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Head of School
Kazakhstan International School - Astana (Kazakhstan)

 

 

The Kazakhstan International School of Astana, Kazakhstan

seeks a

Head of School

Commencing August 2026

 

The School

KIS Almaty was founded in 1999 to serve the educational needs of the international expatriate community. As the School grew, many local Kazakhstan families have become part of the School community together with expatriate families from government, diplomatic, business, and social welfare organizations.

As a result of the success of KIS in Almaty, the Founder of KIS Almaty and the Advisory Board decided to open a new school, in Astana, based on the Mission and Vision of KIS Almaty. The school started operations, from Kindergarten to grade 5, in a newly built facility from September 2024. Now in its second year, the school has expanded to grade 9 with an enrollment of 350 students.

KIS is governed by an Advisory Board, most of whom are parents or were parents of the School. We are known for our new, impressive facility, great student results, supportive parents, motivated students, and professional faculty. KIS maintains a comprehensive website, containing numerous documents and reports, which potential applicants will find useful at http://www.kisnet.org/.

Campus and Facilities

Our campus in Astana covers six hectares (about fifteen acres) and offers state-of-the-art facilities to our students, including a performing arts theater/auditorium, library, science laboratories, design center, Early Learning Center, cafeteria, gymnasiums, and extensive sports facilities. The school has the capacity to accommodate nearly 1,000 students. The campus is located in the heart of the Astana Business District, approximately 4km from the city center and 20 km from the Astana International Airport.

Curriculum and Accreditation

KIS Astana has applied for candidate status in PYP and MYP; seeking to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) organization to offer the IB Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes. As the school grows, candidate status for the Diploma Programme will also be sought. KIS Astana will be authorized by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and is in the process of applying for accreditation from American and international agencies.

Faculty

The KIS Astana faculty will continue to be drawn from other international schools around the world who are committed to high standards of achievement, exemplified by being highly qualified and who have continuous access to current instructional materials and teaching strategies. The School actively supports and encourages the professional growth of its faculty and staff; teachers enjoy an excellent benefits package and savings potential. Astana is a safe and interesting place to live, with a fascinating history and cultural heritage. It is expected that most faculty will stay for multiple contracts.

The Student Body

As part of KIS Astana’s development, students will be enrolled from the diversified and rapidly growing population of Astana, from Early Childhood through to Grade 12. Kazakhs will comprise approximately 60%-70% of the student population with an average class size of twenty students.

The School Advisory Board

An Advisory Board is the governing body of the School; it exists to ensure students receive the best education, that our teachers have all the resources to teach and benefit from a constructive working environment, and that the School budget is well-funded to support our Mission, Vision and Values.

The Country and City

Location: Central Asia

Time Zone: Five hours ahead of Central Europe Standard Time (GMT + 6) – no day light savings time practice

Area: 2,724,900 square kilometers (1,052,100 sq mi) – equivalent to the size of Western Europe, the world's largest landlocked country, and the ninth largest in the world

Population: 18.3 million (est. 2018)

Largest cities: Almaty (1.7 million), Astana (1 million), Shymkent (0.7 million), Karaganda (0.5 million).

Main Ethnic Groups: Ethnic Kazakhs are 63.1% of the population and ethnic Russians in Kazakhstan are 23.7%

Religions: 70% of the population is Muslim, 26% Christian (mostly Christian Orthodox)

Official Language: Kazakh and Russian   

Currency: Tenge (KZT)

Capital: Astana

Kazakhstan shares borders of 6,846 kilometers (4,254 mi) with Russia, 2,203 kilometers (1,369 mi) with Uzbekistan, 1,533 kilometers (953 mi) with China, 1,051 kilometers (653 mi) with Kyrgyzstan, and 379 kilometers (235 mi) with Turkmenistan. It lies between latitudes 40° and 56° N, and longitudes 46° and 88° E. While located primarily in Asia, a small portion of Kazakhstan is also located west of the Urals in Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan's terrain extends west to east from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the oases and deserts of Central Asia. The Kazakh Steppe (plain), with an area of around 804,500 square kilometers (310,600 sq mi), occupies one-third of the country and is the world's largest dry steppe region. The steppe is characterized by large areas of grasslands and sandy regions. Major seas, lakes and rivers include the Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash and Lake Zaysan, the Charyn River and gorge and the Ili, Irtysh, Ishim, Ural and Syr Darya rivers.

Climate

Kazakhstan has an "extreme" continental climate, with warm summers and very cold winters. Indeed, Astana is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar. Precipitation varies between arid and semi-arid conditions, the winter being particularly dry.

Head of School – JOB DESCRIPTION

The Head of School is responsible for implementing the Mission and Vision of this School.  He/she is an ex-officio member of the School’s Advisory Board and is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the School. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Supports and advances the Mission, Vision and Beliefs of the Kazakhstan International School of Astana.
• Supports student learning and achievement through cooperative effort and best practices.
• Supports and promotes the K to Grade 12 curriculum based upon IB goals and mission.
• Supports and advances international education.
• Incorporates current research and best practices in decision making.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Head will be responsible for:
• Hiring both local and overseas faculty.
• Assisting the Kazakh Human Resources Manager to hire local staff for the administrative and operational aspects of the running of the school.
• Working with the Advisory Board and KIS Astana and KIS Almaty Marketing personnel to continuously develop marketing programs and supporting materials to reach prospective Astana parents.
• Working with a locally appointed Admissions Office to enroll prospective students. The guidelines on Admissions follow those of KIS Almaty.
• Liaising will the Head of School in KIS Almaty, the KIS Almaty Advisory Board and other designated personnel to ensure that the school’s operation, policies, curriculum and various programs are in alignment between the two schools.

