP and Diploma.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the capacity to interact well and communicate effectively with students, parents and colleagues within a diverse and pluralistic society.
• Strong demonstration of being a team player with the ability and willingness to develop capacity amongst the team of local staff.
• Commitment to championing and leading innovative transformational change regarding approaches to teaching and learning.
• Distributive leader, committed to collaboration, delegation of authority and building the capacity of others as leaders, while accepting responsibility as the educational leader of the Senior School.
• Ability to manage within a finite resource base, plan a budget, monitor its implementation and evaluate the impact of developments against the quality of the students’ experience.

Education:

• Master’s degree in an education related field.

Valued additional assets:

• Understanding and experience of international education and educational standards beyond Bangladesh.
• Intercultural appreciation and sensitivity. Able to appreciate diverse cultural contexts and perspectives and use them to enrich the educational experiences of the students.
• Experience in K-12 schools, and an understanding of the IB continuum.

Skills:
Experience and Technical Skills

• Successful experience as a Senior School Principal or substantial successful experience as a deputy principal that includes leadership of the development of curriculum and assessment and policy formulation and implementation.
• Previous experience as an effective and innovative IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) or Diploma Programme (DP) teacher/leader and demonstrable knowledge of the principles and practices underpinning the MYP & DP curricula or the ability to provide substantial evidence of pedagogical practice that is closely allied to the IB.
• Extensive experience of implementing a rich extra-curricular programme with a focus on service.
• Proven ability to evaluate the progress of students and the quality of their learning and to use this to build a culture of continuous improvement and striving for excellence.
• Ability to foster the professional development of colleagues so that they are able to make an impact on the continuous improvement of the Academy.
• An up-to-date understanding of educational practice and evidence of personal professional development.

Other Skills

• Excellent command of English and preferably Bangla – both written and oral.
• Knowledge and understanding of Subcontinent cultures.
• Attention to detail, discretion and high integrity are imperative.

Sector

Social Development