Head of Secondary

Job Overview

The Sheikh Zayed Private Academies are leading US-curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, delivering outstanding education for students from Pre-KG to Grade 12. The schools’ reputations for high quality education, outstanding facilities, and innovative use of technology are well established in the UAE.

The Sheikh Zayed Academy for Boys is looking to appoint a Head of Secondary to join our dedicated and talented leadership team. The Head of Secondary will play a significant role in shaping the vision and facilitating the success of the Secondary School and its student and faculty population. The role is responsible for overseeing the effective delivery of classroom instruction across the Secondary School, ensuring that the curriculum is correctly delivered under national guidelines and international accreditation standards.

Role Overview

• Promote, model and embed the school’s vision and values, ensuring they are clearly articulated and reflected across the secondary phase.
• Lead the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the Secondary School, including mandated external assessments (e.g., MAP, AP and other international benchmarks).
• Drive the effective use of data to evaluate school performance, teacher effectiveness, and student outcomes across middle and high school grades.
• Ensure that the curriculum is planned, delivered, and continuously reviewed in alignment with Massachusetts standards and prepares students for external examinations and post-secondary pathways.
• Liaise with the Inclusion Team to strengthen provision for students with additional learning requirements across the Secondary phase.
• Collaborate with the Digital Innovation Team to embed technology in ways that extend and deepen students’ learning experiences.
• Lead communication across the Secondary School to ensure all middle leaders, teachers, and support staff are aligned with the school’s vision and strategic priorities.
• Oversee consistent approaches to communication with parents in line with school policy and expectations.
• Chair and participate in regular meetings with the Secondary leadership and faculty teams to drive continuous improvement.
• Promote the wellbeing and professional growth of Secondary staff, ensuring that training needs are identified, addressed, and evaluated for impact.
• Oversee the provision of assemblies, extracurricular activities (ECAs), enrichment programmes, educational trips, and key school events across the Secondary School.
• Ensure SZPA policies, procedures, and codes of conduct are consistently upheld by all Secondary staff.
• As a member of the academic leadership team, lead the preparation and successful completion of reaccreditations for CIS and NEASC.
• Maintain yearly updates of the SDP (School Development Plan) and ensure the Secondary School is fully prepared for ADEK Irtiqaa inspections.
  
  

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant subject
• PGCE or equivalent qualification in Education
• A minimum of 3 years teaching experience and 1 year in a senior leadership role
• A clean enhanced Disclosure and Barring Services check or police check
  
  

• Renewable fixed-term contract for 2 years
• Highly competitive tax-free salary
• Comprehensive international health insurance
• Annual housing allowance
• Annual flight allowance