Head, UWC Mostar

Founded in 2006, UWC Mostar was born out of a conviction that international education should be taken “not to where it can be afforded but to where it is really and urgently needed”.

While sharing a mission and educational model with the other 17 United World Colleges worldwide, UWC Mostar, located in the Balkans, has always been distinctive in having an explicit aim to contribute to the reconstruction of a post-conflict society.

Uniquely, UWC Mostar came into being as a result of UWC and the International Baccalaureate Organization joining forces in a pioneering initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Together they sought to develop a template for a convincing classroom model which could “open new avenues for the country’s education system”.

UWC Mostar’s symbolic location within an existing national school, the Gimnazija Mostar, and its recruitment of a significant proportion of students from all national groups in BiH, and students from the nearby region, in addition to students from all around the world, speaks of its initial mission “to equip the next generations of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the knowledge, skills, leadership qualities and international values, necessary to bridge the still existing ethnic divisions and move their country into the 21st century”.

This one-off manifestation of UWC is looking for a strong, inspirational, compassionate leader who will build on the work of the founders and the successes and emerging challenges of its first 15 years, and have the vision to shape its future - a leader who will find ways of strengthening, motivating and unifying the diverse UWC Mostar community of staff and students in their fulfilment of core UWC values and the specific enactment of these values within the local context.

The post entails all the management functions of UWC headship necessary for the smooth operation of the College within the framework of the mission and all relevant laws and regulations. Importantly, however, the role additionally involves looking out from UWC Mostar to the local and national context with a view to raising the college’s profile and finding tangible ways in which it can have an impact and make a difference.

Including overall responsibility for the broad education programme, student health and well-being, residential life, staff appointments, student admissions, staff performance and development, finance, administration, infrastructure and UWC networking, amongst others.

Appointed by, directly responsible to and supported by the College Board, the Head also has a relationship with the College’s founder (Foundation Education in Action) and the UWC International Office.

Desirable background and management qualities/approaches (* indicates minimum requirement):

• Excellent academic credentials, degree and professional teaching qualifications from reputable, internationally recognised institutions and fluent in English. *
• Relevant experience in a senior position demonstrating whole school management/organisation/ leadership and at least 5 years of teaching. *
• Knowledge of and interest in the history, politics, culture of BiH and the local educational system from which many teachers are drawn.
• Experience of leading and motivating both teaching and non-teaching staff, with a view to their ongoing professional development.
• Evidence of success in managing change within schools and of getting positive outcomes in the face of challenges.
• Evidence of practical commitment to a broad curriculum that educates the whole person and, preferably, familiarity with the IB curriculum.*
• Evidence of awareness, knowledge and understanding of the diversity of cultures from which UWC staff and students come, reflecting cultural sensitivity, and insight into the implications of working in a multilingual
  environment. *
• Experience in working in a residential school which implies flexible working and 24/7 commitment.
• Experience in dealing effectively with budgets and the drafting of policies.*
• Experience of a public role in building relationships of a school within a local/national context.
• Commitment to proactive leadership in which integrity, motivation, sense of responsibility and personal example inspire trust, alongside resilience and resolution in response to a challenging environment. Appropriate personal qualities would include: people skills (the ability to work effectively, constructively, diplomatically and collaboratively with others at all levels), willingness to listen, excellent communication skills, ability to take tough, timely decisions, respect for the expertise of others, ability to deliver what has been promised, a disposition to make space for the flowering of the talents of both staff and students, willingness to be accessible and make time for staff and students, to be an effective speaker in public, and to be fair, objective, just and principled.
• To have a broad vision of where the school could be going and of ways of improving upon the delivery of the College and UWC mission.

To adapt a quotation from Kurt Hahn, to whose enlightened educational philosophy UWCs owe so much: “what is needed is a wise person who has the nerve to lead and a person of action who has the imagination to see the consequences of those actions”.

Remuneration: the salary will be competitive in the regional context.

Further information may be found on the websites of UWC Mostar and UWC - http://www.uwcmostar.ba 

Candidates interested in this position are invited to send a letter of application that specifically addresses the post advertised and gives some indication of the appeal of UWC Mostar. This letter, accompanied by a CV, should be sent to Nina Cisic, Secretary of the Board of UWC Mostar (nina.cisic@uwcim.uwc.org) by 16 October 2020.