Head of School job at Aga Khan Foundation

Aga Khan Schools is undertaking a search for two school leadership positions in East Africa: Head of School, Tanzania and Head of School, Uganda. Candidates are welcome to apply for either or both positions through a single application. Applicants should indicate in their cover letter whether they wish to be considered for one or both opportunities, including any preference for location. This position is open to international candidates.

About the role

The Head of School is the senior educational and institutional leader of the school, accountable to the relevant AKS Global Management Lead and the respective AKS Board, as appropriate, and working closely with Aga Khan Schools Global Office.

The role provides strategic, academic, cultural, and operational leadership to deliver an outstanding, values-led, and future-oriented education aligned with the vision of Aga Khan Schools to improve quality of life through education.

The Head leads not only a high-performing school but also contributes to the broader transformation and coherence of AKS as a globally connected, locally grounded, and impact-driven education system, and part of the broader system of AKDN.

The Head leads the Senior Leadership Team and fosters a culture of excellence, integrity, pluralism, inclusion compassion, belonging, and service, preparing young people to become ethical leaders, global citizens, and contributors to positive societal change.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Educational Leadership

• Promote and ensure a compelling educational vision rooted in excellence, pluralism, ethics, and service.
• Ensure high-quality delivery of the IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP where applicable) and/or other approved curricula.
• Foster future-ready learning through innovation, reflective practice, digital learning, and responsible use of technology.
• Promote high academic standards while supporting the holistic development of learners.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, wellbeing, creativity, and high expectations.
• Act as a visible role model, upholding the highest standards of personal conduct, ethics, professionalism, and educational leadership.

People & Culture

• Build, lead, and develop high-performing, diverse, and values-driven teams.
• Strengthen and develop national capacity within the schools to build brench strength and talent pipelines, especially within the faculty
• Foster a culture of trust, belonging, accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Develop leadership capacity and succession pathways, including the growth of local and emerging leaders.
• Uphold the highest standards of safeguarding, wellbeing, and pastoral care.

Student & Community Experience

• Place student wellbeing, voice, and personal development at the centre of school life.
• Build and develop strong and respectful relationships with students, families, alumni, and the wider community through openness, visibility, and trust.
• Cultivate an inclusive and vibrant school culture grounded in care, intercultural understanding, and service.
• Strengthen the school’s reputation, impact, and engagement locally, regionally, and globally.

Governance, Operations & Sustainability

• Deliver strong institutional leadership across finance, human resources, operations, facilities, admissions, enrolment, and risk management.
• Ensure sound financial stewardship, operational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
• Work collaboratively with Boards, AKS Global Office, and key stakeholders to achieve strategic priorities, and balance the needs of a complex group of stakeholders while maintaining clarity of purpose and accountability.
• Promote responsible stewardship of resources and sustainable practices.

The requirements

Network Collaboration & System Leadership

• Contribute actively to the transformation and coherence of AKS as a globally connected, locally grounded, and impact-driven education system.
• Lead and support network-wide initiatives, collaboration, innovation, and shared learning.
• Strengthen alignment, quality, and institutional effectiveness across the AKS portfolio.
• Participate in regional and international meetings, exchanges, and strategic initiatives as required.
• Work closely with Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia and other high- quality education institutions to ensure that graduates of AKS are able to access high- quality tertiary institutions of learning,
• Contribute to the national policy development of pre-tertiary education and pedagogy,
• Keep abreast of developments in the education sector, especially in the areas of school improvement, teacher development, pedagogy, curriculum development and education technology and foster a climate of continuous enquiry and adoption of best practice.

Desired Profile

Experience, Knowledge & Qualifications

• Proven senior leadership experience in high-performing international or independent schools, ideally in the geogrpahies that AKS operates within.
• Strong track record as an academic and pedagogical leader with demonstrable impact on student learning, wellbeing, and school improvement.
• Good experience across the IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) or comparable international curricula.
• International professional experience, ideally within diverse, multicultural, and/or resource-constrained contexts.
• Demonstrated success in team building, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, and performance development and management.
• Experience in financial leadership, budgeting, and leading complex educational operations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building experience, including partnerships, admissions, community engagement, and institutional representation.

Leadership Competencies

• Vision & Strategic Leadership: Ability to articulate and deliver a compelling, future-oriented educational vision aligned with the mission and values of AKS.
• Educational Excellence: Deep understanding of teaching, learning, student development, and continuous improvement within an international and pluralistic context.
• People Leadership: Ability to inspire, empower, coach, and develop others while fostering a culture of trust, belonging, collaboration, and accountability.
• Cultural Intelligence: Sensitivity, humility, and effectiveness in multicultural and diverse environments.
• Innovation & Change Leadership: Commitment to innovation, reflective practice, future-ready learning, and responsible use of technology.
• Relationship Building: Highly effective at establishing trust, credibility, and meaningful partnerships with diverse stakeholders and communities.
• Judgement & Decision-Making: Consultative yet decisive, with the ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and competing priorities with sound judgement and integrity.

