Director of School Improvement

This position is available in Abu Dhabi.

Job Purpose

To ensure efficient and effective delivery of New Century Education’s strategic goals and objectives: improving educational performance across all schools, through highly effective school improvement. To inspire rapid and sustained school and system learning improvement through a focus on high-impact, evidence-informed, educational strategy.

To ensure decision-making at all levels of school and system functions are operating to deliver NCE strategic goals and objectives, meet and exceed ADEK KPIs, and are informed by relevant, high-quality data and evidence.

To lead students, teachers, school leaders and community members on a journey of learning and discovery, both individually and collectively, in which their educational and/or professional journeys are informed and guided by a deep understanding and use of high-quality information, data and insightful strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement NCE vision, values and strategic approach to connect and inspire all NCE school communities to collectively achieve educational excellence
• Promote a collective NCE organisational culture that is dynamic, engaging, inclusive, collaborative, and outward looking – in which each member is valued and has a clear commitment to the goals and strategic directions of NCE
• Inspire and support NCE system and school leaders and teachers to lead the way as innovators and architects of imaginative, future focused, high impact, educational design and delivery
• Enable a data-driven, evidence informed approach to learning in which system and school leaders, as well as teachers, are driven by:
• A well-developed understanding of short-, medium- and longer-term school & NCE goals
• A dedication to achieving their own individual goals, as well as those of the faculty, school and NCE system
• Highly developed data literacy skills in which the use of data and evidence is an integral feature of all assessment, appraisal, review and decision-making
• The use of assessment data to review and analyze learning progress at the individual student level, class level, grade level and school level, as well as at the teacher level, on a weekly, monthly, termly, annual and multi-year basis
• Ensuring data and evidence reflects the authentic purpose of the student learning process
• Providing high quality feedback, information and reporting relating to ongoing learning progress and achievement of milestones to students, parents, teachers, school leaders and NCE leaders
• Ensure sophisticated data, monitoring and reporting systems are in place to capture point-in-time learning progress for all students, as well as for summative assessment and external assessment, such as MAP and TALA
• Ensure leading edge assessment is developed to provide meaningful, point-in-time information about ongoing student development of global competencies
• Engage parents to play a key role in supporting their children as partners in learning through the provision of meaningful, readily available, and easy to understand information about each child’s progress, growth trajectory and next steps for learning
• Ensure school compliance with regulatory authorities, accreditation agencies, corporate regulations, and policies, including coordinating School Improvement Plans
• Design and develop a sustainable, highly effective, whole of system approach that ensures information and data systems are integrated across all NCE operational areas and workflows to contribute to a readily available and trusted source of truth
• Ensure quality, regular, and routine monitoring and accountability processes and information systems are in place to assess, review, support, and report on progress towards achieving ADEK KPIs
• Apply key principles and ensure highly effective, purpose-driven information systems, structures, processes, and practices are in place to guide and report on child safety, health and wellbeing, human resource management, financial management and accountability, and other legislative and policy requirements
• Ensure the provision of high-quality data and information systems are in place to support positive performance management processes, including the ongoing development and appraisal of staff at all levels
• Promote collaboration and partnerships across NCE schools to share expertise, ensure consistency and develop high quality, data rich, evidence-based practices
• Ensure the development of data systems and dashboards to provide high-quality and strategic data sources for school and system leaders, on a weekly, monthly, termly, annual and multi-year basis
• Provide high-quality system and school level reports to the NCE General Manager, NCE Board of Directors and ADEK managers, that provide key insights into learning progress and achievements, system effectiveness and strategic directions that will optimize NCE performance
• Complete any other duty as required by the NCE General Manager to reasonably ensure the delivery of educational and operational excellence

Qualifications

• At minimum a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• A high proficiency in English language is essential.

Experience

• A minimum of 2 years in a leadership position in an academic setting.
• Experience of working in a K-12 American curriculum school or international educational setting would be advantageous although not essential
• Knowledge of international accreditation, inspection and evaluation frameworks.
• Experience in developing and leading high performing teams.

Skills

• Highly effective relationship management with a variety of stakeholders
• Collaborative team player, empathetic listener and strategic thinker.
• Flexible and capable of managing growth and instilling high standards
• Adept in multilingual settings, spirited, pioneering, professional and nurturing