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SMICID: ES Assoc. Director of Academic Affairs

Shanghai SMIC Private School

Shanghai, China

School provides option for either SMIC residential compounds (3 location options) or a "monthly housing allowance.

Initial Onboard Airfare: Reimbursement of single trip airfare (economy ticket) for the employee from the country of origin to China. For married employees: Spouse & Dependent Children included.

Start date: August 2026

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Job
School

Number of Vacancies: 1

Eligible Candidates:

Director/Principal

School Requirements:

Education Required: Master
Minimum Teaching Experience: 5 years of teaching experience
Major: educational administration, elementary education or early childhood education
Required Certificates:
Teaching Credential/License
Work Visa Eligibility: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom (UK), United States (USA)

Additional School Requirements:

Qualifications:

Other visa requirements as outlined by Chinese laws and regulations
Master’s degree at a minimum in educational administration strongly preferred
Holds a valid teaching and administrative license/certificate in elementary education and educational administration
Have 5-years of full-time educator experience: at least 3-years of full-time teaching experience at the elementary level strongly preferred
At least 2-years of professional international education experience required, with at least 1 of those years at in school leadership in China strongly preferred

Job Benefits:

Moving Allowance:

For candidates who live abroad when hired.
RMB 7,000 for single employees. RMB 14,000 for married employees.
$100 (USD) excess baggage reimbursement per employee ($250 per married teaching couple with dependents).
For candidates who live in mainland China when hired. RMB 3,000 for single employees. RMB 6,000 for married employees.

Reoccurring Flights/Transportation:

Full-time employees are eligible for a home visit/travel subsidy for each full year of employment. In the event of partial-year employment, the subsidy payment will be made only during the months in which the employee is on the payroll.

Medical Insurance:

SMIC offers comprehensive medical insurance coverage for all employees, both domestic and international, with minimal premium contributions from employees.
Dependents, including spouses and children under 21, can be covered with a modest additional premium under the same plan. The employee co-payment for both premiums and treatment expenses is highly competitive, and the cap on medical expense coverage is approximately RMB 5 million annually.

Other Insurances:

A range of insurance products for our foreign employee clients, including term life, critical illness, accidental death, and dismemberment coverage, are provided to every foreign employee.

Tuition for Dependents:

For foreign employees, up to 2 dependents receive a tuition benefit that covers 80% of the annual tuition.
Uniforms, transportation, meals, and textbooks are not covered.

Bonus:

Performance-based annual bonus starting after the first full year of service.
Teacher incentive allowance is also available.

Job Description:

Job Scope & Academic Delivery

Help assure quality instructional delivery for the SMIC-I Elementary School (ES Grades 1 – 5)
Support the development of curriculum for the SMIC-I Elementary School under the guidance of the ES Senior Director and the ES Academic Affairs Director
Organize complex class scheduling with creativity and attention to detail on time under the direction of and ES AA Director and in collaboration with the Director of Early Childhood as determined by the ES Senior Director
Supervise administrative tasks, which includes execution of the report cards process, student placement, student entrance testing, student records, and transcripts
Supervise academic ordering process of ES textbooks and teachers’ resources following the selection process recommendations as determined under the guidance of the ES Senior Director, with the assistance of the Academic Affairs Senior Assistant
Under the guidance of the AA Director assist in checking report card comments and grades and progress report card comments and grades.

Supervision

Supervise (directly and indirectly), observe, and evaluate assigned ES staff
- Supervise all substitutes teachers, ATs, and substitute assistant teachers
- Assure that assigned ES teacher supervisors (grades 1-5) evaluate and observe assistant teachers (ATs) according to the school’s performance assessment standards as outlined by school policy
- Observe and evaluate staff assigned under the school’s evaluation matrix
Creates and monitors necessary professional growth plans for ES ATs

Training

Train AT’s ES substitutes about school procedures and policies (including working with the Child Protection Officer to assure that substitutes receive proper Child Protection Policy training)
Provide training as designated by the ES Senior Director or ES AA Director
Trains and guides ES Subject Leaders
- Meets bi-weekly with subject leaders to discuss progress, plan, and discuss issues
- Assures that subject leaders are trained in monitoring lesson/unit plans and assessments for their assigned subject

