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Principal (Head of School)
DSB International School (India)
Appointed - Mr. Richard Bartlett
Nov 5, 2019
Dec 7, 2019
DSB INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
MUMBAI, INDIA
seeks a new
PRINCIPAL
(equivalent position to Head of School)
--effective August 2020--
THE OPPORTUNITY
Founded in 1961, DSB International School is set in historic South Mumbai. It is a leading International Day School that offers a holistic and rigorous education for students from early years to the IBDP.
DSB is seeking a dynamic educational leader with exceptional communication skills, who is able to effectively and inclusively lead a diverse community of faculty, staff, students and families. The open and liberal environment at DSB offers an exceptional opportunity for a forward-thinking Principal (equivalent position to a Head of School) to build and shape a vibrant community of learners in their pursuit of the love of learning and excellence.
The Principal reports to the DSB Board and serves as the school-wide leader, working with the leadership team and other relevant stakeholders, to ensure the effective implementation of policies, practices, and programs. In particular, the Principal should possess the following experience, qualities and personal attributes.
Required Experience:
- Head of School/Superintendent/Director experience of at least 2 years
- Proven track record of demonstrated educational leadership experience and success
- A graduate degree (MA, MS, Ed.D., Ph.D.) in education or educational leadership
- Experience working with the IB Diploma Programme and ideally also the IGCSE
- Demonstrated commitment to a multi-year tenure of service
Professional Qualities:
- Aligning strategic priorities and facilities planning as a systems thinker, including the ability to develop and implement a long-term strategic plan, along with experience in financial planning and management
- Organizational management skills, including overseeing multiple facilities and locations
- Creating a culture where high aspirations for excellence and a love of learning go hand in hand
- Capability to build strong academic success foundations for the school starting with the ability to recruit, develop and retain highly qualified teachers
- Advancing the school through marketing, networking, and developing mutually beneficial partnerships
- Fostering channels of communication and support within the school community, to create a positive and inclusive school environment
Important Attributes:
- Alignment with DSB values of empowerment in community, creativity in effort and responsibility in thinking
- A collaborator at heart, with demonstrated ability to work harmoniously and effectively with all key stakeholders - teachers, students, parents and the board
- An ambassador for the school, able to position and promote the school’s standing in a competitive market; a visible and engaged leader in the life of the school
- Supportive, empathetic and compassionate, yet able to make difficult decisions in the best interests of students and the entire school community
- Internationally minded and culturally sensitive, with a commitment to developing minds, building character and creating community
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, which include being approachable, being a good listener, and being an effective communicator verbally and in writing (fluency in English required)
SALARY & BENEFITS
The compensation package will be internationally competitive and commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications. Further details will be provided to finalist candidates.
THE SCHOOL
DSB International School is a 58 year-old not-for-profit, co-educational day school, set in historic South Mumbai, serving students aged 3-18. We are committed to empowering lifelong learners by providing the best for every child. A joyful place with an international spirit, we at DSB welcome all students and empower them to attain their full potential. Our child centered education philosophy allows each student to thrive, with a focus on cultivating extraordinary thinkers and doers, fully prepared to navigate the world.
Vision
We are a school for the global community that prepares students to become successful change-makers of the future.
Mission
DSB provides an internationally-minded learning environment, emphasising academic excellence while empowering each student to develop their knowledge, skills and personal attributes to their own highest potential. We help build character and engage as a community, ensuring that each individual who walks out of the doors of DSB is aware, confident and ready for life.
Our Learning Aims and Values
DSB Philosophy
Our educational philosophy, supporting excellence in all our students, is succinctly summarized by our learning aims and values. Embodied in these is the belief that teachers should value diversity and provide a nurturing environment, striving for excellence and enabling students to fulfil their potential. We have our eyes firmly fixed on the future; of our students as learners, and as members of society, on the future of schools and education, and how we can groom our students to meet as yet unknown challenges. As a school, we instill a sense of belonging with a common goal, to support the holistic development of our students, as they embrace a global community, whilst engaging in the vibrant city of Mumbai.
The DSB Campus
The school is housed across two campuses.
Garden Campus (for nursery to Grade 3), is located in the residential Breach Candy area of South Mumbai. With the coast of the Arabian Sea at the rear of the beautiful bungalow in which the school is housed, and the lawned garden complete with the ancient frangipani tree, the school is an idyllic setting in which the youngest of our children can play and learn.
Aurum House, our secondary campus from grade 4 to 12 is located adjacent to the famous Babulnath Temple and Chowpatty Beach with its iconic curve known as the Queen's Necklace close by.
