• Job Title: Director/Head of School
• Reports to: Head of School
• Location: Kigutu, Burundi

Organization Background

KIA is an ambitious initiative of Village Health Works (VHW) an NGO founded in 2005 in Burundi

KIA is a secondary boarding school created to educate a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial young leaders in Burundi.

The students are at the core of their own transformative education at KIA. The school recruits, identifies and selects the most promising students throughout all of Burundi. Those selected have demonstrated not only success academically but have also shown leadership and commitment to improving their schools and their communities.

KIA brings together this cohort of students from a diverse range of backgrounds for a powerful educational and leadership journey over four years. Competencies and skills such as critical thinking, and character development are intentionally folded into a sustained high level of academic achievement. KIA helps these young students to reinvent what is possible in a progressive and intentional sequence throughout their four years of secondary school and their further careers.

One of KIA’s missions is to serve as a model school to help reinforce and enrich the Burundian educational system. In doing so it also prepares the KIA graduates for success in universities within the East African community, within central Africa and Internationally

Curriculum and Instruction

KIA's curriculum emphasizes on Math, Science and Technology, as well as English language, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. Computer technology is widely available and a STEM / Maker space and modern science laboratory will be part of KIA's expansion. During the second to the fourth year at KIA, students follow the rigorous Burundian study program offering the courses of the scientific section B. Students are trained to be very competitive when taking the National Exam (EXETAT) but also they benefit from additional academic support which prepares them to apply for admission to several French-speaking and English-speaking international universities. For this, KIA students will be prepared to take the TOEFL and SAT tests during the last year of their academic course.

English: KIA focuses attention to the teaching of English, with an intensive program that prepares students to speak English from the day they arrive in Kigutu. They also study French and Swahili in order to acquire enough language skills necessary to navigate East Africa Community like other young leaders of the Region.

Entrepreneurial Leadership (EL): KIA offers an Entrepreneurial Leadership course that includes elements of human-centered design, the development of problem-solving skills, and practical lessons in leadership. Students gain hands-on experience as entrepreneurs, starting and running small businesses in the local agribusiness and service industries around Kigutu.

21st Century Skills: KIA is relentlessly focused on building the skills needed to succeed in a complex and changing modern world, including: collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.

To this end, KIA wishes to recruit a Deputy Director in charge of studies with the skills and qualifications necessary to assume the following roles and responsibilities:

Job Purpose:

The main role of the Director/Head of School of Kigutu International Academy (KIA) is to ensure that the school delivers a high-quality education by providing effective leadership and management of school activities and relations with stakeholders in line with the overall direction and institutional expectations of the Governing Board of Village Health Works (VHW).

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic

Provide inspiring and purposeful leadership for staff and students

Work with the Board of VHW, the Committee on Education, staff, parents, and students to develop and maintain a vision, ethos, and value statement for the school, which is fulfilling and engaging for staff and students

Ensure continuous improvement in the school’s performance is achieved through the development and implementation of an ambitious School Development Plan

Monitor and evaluate the performance of the school and report to the Board

Work with the Country Director of VHW, to ensure that the finance and administration functions support the core mission of the school, and that the school’s accommodation is fit for purpose

Represent the school in the local community to increase awareness, knowledge, respect and reputation of the school

2. Teaching and Learning

Lead the establishment of a fulfilling curriculum, with appropriate scheduling, and extra-curricular programme, which supports the vision and mission of the school

Create an environment and set expectations that promote excellent teaching, effective learning, high standards of achievement and exemplary behaviour

Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning to improve student achievement, using assessment data to drive standards upwards

Initiate extra-curricular activities and additional educational support programmes that support the vision, mission and objectives of the school

Maintain effective partnership with parents, key stakeholders, and the wider community to support and improve student achievement and personal development

3.     Leading and Managing Staff

Ensure effective staff management to meet the needs of the curriculum and students, identifying and recommending future recruitment needs, and the implementation of timely and effective recruitment and induction of new staff.

Plan, allocate, support, and evaluate work undertaken by teams and individuals ensuring clear delegation of tasks and devolution of responsibilities, ensuring all staff are held to account for their professional conduct, performance, and practice.

Implement and maintain effective systems for the management of staff performance, challenging and motivating staff members to achieve high goals, ensuring that systems are fair and transparent and that they adequately address concerns and value excellence.

Promote and monitor ongoing professional development for staff, including the induction of new teacher

4. Organization and Resources

Work with the Country Director and the Chief Financial Officer to develop and manage the school’s mid-term financial plan and annual budget, prioritizing the allocation of resources to support the core mission of the school.

Identify, recommend, and maximize opportunities to promote the school’s brand and reputation, and reputation.

Qualifications and Competence

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Senior leadership experience in education management either as Principal, Deputy, or Head of School

Substantial experience working in an international school environment

Knowledge of relevant education policies, procedures, and systems

Demonstrated successful track record in management in a school setting: direct and indirect staff reports, working with and reporting to a Governing Board, autonomy and accountability for the delivery of organization-wide initiatives and projects, monitoring and evaluating the performance of a school

Substantial classroom-based teaching experience

Experience in developing and enhancing a curriculum

Experience in developing and implementing a School Development Plan achieving measurable improvement

Strong organizational skills, notably in working within timescales and delivering against deadlines

Resilience in the face of challenging circumstances and environment, and in dealing with sensitive staff behaviour issues.

Ability to seek solutions to problems, find a work-around to apparently intractable issues

Receptive of constructive feedback and ability to use it to modify behaviour.

Ability to give feedback constructively to manage performance

Salary and Benefits

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.

How to apply

Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a CV and a thoughtful cover letter outlining why this position is of interest, exactly how your experience matches the qualifications stated and what you believe differentiates you from other candidates. Additionally, please provide the salary range you are seeking. Submissions without cover letters and salary requirements will not be considered.

Submissions should be in English and sent to: KIAjobs2021@villagehealthworks.org. Please include “Director/Head of School - Burundi” in the subject line of your email.

Please note: the selection process will begin on 23rd of July, and the review will continue until the position is filled.

Village Health Works considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status.