School Principal, Pharo School – Kigali, Rwanda
Organization Overview
The Pharo Foundation (the ‘’Foundation”) is a privately funded entrepreneurial organization that runs philanthropic programmes as well as a for-profit arm, Pharo Ventures. The vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The mission is to achieve this vision by investing in Africa’s human and physical capital, with a strong focus on job creation.
Established in 2011 as a UK-based non-profit, the Foundation has since made a strategic shift to design and implement its own programmes to ensure greater community engagement, better results, and increased accountability. The Foundation has carried out numerous projects in Eastern Africa, focusing on Ethiopia and Somaliland, and is now expanding operations in Rwanda and Kenya. The key strategic pillars for the philanthropic side of the Foundation are Education, Health, Water, and Agriculture.
Aligned with the Foundation’s overall strategy, in Rwanda, the Foundation plans to focus on all four of its strategic pillars: Education, Health, Agriculture, and Water. Within the education sector, the primary focus will be to:
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- Run its K-12 schools (Kindergarten up to S6) with a focus on quality 21st-century learning;
- Collaborate with the government to implement key government priorities in education; and
- Promote TVET education.
About the School
The anticipated Pharo School will be located in one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas in Kigali City. We anticipate attracting a substantial number of students from communities around the school and some other areas of Kigali City. This will be the first in tens of schools that The Pharo Foundation Rwanda is planning to launch in and around the Kigali area.
Position Summary
In anticipation of the launch of the first-ever Pharo School in Rwanda, the Foundation is seeking to recruit a proven School Principal to lead a diverse community of learners, educators, and parents who will choose the Pharo School as their number one choice for kindergarten and primary school education. Among other things, the individual will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational management of the school community leading to improvements in teaching and learning for all students. The role offers an excellent opportunity to coach, mentor, and supervise a committed team of educators to achieve the school’s mission. The Pharo School Principal serves as an educational leader responsible for managing policies, regulations, procedures, and routines to ensure that all children have an opportunity to learn in a safe learning environment that meets the approved curricula. Achieving academic excellence requires that the School Principal works collaboratively to direct and nurture all school staff members and to engage the Pharo School community effectively. Inherent in the position are scheduling, curriculum development, extracurricular activities, personnel and finances management, emergency procedures, and facility operations.
Role: School Principal
Reporting to: Head of Education (Rwanda)
Functional Relationships: Regional Head of Academics, Head of College Counselling and Preparation (Kenya)
External Relationships:
- Relevant local authorities in Rwanda
- Contractors, suppliers, service providers, and consultants
- Government stakeholders (these include the Ministry of Education, District, and Sector Education Authorities).
Direct Reports: School Management Teacher
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Governance and Finance
- Provide strategic direction and leadership and exercise oversight of the Pharo School.
- Establish, manage, evaluate, and supervise effective and transparent procedures and systems for the efficient operation and functioning of the school.
- Assume responsibility for the health, safety, and welfare of all students, employees, and visitors.
- Nurture students and teachers to achieve their most significant academic, instructional, and social potential.
- Work with the Head of Education to produce strategic plans, school policies, systems, and processes.
- Develop, review and operate the school budget, provide financial accountability to a sophisticated corporate level and multiple external auditors, and ensure high levels of fiscal responsibility and awareness.
- Be responsible for effective data management by ensuring that all relevant data about students and staff are entered into the appropriate systems accurately and promptly.
- Work with the Senior HR Officer to ensure that all the statutory requirements of the local government authorities and Rwandan Labor Law are fully adhered to.
- Ensure positive relationships with parents and the community through implementing strategies aimed at continuous communication (e.g., regular parent/teacher meetings, school open days, newsletters, extra-curricular activities involving the community, etc.).
Planning
- Establish priorities, objectives, and targets to be achieved during each semester and the academic year.
- Establish and maintain the annual master schedule for the instructional programs, ensuring sequential learning experiences for students.
- Establish schedules and procedures for supervising students in non-classroom areas (including before and after school and field trips).
- Oversee the implementation of the long-term strategic planning of the school.
- Lead the development of the School Improvement Plan, which analyses student and staff performance, identifies areas of teaching and learning weakness, sets out the strategies for improvement, and creates short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals that focus on improving teaching and learning.
- Direct the preparation of the school’s annual operational plan, using the school’s School Improvement Plan as the base, with specific targets for higher student achievement, which include all aspects of the school’s operations, including classroom planning, teaching, and learning, assessment, and reporting
Teaching and Learning
- Establish and promote high standards and expectations for all students and staff for academic performance and responsibility for behavior.
- Develop the quality of teaching and learning through evidence-based, data-driven decision-making and continuous professional development, with the primary aim of improving student learning outcomes.
- Establish a strong understanding of the Rwandan curriculum and associated high-stakes assessments.
- Continually develop student attainment at the Rwandan examination level and beyond.
- Supervise the school’s instructional programs, evaluate lesson plans and observe classes (teaching, as duties, allow) regularly to encourage the use of various instructional strategies and materials consistent with research on learning and child growth and development.
- Establish and promote high standards and expectations for all students and staff for academic performance and responsibility for behavior.
- Establish procedures for the evaluation and selection of instructional materials and equipment.
- Supervise and review student evaluations and performance and use that data to design professional development programs in the school.
Human Resources
- Recruit, retain, and develop a high-quality faculty and support staff.
- Supervise the provision of high-quality learning through appraisal-based performance management.
- Ensure the efficient and effective management of school human resources.
Reporting and Documentation
- Complete in a timely fashion all records and monthly, quarterly and annual reports as requested by the position.
- Establish procedures for the safe storing and integrity of all public and confidential school records and ensure that student records are complete and current.
- Protect the confidentiality of records and information gained as exercise professional duties and use discretion in sharing such information.
- Supervise the production of quarterly student grade and behavior reports.
Qualifications, skills, and attributes
- The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or a related field.
- Master of Education in educational planning and management/ administration /leadership (preferred).
- Demonstrable experience in leading a school or a chain of schools; at least five years as a school principal.
- A high track record as a classroom teacher and educator.
- Agile, can communicate in English and has professional IT Skills.
- Passionate about education and having compassion for children.
Application Procedure
Review of applications will begin as soon as they are received, and only complete applications will be reviewed. If an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested and suitably qualified candidates to apply at the earliest possible time. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we will only be able to contact shortlisted candidates.
Please send the information listed below, as a single PDF file, to the following email address: recruiting.rw@pharofoundation.org with the subject line “SCHOOL PRINCIPAL_RWA.”
- A detailed CV and cover letter. State in your cover letter where you heard about this position, e.g., through the website, jobs board, etc.
- An essay of no more than 1,000 words outlining:
- Your school leadership experience and what you have gained out of it that makes you the most qualified candidate for the role.
- Your plan and experience managing a start-up school towards growth and sustainability. Kindly give examples from your experience, if any.
- A one-page list of five references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts.
- Make sure to submit your application before July 29, 2022, at 5.00 PM CAT.