Operations

•  Advise the staff and Advisory Board on policy development and all matters pertaining to the operation and welfare of the School.
• Implement Advisory Board policies, in line with those of KIS Almaty.
• Represent the School within and outside of the community.
• Keep the Advisory Board informed about the programs and practices of the School.
• Be accountable to the Advisory Board with respect to all aspects of safety and child protection matters at the School to ensure a safe and secure campus.

School Management

• Serve as Chief Executive Officer of the School.
• Develop long range strategic plans for the School and implement these plans when approved by the Advisory Board.
• Maintain adequate records for the School including a system of personnel, School population and scholastic records. Maintain adequate financial accounts, business, and property records, with the assistance of the Finance Manager. Act as a custodian of such records.
• Establish and maintain educational standards and practices corresponding to principles mentioned in the statutes and policies.
• Determine admissibility and placement of prospective students.
• Ensure timely applications to obtain IB PYP, MYP and DP accreditations.
• Develop a plan to obtain MSA accreditation, in line with KIS Almaty experiences.

Educational Programs

• Provide for the organization, planning, evaluation, and reporting needed to implement the IB curriculum.
• Keep informed of modern educational thought and practices by advanced study, visiting other schools and attending educational conferences.

Finance

• Supervise the preparation and presentation of the annual budget, with the assistance of the Finance Manager, to the Advisory Board.
• Establish and maintain efficient procedures and effective controls for the management of School funds in accordance with Advisory Board Policy and sound fiscal management practice.
• Provide the School Advisory Board with ongoing input regarding continuing long-range fiscal plans and strategies.
• Submit to the Advisory Board a clear and detailed explanation of any proposed budget changes.

Communications/Public Relations

• Represent the School in the wider community through a program of publicity, public relations, and marketing to keep the public informed as to the activities and successes of the School.
• Initiate and oversee marketing opportunities.

Personnel Management

• Be responsible for the employment, promotion, re-assignment, non-renewal and termination of all employees and contractors.
• Develop and monitor the School’s appraisal and mentoring program.
• Inform the Advisory Board of any personnel problems where appropriate.
• Maintain an “open door” policy for all staff and teachers.
• With the Human Resources department, maintain records of training, experience, professional growth, quality of performance and other pertinent data.

Support Services

• Develop long range plans for facilities and campus management and advancement.
• Oversee the development of capital improvement projects.
• Ensure that all protocols with respect to emergency procedures are followed and actively enforced.

The above responsibilities are not necessarily exclusive; it is expected that the Head of School perform additional duties as assigned by the Advisory Board in the yearly goals and objectives.      

KEY PRIORITIES

• Successful IB accreditations for PYP, MYP and IB on tight deadlines.
• Consolidating top quality Primary and Secondary education curricula.
• Establishment of a solid foundation of systems, processes and policies.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants should possess a Master’s or Doctoral degree in Education with successful international school leadership experience as a Head of School, preferably of an IB World School.

The successful candidate will have most of the following qualities and experience:

•  Is a skilled and motivating teacher.
• Derives joy from the process of learning and pursuing personal growth.
• Communicates optimism about the future of education and the School.
• Has sound judgment to balance idealism and pragmatism.
• Is interested and accomplished in managing both the nitty-gritty and the big picture.
• Has significant experience in getting it wrong but exhibits professionalism in leading a team in pursuit of getting it right!
• Has the capacity to understand others.
• Is present in the school and local community.
• Ability to take a hands-on approach to drive, innovative, creative, and student-centered improvements.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent planning, problem solving, time management and organizational skills.
• Cross-cultural openness, understanding and sensitivity.
• Capacity to develop a safe, secure, and nurturing learning community.
• Experience in successful completion of accreditation processes.
• Not afraid of hands-on operational engagement required and typical of newly-created schools.

CONTRACT AND TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

The contract will be for an initial term of three years, renewable thereafter by mutual agreement. The successful candidate will be offered a highly competitive employment package commensurate with his/her experience and skills.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Suitably qualified candidates should send the information, listed below, to Mr. Hans Dewaele, Chairman of the Advisory Board, by email (hansdewaele@kisnet.org), to arrive as soon as possible, but no later than 1^st October 2025. The following information needs to be sent as a single PDF file.

• A one-page letter of application, outlining your qualifications and experiences as a Head of School.
• A two-page Curriculum Vitae + recent photo.
• A one-page statement of educational and leadership philosophy.
• The names and full contact details of at least three professional referees.

 

Finalists will be invited to Astana and/or Almaty together with other applicants during November 2025. It is expected that spouses/partners, as applicable, be in attendance. The Advisory Board reserves the option to invite selected candidates for interviews in advance of this schedule.