Opening For Head of School or Principal ICSE / IGCSE School | Thane

HEAD OF SCHOOL / PRINCIPAL

Confidential Partner School | Thane, Mumbai

Location: Thane, Mumbai
Position: Head of School / Principal
Employment Type: Full-Time | Permanent
Reporting To: CEO / Owner
Work Schedule: MondayFriday: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Working Saturdays: 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
1st, 3rd & 5th Saturdays: Off
Compensation: 20–25 Lakhs per annum, commensurate with experience and qualifications

ABOUT THE ROLE

A reputed Confidential Partner School in Thane, Mumbai is looking for an accomplished and dynamic Head of School / Principal to provide end-to-end academic, administrative, and strategic leadership to the institution.

The role is suited for an experienced school leader with a strong track record in ICSE / IGCSE / international school environments, who can drive academic excellence while effectively managing faculty, students, parents, operations, admissions, and school development.

The Principal will work closely with the CEO / Owner and leadership team to strengthen academic outcomes, institutional culture, parent engagement, faculty performance, and overall school growth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic School Leadership

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the school.
• Translate the management's vision into clear annual plans, priorities, and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with the CEO / Owner on strategic planning, school development, budgets, and key institutional decisions.
• Drive a culture of accountability, excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor school-wide KPIs covering academics, admissions, retention, people, parent engagement, and operations.
• Present regular performance updates and improvement plans to the management.

2. Academic Excellence

• Provide strong instructional and academic leadership across the school.
• Ensure effective curriculum planning, implementation, assessment, and reporting.
• Monitor student achievement and learning outcomes through academic data.
• Work closely with Academic Coordinators, HODs, and teachers to strengthen teaching-learning practices.
• Drive continuous improvement in academic standards and student performance.
• Promote experiential, inquiry-based, differentiated, and student-centric learning.
• Encourage effective integration of technology and innovative pedagogical practices.

3. ICSE / IGCSE Curriculum Leadership

• Ensure strong understanding and implementation of ICSE and/or IGCSE curriculum frameworks.
• Monitor curriculum coverage, assessment standards, examination readiness, and academic progression.
• Ensure alignment between curriculum objectives, classroom practices, assessments, and student outcomes.
• Stay updated on curriculum developments, board requirements, examination processes, and best practices.
• Experience with both ICSE and IGCSE will be an advantage.

4. Faculty & Leadership Development

• Build and lead a high-performing academic and administrative leadership team.
• Partner with HR to attract, select, and retain high-quality teaching and non-teaching talent.
• Ensure structured induction, mentoring, professional development, and performance management.
• Conduct regular reviews of faculty performance and classroom effectiveness.
• Identify capability gaps and implement development plans.
• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, feedback, and professional accountability.
• Develop succession plans for key academic and leadership positions.

5. Student Well-being & School Culture

• Ensure a safe, inclusive, respectful, and nurturing environment for students.
• Champion student well-being, holistic development, discipline, and character building.
• Ensure effective implementation of child protection and safeguarding practices.
• Address student concerns and disciplinary matters fairly and consistently.
• Promote student participation, leadership, co-curricular activities, and overall development.

6. Parent & Stakeholder Management

• Build strong and trusted relationships with parents and the wider school community.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for significant parent concerns.
• Ensure clear, timely, and professional communication with parents.
• Lead parent orientations, meetings, school forums, and institutional events.
• Represent the school with external stakeholders and the wider education community.
• Build relationships with relevant educational institutions and professional networks.

7. Admissions & School Growth

• Partner with the management and admissions team to achieve enrolment and retention objectives.
• Monitor admissions pipeline, conversion, retention, and parent feedback.
• Support initiatives that strengthen the school's positioning and reputation.
• Identify opportunities for improving parent experience and student retention.
• Align academic capacity, staffing, and infrastructure with planned student growth.

8. Operations, Governance & Compliance

• Oversee the smooth day-to-day functioning of the school.
• Work closely with academic, administration, HR, finance, transport, security, and facilities teams.
• Ensure compliance with applicable board, statutory, safety, and school requirements.
• Ensure effective implementation of school policies and procedures.
• Oversee school inspections, audits, examinations, events, and other institutional requirements.
• Maintain high standards of safety, discipline, infrastructure, and operational readiness.

9. Financial & Resource Management

• Participate in annual budgeting and financial planning.
• Ensure effective utilisation of school resources.
• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets.
• Work with the management and finance team on resource planning and cost optimisation.
• Ensure financial decisions support academic quality and the overall student experience.

10. Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and monitor measurable KPIs across academic, operational, people, admissions, and student outcomes.
• Review school performance data regularly and initiate corrective actions.
• Drive structured school improvement initiatives.
• Ensure leadership teams remain accountable for agreed goals and deliverables.
• Create a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Master's degree in Education, Educational Leadership, Management, or a related discipline.
• B.Ed. / M.Ed. or equivalent teaching qualification preferred.
• 15+ years of overall experience in education.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a senior school leadership role, preferably as Principal, Head of School, Vice Principal, or equivalent.
• Strong preference for candidates with significant experience in ICSE and/or IGCSE schools.
• Candidates with experience in reputed international / Cambridge / CISCE schools will be preferred.
• Proven experience leading a complete school function, including academics, faculty, student affairs, parent relations, operations, and admissions.
• Strong understanding of curriculum planning, assessment, examination systems, and academic quality.
• Experience managing large teaching and non-teaching teams.
• Demonstrated experience in parent and stakeholder management.
• Exposure to school inspections, accreditation, affiliation, compliance, and regulatory processes will be an advantage.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

We are looking for a seasoned education leader who brings:

Strong ICSE / IGCSE Experience
Academic & Instructional Leadership
People & Faculty Leadership
Parent & Stakeholder Management
School Operations & Governance
Admissions & School Growth
Student Well-being & Safeguarding
Strategic Planning & Execution

The ideal candidate should be able to balance academic rigour with strong people leadership, while partnering effectively with the CEO / Owner to drive the school's next phase of growth.

WHAT THE SCHOOL