Personal Attributes

• Integrity, humility, compassion, and strong ethical foundations.
• High levels of emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, and professional maturity.
• Excellent communication skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and professional presence.
• Open-minded, reflective, and intellectually curious.
• Deep commitment to pluralism, service, and education as a catalyst for positive societal change.
• Passion for developing young people as ethical leaders, global citizens, and contributors to society.

Values Alignment

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong alignment with the values and mission of Aga Khan Schools, including:

• Pluralism, inclusion and respect for diversity
• Excellence, integrity, and ethical leadership
• Service, compassion, and civic responsibility
• Commitment to community, dialogue, and lifelong learning
• Education as a catalyst for improving quality of life and contributing to positive societal change

• Promote and ensure a compelling educational vision rooted in excellence, pluralism, ethics, and service.
• Ensure high-quality delivery of the IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP where applicable) and/or other approved curricula.
• Foster future-ready learning through innovation, reflective practice, digital learning, and responsible use of technology.
• Promote high academic standards while supporting the holistic development of learners.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, wellbeing, creativity, and high expectations.
• Act as a visible role model, upholding the highest standards of personal conduct, ethics, professionalism, and educational leadership.
• Build, lead, and develop high-performing, diverse, and values-driven teams.
• Strengthen and develop national capacity within the schools to build brench strength and talent pipelines, especially within the faculty
• Foster a culture of trust, belonging, accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Develop leadership capacity and succession pathways, including the growth of local and emerging leaders.
• Uphold the highest standards of safeguarding, wellbeing, and pastoral care.
• Place student wellbeing, voice, and personal development at the centre of school life.
• Build and develop strong and respectful relationships with students, families, alumni, and the wider community through openness, visibility, and trust.
• Cultivate an inclusive and vibrant school culture grounded in care, intercultural understanding, and service.
• Strengthen the school’s reputation, impact, and engagement locally, regionally, and globally.
• Deliver strong institutional leadership across finance, human resources, operations, facilities, admissions, enrolment, and risk management.
• Ensure sound financial stewardship, operational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
• Work collaboratively with Boards, AKS Global Office, and key stakeholders to achieve strategic priorities, and balance the needs of a complex group of stakeholders while maintaining clarity of purpose and accountability.
• Promote responsible stewardship of resources and sustainable practices.
• Contribute actively to the transformation and coherence of AKS as a globally connected, locally grounded, and impact-driven education system.
• Lead and support network-wide initiatives, collaboration, innovation, and shared learning.
• Strengthen alignment, quality, and institutional effectiveness across the AKS portfolio.
• Participate in regional and international meetings, exchanges, and strategic initiatives as required.
• Work closely with Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia and other high- quality education institutions to ensure that graduates of AKS are able to access high- quality tertiary institutions of learning,
• Contribute to the national policy development of pre-tertiary education and pedagogy,
• Keep abreast of developments in the education sector, especially in the areas of school improvement, teacher development, pedagogy, curriculum development and education technology and foster a climate of continuous enquiry and adoption of best practice.

• Vision & Strategic Leadership
• Educational Excellence
• People Leadership
• Cultural Intelligence
• Innovation & Change Leadership
• Relationship Building
• Judgement & Decision-Making
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal effectiveness
• Professional presence
• Team building
• Leadership development
• Organisational effectiveness
• Performance development and management
• Financial leadership
• Budgeting
• Stakeholder engagement

• Proven senior leadership experience in high-performing international or independent schools, ideally in the geogrpahies that AKS operates within.
• Strong track record as an academic and pedagogical leader with demonstrable impact on student learning, wellbeing, and school improvement.
• Good experience across the IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) or comparable international curricula.
• International professional experience, ideally within diverse, multicultural, and/or resource-constrained contexts.
• Demonstrated success in team building, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, and performance development and management.
• Experience in financial leadership, budgeting, and leading complex educational operations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building experience, including partnerships, admissions, community engagement, and institutional representation.
• Integrity, humility, compassion, and strong ethical foundations.
• High levels of emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, and professional maturity.
• Excellent communication skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and professional presence.
• Open-minded, reflective, and intellectually curious.
• Deep commitment to pluralism, service, and education as a catalyst for positive societal change.
• Passion for developing young people as ethical leaders, global citizens, and contributors to society.
• Strong alignment with the values and mission of Aga Khan Schools, including: Pluralism, inclusion and respect for diversity; Excellence, integrity, and ethical leadership; Service, compassion, and civic responsibility; Commitment to community, dialogue, and lifelong learning; Education as a catalyst for improving quality of life and contributing to positive societal change.