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Head of School
American International School of Abuja (Nigeria)

On behalf of both the Board of Governors of the American International School of Abuja and the Search Committee, we are pleased to announce that Mr. Greg Hughes has been appointed Head of School beginning in August of 2020.

Mr. Hughes has dedicated much of the past two decades to service within the international school community.  Greg is currently the Director at Asmara International Community School in Eritrea.  He has previous leadership experience at; the American International School of Lesotho in Lesotho, the Khartoum American School in Sudan, the American International School of Conakry in Guinea, the American International School of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the American International of Lusaka in Zambia. 

Mr. Hughes earned his Bachelor of Education at Newcastle University and his Master of Education in Leadership and Management in Education at New Castle University  in Australia. 

 The Board of Governors of the American International School of Abuja, the Search Committee and Search Associates would like to thank all candidates who expressed interest in the Head of School position and to everyone who assisted and supported the successful search process.

 

American International School of Abuja

Abuja, Nigeria

seeks a

Head-of-School

effective August 2020

The School

The American International School of Abuja (AISA) located in Abuja, Nigeria was founded in 1993. The school is a private, non-sectarian, not-for-profit day school.  AISA is an American Overseas School that offers U.S. accredited programs in an English language setting. The school offers PK-3 through 12^th grade educational programs for students currently representing 46 nationalities.  The school is accredited by the Middle States Association.  AISA is a member of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) and the West African International Schools Activities League (WAISAL)

Mission, Vision, Core Values and Profile of the Graduate

The Mission of the American School of Abuja is:

Challenge, Collaborate, Empower:

Inspiring global citizens to be lifelong learners.

The Vision of the American School of Abuja is:

To be a world-class international school that develops students’ skills, knowledge and character to enable them to achieve their full potential and pursue their dreams.

The Core Values of the American School of Abuja are:

All people have equal inherent worth and dignity.

Collaboration and consensus-building contribute to an effective community.

Embracing diversity strengthens individuals and unifies our community.

Continuous growth and perseverance are fundamental in pursuing one’s goals.

Intentionally building trust facilitates dependable relationships.

The Profile of the Graduate

• Is passionate and self-motivated in pursuing their individual personal and academic interests.
• Models integrity and respects the local and global community, its people, and the environment.
• Exhibits strong social, communication, and leadership skills.
• Seeks, builds, and maintains personal and professional networks.
• Is creative and resourceful in finding opportunities for enrichment.
• Demonstrates open-mindedness.
• Takes responsibility for their actions and stands up for their beliefs.
• Uses technology to enhance their learning.
• Communicates in more than one language.

Enrollment

The current Preschool to Grade 12 enrollment is 472  students.  244 students are enrolled in the preschool and elementary program.  128  students are enrolled in the middle school.  104 students are enrolled in the high school. The student body consists of  30.7% host-country students,  29.4% U.S. students and the remaining  39.9% of the students represent 44 different countries.

Curriculum

The AISA curriculum is based on  a combination of the  Common Core and AERO (American Education Reaches Out) standards and benchmarks.  Early childhood teachers use standards that are developmentally appropriate and closely aligned with the AERO framework.  In the high school, the Advanced Placement Program, to include the Capstone Program, is available to students as a rigorous course of study leading to the potential for college credits to be awarded on the basis of Advanced Placement examination results.

AISA faculty design units of instruction using the “Understanding by Design” (UbD) framework with a focus on aligning assessment and instruction to standards.  Integration of technology, differentiation and cross-curricular connections are all hallmarks of the UbD design process.  AISA is continuing the journey of becoming a school dedicated to implementing a comprehensive standards-based learning system which includes curriculum aligned with standards, assessment measuring student learning against standards, via both formative and summative assessment, instruction deliberately planned to promote student learning consistent with the standards and both grading and reporting reflecting an alignment with standards.

Faculty and Administration

The school employs 51 certified teachers, including: 43 over-seas hire faculty,  eight host-country nationals. 40of the faculty hold advanced degrees or post-graduate certificates.  The Head-of-School works closely with the school's administrative team to further advance the mission and vision of the school. The administrative team consists of the Head-of-School, Elementary Principal, Middle/High School Principal and Director of Curriculum and Innovation and is further supplemented by the Director of Business and Operations Manager and Director of Technology to comprise the educational operations team..

Calendar

The school years consists of two semesters which extend from August to December and January to June.

Campus and Facilities

Located on a 5.92 hectare-campus in a residential area on the north side of Abuja, the pre-school, elementary and secondary divisions are in purpose-built facilities that have been upgraded in recent years.

       

The campus includes;  43 classrooms, two science labs, two music rooms, a library, dining area, administrative offices, multiple playgrounds, a gymnasium, a tennis court, a soccer field and swimming pool.

