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Director
Knightsbridge Schools International Bogota (Colombia)

 

 

 

Knightsbridge Schools International – Bogotá (KSI-Bogotá)

Bogotá, Colombia

seeks a

Director

- - Effective July of 2019 - -

 

About the School

Knightsbridge Schools International Bogotá (KSI-Bogotá) is an international day school for boys and girls age 3-18. KSI-Bogotá is part of a global family of international schools providing a 21st century international education in a variety of exciting global locations (Bogotá, Montenegro, Portugal and Panama), for our learners aged 3 – 18. Our philosophy and values are built from the success of Knightsbridge School in London.  We provide a bilingual English and Spanish education, offering our students a challenging and rewarding educational setting.  All students, teachers and staff work together to create a strong KSI family.

 

Located on a spacious and attractive school campus close to Chia in Bogotá, we strive to provide a wide range of opportunities for our learners to “be all you can be.” 

 

We aim for our learners to have the opportunity to study at a university of their choice anywhere in the world.  Therefore, we are fully committed to the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes.  Currently, students at KSI-Bogotá also have the opportunity to graduate with the Colombian Ministry of Education Diploma, US High School Diploma, and IB Diploma Programme.

In addition to KSI-Bogota’s own provision, KSI has as part of its family, a Learning and Psychology Centre and a KidS nursery offering play-based learning located near Rosales in the heart of Bogotá, both run by separate and highly respected Directors. Both these operations also operate on site at KSI Bogotá, with a high degree of synergy and collaboration with the KSI Bogotá team.

 

We have c 200 students, from Reception to Year 13, most of whom are Colombian.  We have a strong and committed staff team totaling over 70, approximately half of whom are classroom based.

 

KSI-Bogotá is founded on the principles of global citizenship, as a member of a global network of schools, with a proud history and heritage of academic excellence in all aspects of international education.  The school was established in September 2012 on the former site of Colegio La Candelaria.  

The school is governed by the KSI Global Board comprised by leaders with strong entrepreneurial and educational experience. Members include Richard Tangye (Former Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (“COIS”)  and Jeff Keller (Superintendent of the American School Foundation of Monterrey (ASFM) in Monterrey, Mexico from 1994 until 2013), William Russell (Alderman of the City of London and past Sheriff, Governor of the City of London School for Girls and on the Board of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama). The Director is also able to draw up on the expertise and advice of a local board which includes Rosemarie Mooney and Annie Acevedo.  Rosemarie was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of Colegio Nueva Granada and since then runs her own educational travel enterprise.  Annie is a prominent child and family psychologist with a high profile media presence in Colombia and an international reputation as a speaker on Learning and the Brain, Learning Problems, Parenting, Happiness and Bullying. 

 

Vision for Learners

Knightsbridge Schools International -- educates a community of global citizens by providing them with opportunities to be all they can be and inspiring them to make a positive difference in a changing world.

Mission

To cultivate the intellect, passion and imagination of our learners so that they are empowered to engage productively and creatively as global citizens who value and respect diversity.

The Position

The Director of School reports to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and will work collaboratively with all members of the KSI Executive Team to ensure the effective operation of the school, commitment to our core values and the realisation of our Knightsbridge Schools’ educational aims, mission and vision for learners.

The School is in a period of transition from its former incarnation as a local Catholic Girls’ School and the core challenge for the Director is to  manage proactively the next stage of this journey, establishing KSIB’s new identity in the marketplace and ensuring that the internal systems, processes, attitudes, standards and values support this.

Overall Responsibilities

The Director of School will have authority for the overall management, organization, and supervision of the school as entrusted by the Board of Directors and KSI Executive Team.  The overall responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• ensure that the Knightsbridge Schools’ (KS) mission, collaborative culture, values, ethos and IB learner profile remain highly visible in the international community
• demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively with all constituencies that embrace shared vision and decision making
• build a cohesive school community through strong public relations and communication skills
• demonstrate strong organizational skills that support setting and follow-through of short and long term goals
• monitor and evaluate all phases of fiscal, business and educational services
• participate in and lead the marketing, admissions and campus expansion plans
• serve as the international spokesperson for our innovative educational programmes and global network of KS schools
• work collaboratively with the Business Manager to create operational budgets that ensure sound fiscal practices, efficient and effective allocation of resources applied in every aspect of school expenditure
• implement Knightsbridge Schools’ policies and develop new policies for Board approval according to a review cycle
• develop and lead the strategic planning of the school’s overall development
• provide visionary leadership and the demonstration of exemplary management skills in the recruitment and development of faculty, the implementation of a superior curriculum, the assurance of long-term financial stability of the school, the provision of effective communication with all of the school’s constituents and the commitment to a strategic planning process