The school is designed to bring to life our ethos of dynamic learning. Sliding walls and moveable screens and furniture provide the flexibility to create intimate spaces for group discussions and smaller study groups, or larger spaces for seminars and broader school events like awards evenings, music events, and TEDx Talks. Cave spaces for focused activities are created in nooks or by moving specially designed furniture. The school has three well equipped laboratories with state of the art technology imported from Germany. Partially covered learning terraces are available for activities such as art and sculpture, and the roof terrace allow students to experience their sporting activities whilst enjoying 360o panoramic views of Mumbai.
In August 2020, students at Aurum House will move into a brand-new purpose-built school in Lower Parel. This area is a bustling entertainment and business district, morphing into a centre for the city’s famed entrepreneurial, consumer, and economic activities.
This move brings us an exciting opportunity to separately run two European schools on the same campus. Co-located with the French School, the vision is to create a first of its kind (in India) Euro Campus. While both schools will be run as separate and distinct entities, we look forward to the opportunity to closely collaborate and build both educational and social cooperation.
Community
DSB is incomparably international with over 240 students from more than 35 countries as diverse as Switzerland, Japan, Italy and Brazil, and a teaching cohort from more than seven different countries. This unique combination of teachers and learners creates an environment that truly fosters diversity.
While our roots are as a school started by German parents for their children while in Bombay, DSB has grown to expand and welcome Indian and International students. To date, DSB remains a warm and welcoming community of learners, teachers and parents. The deliberate choice of remaining a small school, allows a high degree of personalised care tailored to each child’s needs, whether it is additional challenge or extra support.
Curriculum
In the year 2000 the school opened the International Section, but the German roots remain with the continued existence of a small German Section which offers a German curriculum. Learning of the German Language remains central to who we are to this day.
The Early Years Department provides a warm and friendly introduction to school life. The curriculum, as set forth by the British Association for Early Childhood Education, is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which recognises the importance of nurturing positive relationships and tailoring the environment to meet the needs and interests of each unique child.
The Primary School begins with Kindergarten and goes up to Grade 5. From Kindergarten to grade 8 the school follows the English National Curriculum. We are the only school in Mumbai to do so.
DSB offers Cambridge IGCSE for Grades 9 and 10, and the IB Diploma Programme for Grades 11 and 12. The German section follows the German Schools Overseas Curriculum for South Asia, based on the curriculum of the state of Thüringen. It runs from Kindergarten to Grade 8, with students joining the international section for English, French, Hindi, and Music, and often some other subjects in Secondary. From 2020, we will also be offering the opportunity to do the G-IB with additional subjects like Biology, Chemistry, History or Math, all in German.
Extra-Curricular Activities
In addition to world-class academic programmes, we offer a vast array of activities designed to enrich student learning, encourage creativity, broaden horizons, and develop additional skills such as resilience and teamwork. From Taekwondo and Cooking Club, to the school band and photography, there are a variety of options that allow students to explore and discover.
LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE:
The responsibility of the Deutscher Schulverein in Bombay Society (the legal entity of DSB) is entrusted to a Committee of Governors. The Governors partner with the Principal to develop the strategic direction of the school in line with the school’s vision, mission and values. The Governing Committee consists of up to 15 members elected by the parent body and one member of the German Consulate, who is a non-voting member.
The school has a strongly distributed leadership model with the Heads of Early Years, Primary, Secondary, German Section, IGCSE and IBDP forming the senior management team along with the Principal. The senior management team manages day to day operations of the school. The Principal reports to the Governing Committee.
PROCEDURE FOR FILING AN APPLICATION
The Governing Committee of DSB has appointed Search Associates as its partner in its search for a Principal, with Dr. Brent Mutsch and Dr. Norma Hudson serving as the lead consultants. The deadline for applications for the position is December 7, 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 should the right candidate be identified.
Candidates should submit the following information in the format requested:
- A letter of application, no longer than two pages, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in this particular position
- A current resume not to exceed two pages
- A list of references of immediate supervisors, including current email addresses and phone numbers
- A maximum of three letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.
Please note that all materials must be scanned into a single pdf attachment of 4MB or less and sent to Search Associates at the email addresses listed below. Please send the complete application to both: bmutsch@searchassociates.com and nhudson@searchassociates.com.
Dr. Brent Mutsch
Tel: 970-368-6879 Mountain Time Zone
Skype: brentmutsch
Email: bmutsch@searchassociates.com
Dr. Norma Hudson
Tel: 970-389-1906 Mountain Time Zone
Skype: normajhudson
Email: nhudson@searchassociates.com
The review of applications will begin as soon as applications are received. Qualified candidates will be interviewed and potentially forwarded to the DSB Search Committee for further review. Finalist candidates (with spouses, if applicable) will be invited to Mumbai to visit the campuses and meet with members of the Board of Trustees, leadership team, faculty, staff, parents, and students in January. The new Principal will be selected at the end of the site visit, finalist interviews, and reference checks, and will assume his/her professional responsibilities in August 2020.
Additional information about DSB may be found on the school’s website (https://dsbindia.com/).