The school has purpose-built multiple four-story buildings on the campus that accommodate all of the overseas hire faculty and administrators.

      

Governance

AISA is governed by a seven-member Board of Governors. Six members are elected to two-year terms by the parents of children enrolled at the school and one member is appointed by the U.S. Ambassador. In response to legal requirements in Nigeria, there is also a three-person Board of Trustees that works in a collaborative manner with the Board of Governors on the most strategic of school developments.  

The Community

Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria and is located in the center of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).  Abuja is a planned city and was built primarily in the 1980’s, replacing the country’s most populous city of Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1981.

The Position

The Head-of-School is expected to provide leadership focused on continuous improvement in all areas of the operation of the school, with a particularly strong emphasis on learning.  He/she is responsible for leading the school in accordance with sound principles of curriculum, assessment and instruction, excellence with respect to human resources, proactive communication and strong business and financial management. He/she takes part in all meetings of the Board of Governors and has a valued voice but no vote. The Head-of-School is the chief advisor to the Board of Governors in all policy-level matters.

The Head-of-School is expected by the Board of Governors to lead the school in a manner that is consistent with approved policies of the American International School of Abuja. The Board of Governors understand the different roles of the Board and administration and that it is the duty of the Head-of-School and his/her leadership team to manage the day-to-day operation of the school. 

Job Description

The Head-of-School is the Chief Executive Officer and subsequently is responsible for all programs on campus, including their further development, oversight, and evaluation. The Head-of-School is responsible to ensure the continued accreditation of the school by the Middle States Association. The Head-of-School is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the school community while on campus.

Professional Qualities

Preferred professional qualities of the new Head-of-School include the following:

• A graduate degree in education and/or educational leadership.
• A minimum of three years of K-12 Head-of-School/Director/Superintendent experience in an international school setting.
• Expressed commitment to a multi-year tenure of service in the role of Head-of-School at AISA.
• Confirmed record of collaborative leadership which serves to empower each group within the AISA school community to make quality contributions.
• Demonstrated capacity to successfully recruit, retain and further develop outstanding faculty, staff and administrators in support of the school’s mission.
• A leader who possesses a strong background in finance and has a proven record of translating available financial resources into creating comprehensive learning opportunities for all students.
• A record of success in implementing and further developing multi-year plans focused on continuous school improvement.
• An understanding of the MSA accreditation standards and a clear commitment to ensuring that the standards are successfully achieved in alignment with the strategic plan.

Personal Qualities

Desired personal qualities of the new Head-of-School include the following:

• Excellent interpersonal skills which includes; being approachable, an excellent listener and an effective communicator.
• Someone who embraces, respects, understands and values the diversity represented across the AISA learning community.
• A leader capable of earning the respect of multiple stakeholder groups and subsequently unifying the school community around the core foundational elements of the school which include: Mission, Vision, Core Values and Profile of the Graduate.
• Someone who is able to both attract and retain outstanding faculty, staff and administrators as a result of the enthusiasm, commitment and level of professionalism that is consistently represented in interactions with these employee groups.
• A leader who is daily observed to love her/his work, cares deeply about individuals within the school community and infuses a great degree of enthusiasm, joy and commitment  to the daily operation of the school.       

Salary and Benefits

The salary and benefit package for the Head-of-School is competitive and will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience.

Procedure for Submitting an Application

The Board of Governors of the AISA has appointed Search Associates as its partner in its search for a Head-of-School, with Dr. Brent Mutsch serving as the lead consultant. The deadline for applications for the position is October 13, 2019. Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials listed below as early as possible as the Search Committee reserves the right to close the selection process at any time if the right candidate is identified.

The review of files will begin as soon as applications are received. Finalists will be selected by the Search Committee and at least three finalists will be identified. Finalist candidates together with their spouse (if applicable) will be invited to Abuja to meet with the Board of Governors, visit the school and meet with faculty, non-teaching staff, parents, students and administrators.

The new Head-of-School will be selected at the conclusion of the site visit, final interviews, and reference checks. The new Head-of-School will assume his/her professional responsibilities in August 2020.

Candidates should send the information listed below as a single pdf file attached to an email:

• A letter of application, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in the Head-of-School position at AISA.
• A statement describing your management and educational philosophy, not to exceed two pages.
• A current résumé not to exceed two pages.
• A one-page list of references who have served as immediate supervisors with current addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
• A maximum of four letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.

Total document size should be kept to less than four (4) MB if possible. Applications should be sent to: bmutsch@searchassociates.com .  Additional information about the American School of Abuja can be found on the school’s web site at < www.aisabuja.org> .

Dr. Brent Mutsch                                                      Tel: 970-368-6879 USA – Mountain Time Zone

Skype: brentmutsch                                                           Email: bmutsch@searchassociates.com