Hiring

Lead coordination of the interviewing process for, ES substitute teachers, and AT’s which includes conducting initial interviews and tracking candidates through the ES hiring process
Assist with interviews for ES teacher candidates when assigned
Serve as a member of the ES Hiring Team

Event Organization

Responsible for being the primary organizer of SMIC-I ES special events, such as International Day, Reading Spirit Week, Back to School Night, Parent-Teacher Conference Days, Spirit Week, and Career Day, under the guidance of the ES Senior Director and the ES Academic Affairs Director, along with the collaboration of other SMIC-I staff

Professional Collaboration & Meetings

Member of the SMIC-I ES Academic Leadership Council with Vice Principal (weekly)
Member of the SMIC-I ES Academic Council (weekly)
Member of the Central Administrative Team (CAT) (weekly)
Member of the ES Core Hiring team (as needed)
Attend the SMIC Principals’ Meeting (as needed)
Ad hoc committees created to address temporary special-purpose issues (as needed)
Meet with the Chinese Track (CT) ES Principal or designee or other CT leaders (as needed)
Follow formal lines of communication as established in the school’s organizational chart and policies
In collaboration with the elementary leadership team, make presentations to staff, parents, and community members about school policies and procedures, assigned school events, student admission criteria and screening, and assigned responsibilities (when applicable)
Work with the ES admissions team to screen prospective students and communicate with parents about the overall process
Collaborate with administrators and other colleagues in SMIC-I, the CIC, and the CT regarding school-wide events and issues

Other Duties

Help ensure, under the direction of the ES Academic Affairs Director, that the SMIC-I ES is compatible with the legal, financial, and organizational structures of the school, school system, company system, local, and national legal entities, as well as meeting accepted international standards
- Help assure under the guidance of SMIC-I senior administrators that all ES assigned staff are trained on these laws, policies, and procedures, as affects their job performance
Help ensure, under the guidance of the ES Senior Director, that grades 1 to 5 operations meet high safety standards for all students and staff
Guide SMIC-I teaching staff about appropriate elementary-aged student development and effective application of research-based academic and behavior management strategies and techniques
Follow the SMIC Code of Ethics and school policies as outlined in the most current version of the SMIC Staff Handbook
Closely follow the SMIC-I “Curriculum, Instruction, and Textbook Policy” as is appropriate for the Chinese context
Help assure ES actions meet with the school’s vision, mission, and ESLRs
Submit budget proposals, under the guidance of the ES Senior Director, for the annual ES budget
Help annually review the school’s staff and student policies, especially about the operation of the ES
Assure, under the guidance and collaboration of the ES Senior Director, the implementation of the annual ES budget, including its training, proposal, review, submission, and implementation processes per SMIC-I procedure
Stay current with educational issues relevant to elementary education, especially in an international school context
Fulfill student supervision duties as assigned
Help to assure school processes reflect safety as a top priority
As a part of continuous improvement, assist in collecting and analyzing ES data
Complete other job duties as assigned

Direct Reports

• K-5 Coordinator for Student Success (in collaboration with Director of EC)

For more information, please refer to the attached job description.

Here is additional information about our International Division for your reference:

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This is a Direct to School Job

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This is a Direct to School Job

About the School:

Shanghai SMIC Private School is a highly academic, international school-style private school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and recognized by the Shanghai Education Bureau.

The SMIC-International Division offers an American-style curriculum (in English) based on US standards. Among our distinguishing features, we provide a phenomenally successful and diverse AP program (97% of our students score three or higher on average) and a uniquely successful Chinese language program with fantastic student achievement results. With 723 graduates since 2006, 100% of our high school graduates have been accepted to international colleges and universities or have gone to compulsory military service in their countries. The colleges and universities included 34 of the top 100 elite institutions in the world, such as Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Brown, New York University, Rice, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College of London, University College London, McGill, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Johns Hopkins.

We're not only about academics, though, as we have many extra-curricular program options as well, including nine different award-winning sports programs and 60 after-school clubs for students to join. Whether SMIC Private School students pursue academics, sports, or other extra-curricular activities, our staff and active school community encourage their efforts to aim for excellence while retaining a strong sense of honor, community, and joy.

More Information

Apply Now

This is a Direct to School Job

Apply Now

This is a Direct to School Job

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