Early Years Principal

About the Position

The Early Years Principal is a leader of learning for children, faculty and parents in the Early Years Division. They are responsible for all aspects of the curriculum and operational leadership.

The school’s strategic plan, mission and vision provide the direction for this leadership. As a member of the Senior Administration Team, the Early Years Principal contributes to the overall operation of and the strategic planning for the School.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

• Leads the development and implementation of the early years curriculum (EYFS) that is both English only and Chinese/ English Bilingual within the PYP framework.
• Ensures a guaranteed and viable curriculum is implemented with fidelity
• Liaises closely with the primary school to ensure that there is vertical articulation of the curriculum, consistency of philosophy and ease of transition for students into the primary school.
• Plans staff professional development aimed at strengthening the curriculum, teaching and learning
• Effectively uses data on student learning and development to monitor, document and report on student progress, language development and achievement targets.
• Communicating student learning and development to parents (reporting)
• Has a contemporary Early Years philosophy rooted in best practices for children of this age group.

Organizational Leadership

• Contributes to the development and implementation of the school’s Strategic Plan and ensures that divisional and teacher IWP goals reinforce the goals set in the Strategic Plan
• Is responsible for daily operations that includes managing and implementing operational policies, systems and procedures that allow the division to run smoothly 
• Advises the Head of School of program and staffing needs.
• Consults with the Head of School during the recruitment process
• Facilitates the orientation of new staff to CIS policies and procedures
• Reports teacher issues to the Head of School
• Works closely with Admissions and Marketing to drive sustainable enrolment 
• Effectively manages the division’s budget and resources
• Ensures the division is compliant with all relevant CIS, IB and Singapore policies.
• Lead self study, parent pulse and other processes which facilitate the development and implementation of Divisional Action Plans 

Parents

• Is the standard bearer for the Division and recognised by parents as an advocate for their child(ren) and teachers. 
• Is an active participant in school events, and highly visible within the parent community.
• Corresponds with parents regarding student, teacher, facility, or school curriculum, teaching and learning issues.
• Liaises or mediates between teachers and parents where required

Teachers

• Is a role model and inspiration to teachers in contemporary Early Years Philosophy and Pedagogy 
• Provides the vision for professional development based on the needs of the division and individual teachers.
• Manages on-going teacher appraisal.
• Recruits and retains a cadre of excellent early years practitioners
• Builds and maintains strong, capable and innovative professional teams.

Community

• Establishes and maintains effective communication and productive relationships between all stakeholders in the school and related educational providers (e.g. IB)
• Networks and collaborates with leaders in other international schools in Singapore
• Builds a divisional culture and identity which is recognised across Singapore and Asia as a world leader in Early Years education 

QUALIFICATIONS and EXPERIENCE:

Minimal Qualifications

• Fluent in English
• Teaching Certification in Early Years 
• Master’s Educational Leadership or related field
• Minimum of 10 years of successful classroom teaching experience
• Minimum of 3 years experience of early years school leadership

Desirable Additional Requirements

• International school experience in Asia
• A leadership position in a PYP school.
• Experience working with bilingual learners or in a multilingual environment

Competencies

• Exceptional leadership, communication, collaboration, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
• Culturally competent and able to work with culturally diverse staff and students in a bilingual and multilingual setting.
• An effective communicator with the capacity to listen, empathize, and connect, as well as teach, present, and motivate
• A lifelong learner who keeps up-to-date with current research and best practices in teaching and learning.
• A facilitator able to build strong and productive relationships with students, parents, academic and non-academic staff, and the community
• A change agent, who can motivate and manage positive change in complex environments.
• A strategic thinker who is able to see connections between the school’s vision and mission and IB programme philosophy and create action steps to move the school forward.
• An activator with motivation, energy, and enthusiasm to spare
• A producer who is results oriented and has a strong sense of accountability for student success
• A character builder and role model, whose values, words, and deeds are marked by trustworthiness, respect, and integrity
• An active contributor whose priority is making contributions to the development and success of others

How to Apply 

Interested candidates are requested to send the information listed below as one single pdf file attachment to:

Dr Allan Weston: Head of School - allan.weston@cis.edu.sg       AND                  

Eunice Leung: Head of Human Resources - eunice.leung@cis.edu.sg

The application package must include:

• A current resume not to exceed two pages
• A one-page list of references with the business, home phone numbers and e-mail addresses of three school administrators with whom you have worked

Initial closing date for applications – December 11, 2022

CIS reserves the right to appoint a candidate before the application deadline should this prove desirable. For this reason, it would be important for interested applicants to submit an expression of interest in the position at the earliest possible opportunity. 

Safeguarding Statement

The Canadian International School of Singapore is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all who work and learn with us. All applicants to the school must be willing to undergo rigorous child protection screening, including checks with past employers and Disclosure and barring service checks.  

We reserve the right to contact past employers not listed in the candidate’s application.

Further information about CIS can be found on the School Website.