Global Bilingual Academy Seeks a PreK-12 Principal/Head of School for the 2024 School Year

About the school:
In the fall of 2014, Global Bilingual Academy, a private school, opened its doors to 197 students in PreK- Grade 3; it is located in Mahboula, Kuwait. We were accredited through AdvancEd (now Cognia) in the spring of 2017. Our curriculum is based on the Common Core Standards from the United States, as well as the national curriculum of the State of Kuwait.

GBA is committed to providing a quality bilingual education in Arabic and English. The community we serve includes primarily Kuwait nationals from two-income working families living in the Al Ahmadi Governorate.  We also serve students from other Arabic nationalities and a small number of children from our staff. 

Our staff is multi-national, with teachers and staff members from a mixture of approximately 25 countries in both the North and South American continent, Eastern Europe, Africa, Australia, and a variety of countries across the Arab world.

About the Position:

• The PreK-12 Principal (hereafter - the Principal) is essentially the head of the school and reports directly to the Board of Directors.
• The Principal serves as the educational and community leader of learning for the entire school. We have approximately 1,200 students and 240 staff.
• The Principal ensures that all aspects of school operations are aligned with our Mission, Vision, and Beliefs statements identifying GBA as a Community of Lifelong Learners. Additionally, the Principal ensures that we work to continuously improve all aspects of leadership for learning and adhere to the intention and spirit of the Cognia Standards.
• The Principal is a service-oriented leader who leads by example and cultivates collegial, partnering relationships with teachers, students, parents, and other staff and stakeholders.
• The Principal role is diverse and ever-changing as she/he supports the Vice Principals and non-academic leaders in managing day-to-day operational issues requiring a high level of administrative engagement – essentially, ensuring that a senior administrator is always available to work with parents, teachers, and the greater school community. 
• Working closely with your administrative team as well as other academic department heads, the Principal will use his/her transformational leadership skills to continue the growth and advancement of the School.

Responsibilities as a Leader at GBA:

• Work in collaboration with the Management Team to ensure outstanding leadership and management within GBA.
• Lead by example and be committed to high expectations.
• Maintain a high profile around the School.
• Lead on delegated areas of responsibility.
• Uphold and embed a culture that enables students and staff to excel.
• Help to improve the outcomes and progress of all students, including those who are disadvantaged.
• Support teacher development and improvement to ensure highly effective teaching and learning across the School.
• Help to create a climate in which teachers are motivated and encouraged to develop their practice.
• Provide support to the School Counseling Team and their work to promote student well-being and academic progress.
• Promote equity, equality of opportunity, and diversity.
• Work effectively with all stakeholders and external providers to secure the best outcomes for all.
• Contribute and take an active part in management meetings and other key meetings as required.
• Participate in and support in the organization and management of whole school events.
• To act as an ambassador in promoting and celebrating the work and achievements of students and the School.
• To ensure the vision, mission, and core beliefs of the School are shared, understood, and acted upon effectively by all members of the School.
• To demonstrate high expectations of students and staff, a commitment to professional learning, and continuous improvement.
• To model the School’s commitment to excellence, independence, and opportunity in everyday work and practice.

The Principal

• Oversee the day-to-day function of all programs to fulfill the School’s mission and philosophy.
• To lead, motivate and supervise staff in the effective implementation of academic and administrative policies of the School.
• Lead and oversee the ongoing development, implementation, and management of GBA’s blend of curriculums: Common Core State Standards (CCSS-Michigan), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), AERO standards for Art and PE; State of Kuwait Ministry of Education standards for Arabic, Arabic Social Studies, and Islamic Studies/Quran courses.
• Supervise, oversee and analyze learning and assessment outcomes and make recommendations for improvement, ensuring the successful development of every student.
• Continuous progress toward closing the gap between student grades and growth on MAP assessments.
• Guide and support your Administrative team; work with your team to develop and implement strategies to continuously enhance the performance and welfare of the staff, and appraise/evaluate teachers according to the School’s Teacher Evaluation Process.
• Liaise with and support the relevant Vice principals and academic HoDs to ensure programs are running effectively and efficiently.
• Liaising with the Human Resources Department and your Vice Principals to ensure appropriate staff assignments.
• Working with the Human Resources team regarding teacher and staff recruitment, selection, and assignment.
• Liaise with your Administrative team to ensure cohesion and consistency in procedures, programs, and curriculum across all grades.
• Sustain and develop a culture of learning, collaboration, and professional self-improvement among the professional staff for the primary purpose of promoting the education of the whole child.
• Develop and implement annual school departmental objectives focused on continuous improvement and aligned with GBA School Improvement Plan (SIP).
• Working alongside the vice principals for curriculum improvements; monitoring student performance regularly and using data information to guide further development of action plans and pacing guide adjustments focused on improving student learning.
• Support and implement child protection practices in the school.
• Support a wide range of co-curricular activities.
• Work with and support the school safety committee’s work to maintain safety measures and security processes within the school.
• Maintain staff professional standards and formal evaluation and professional growth of all staff working closely with the vice principals responsible for staff professional growth.
• Other duties as required.

 
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
As this is an administrative role and flexibility is needed with working hours, some weekend or early evening work may be required for external and Internal events/activities.

GBA believes that each member of the academic staff should contribute significantly to the school community and that these contributions should not be limited by job descriptions. Therefore, while this document is designed to assist in describing core responsibilities, it is still an expectation that each employee makes a significant contribution to GBA’s success. As such, it is an inherent understanding that the Principal will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of GBA. Attendance at Parent Information Sessions, Orientation programs, and school major events outside normal teaching hours may be required.