Head of School

IPS Hilversum (The International Primary School Hilversum) seeks an innovative, engaged and internationally minded

HEAD OF SCHOOL (0.8-1.0 FTE)

A teambuilder who values shared leadership in a small scale community, cares for students, staff and parents and supports the strong team in their pursuit for further excellence.

Your role within IPS Hilversum

As Head of School you have final responsibility for the quality of the whole school. You are functionally responsible for the pedagogical leadership team of the school, that consists of three sector leaders, two learning support coordinators and one curriculum coordinator. Evidently, you embrace the direction that STIP has embarked on and will help in developing suitable strategies and solutions to education.

The authorised supervisor (the board of STIP) has a policy-determining role, develops goals for the school and sets the frameworks for the educational and organisational policies. The Head of School translates these goals and frameworks and the deployment of resources for IPS Hilversum.

Your responsibilities include:

• Ensuring high academic standards and international education.
• Overseeing the business operations of the school, including finance, human resources and facilities issues.
• Leading the three sector leaders and all other members of staff.
• Ensuring and further developing the skills of the school team, ensuring there is a rigorous and supportive continued professional development cycle for all.
• Taking care of the stakeholder communication, both internally and externally.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a Head of School who cares for, and has knowledge of (international) education, students and staff. Everything you do is with the students’ best interest at heart. Our Head of School has natural authority, is authentic, and – through excellent social skills – a unifying figure amongst staff and students. You are an analytical thinker and a strong communicator, and you know how to take further initiatives in our organisation in a systematic and programmatic way. You have a pleasant personality; you know how to present, and you are able to put things into perspective. You feel at home in the ‘Hilversum-environment’.

As the new Head of School you possess a number of core strengths and competences:

Connecting and engaged

You are able to encourage greater connections, both internally and externally, to further develop the school. You are a teambuilder, able to unleash opportunities for talent to flourish of all the people you work with. You have great communication skills and are open and transparent. You listen actively and stimulate trust. As leader of a small-scale community you are visible, approachable and engaged with the staff, the students and their parents. You are involved and passionate about the quality of education and you are sincerely interested in the well-being of students. Motivated to lead a professional organisation, you promote together with your pedagogical leadership team ongoing professional development. Through constructive feedback you empower staff to use and strengthen their qualities. In the interest of the students, you also look outwards and are able to quickly establish and preserve a relevant network within the direct and international community. You are able to represent the IBO and IPS profile and strengthen its position on the basis of its strong educational quality.

International experience and mindset

As the new Head of School, you have experience and a broad sense of working in a multi-cultural setting. You know the educational standards and you have knowledge of Dutch rules and regulations. Your English is fluent and you are willing and able to learn Dutch so you can become a true member of the STIP school community. You have empathy, experience and an understanding of what it means to be an expat or an international family.

Strategic vision and decisiveness

As a Head of School you have a thorough understanding of international education, based on which you have developed a clear vision. You have a sense of strategic awareness. You recognise important developments for the school and its education, and are able to translate your vision into shared values and goals for the school. This vision includes a further growth of the school in the future into other departments, becoming a complete international school. You are focused on stimulating ownership amongst your staff, sharing information and the continuous development of IPS Hilversum as a learning organisation in which you inspire further development towards a professional culture.

Who we are

IPS Hilversum is an international school community which opened its doors 34 years ago. The school has grown ever since, reaching a number of 30 classes and 78 members of staff. The number of students has grown to almost 500, combining more than 45 nationalities. The school forms a warm and inviting environment, with a lot of empathy and openness to new people. At the moment the school is located in three buildings. We expect the new beautiful campus to be ready in 2023.

IPS Hilversum is a member of the DIPS and an International Baccalaureate World School, and thereby an authorised member of the IBO. As IPS Hilversum is aligned with the IB-framework, we strive to keep the student at the centre of all we do. In their early years, symbolic exploration and expression as well as play help provide cognitive, social, emotional and physical development for students. Authentic opportunities for learning, support the development of the IB learner profile. Collectively we work to develop students’ self-efficacy, enabling agency within the learning community.

Through the pursuit of agency, students are able to take ownership of their learning, express ideas and opinions and apply metacognition and reflection in order to take action for positive change in the world around them.

Fundamental ideas are:

• inquiry-based learning;
• a concept-driven curriculum;
• a transdisciplinary approach;
• constructivism.

STIP Hilversum

IPS Hilversum is one of the sixteen public primary schools governed by STIP Openbaar Onderwijs Hilversum. STIP stands for quality, pluriform education for all children. Every child deserves an education in which he or she can fully develop their talents. To realise this, in addition to cognitive knowledge and skills, attention is needed for the personal, social and emotional development of each child. Students attending STIP schools are independent, show initiative and are creative and resilient. The continuous improvement of the quality of education is a significant task for the board and the schools, to ensure a quality education that opens up an entirely new world.

Practical information and how to apply

An assessment may be part of the recruitment process. Candidates must be eligible to work in the European Union. To apply, please click on the application form on the B&T website (click the apply button on this page) to submit your CV and motivation letter in English, for the attention of Mrs. drs. Marja de Kruif, stating our vacancy number 20200233. We look forward to receiving your application by Monday 16th November latest. More information on the B&T website or give us a call on +31 88 20 51 600.