 Preferred Characteristics and Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Qualified Teacher
• Master’s Degree in education or business preferred 

Experience:

• Previous experience as a substantive School Director
• Experience of change management
• Experience of student recruitment and marketing
• Experience with a for-profit school and/or in a business-oriented environment
• Total experience in education in excess of 10 years
• Experience working in a K-12 school: Kindergarten through Grade 12
• Experience in a newly established school
• Experience in the Latin America region highly desirable
• International teaching experience in at least 2 countries desired

Qualities & Competencies:

• Native/Fluent English
• Spanish proficiency strongly preferred
• Change management skills
• Excellent leadership skills – leading by example, motivating and inspiring others
• Strong organisational and problem solving skills
• Ability to define priorities and commit to a plan of action
• Initiative, enthusiasm, vision, and flexibility
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Passion for learning and for educating children
• An entrepreneurial nature – able to convert vision to action with limited resources
• A global citizen with interest and respect for diverse cultures and values
• A team-oriented work ethic and collaborative decision making skills
• Demonstrated ability to inspire excellence and improvement in all areas of the school

 

Terms of Employment

46 Weeks - Actual work calendar to be determined by KSI

Salary and Benefits

Compensation will be competitive with regional international or independent schools of a similar post and depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. 

Professional Learning and Performance Appraisal

The post holder is required to sign his/her individual job description at the beginning of each academic year as part of the performance appraisal process.  He/she is responsible for creating a professional growth plan and collecting evidence to demonstrate how he/she is performing in relationship to the school’s guiding principles, strategic plan and core competencies /key performance indicators outlined in this job description. 

 Procedure for Filing Application

KSI-Bogota has appointed Search Associates as consultant in the search for a new Director with Ralph Jahr and David Cramer being the lead consultants. The deadline for applications is now 16 November 2018. Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials as early as possible as the Search Committee/Executive Team reserves the right to close the selection process at any time if the right candidate is found. Search Associates will receive all applications and supporting materials and will screen all candidates who express interest in the position. Selected candidates will be interviewed by Search Associates and confidential references will be requested from referees. Applications and supporting materials for selected candidates will be forwarded to the KSI Executive Team and Search Committee for their consideration. The review of forwarded files by the Executive Team / Search Committee will begin as soon as applications are received from Search Associates. Skype interviews of selected candidates will be conducted soon after applications have been received. Finalists will be selected in mid-October or before. Site visits will be scheduled for finalist candidates and their spouse or partner (if applicable) in early November. The new Director will be selected immediately after the interviews of the finalist candidate(s) have been completed.

Candidates are requested to send the information listed below as a single pdf file attached to an email:

• A letter of application, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in the Director position at KSI-Bogota.
• A current résumé not to exceed two pages, addressing the desired professional qualifications as well as the desired personal qualities.
• A one or two-page statement outlining your philosophy of education.
• A one-page list of at least four (4) referees with current phone numbers, email addresses and the position they held when you worked with them.
• A maximum of three letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.

Total document size of the single, combined pdf file should be kept to less than five (5) MB if possible.

Applications should be sent to:         

RJahr@searchassociates.com and to DCramer@searchassociates.com

For additional information about KSI-Bogotá, please visit the KSI-Bogotá website: 

< http://www.ksi-bogota.com >

 

Ralph Jahr                                                          Tel: 609-759-0431 USA – Pacific Time Zone

Skype – ralph.h.jahr                                           Email: RJahr@searchassociates.com

 

David Cramer                                                    Tel – 412-656-0456 USA – Eastern Time Zone

Skype – dcphelix                                               Email – DCramer@searchassociates.com

 

Knightsbridge Schools International is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of learners and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.  Employees must have, or be able to obtain, a full police clearance.