Upload
Job Headline
Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is seeking an inspirational and exceptional Director of Sport to join the founding team and become part of the legacy.
Job Description
Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment.
All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month.
Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is seeking an exceptional Director of Sport to join the founding team and become part of the legacy.
As part of our founding team, you will play a pivotal role in building a vibrant and inclusive community where the learning of every individual is at the heart of daily life. Guided by the Harrow values, our staff will create an environment in which every pupil is nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their very best.
Within our state-of-the-art facilities, you will help establish a culture of academic and sporting excellence, creativity, and curiosity, ensuring that Harrow International School Abu Dhabi quickly takes its place among the leading international schools of the region.
Joining Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is not only an opportunity to teach — it is an invitation to shape and inspire generations to come.
The Director of Sport will provide strategic vision and exemplary leadership in the design and delivery of a world-class sports programme at Harrow International School. The post-holder will ensure that sport remains a distinctive and integral aspect of school life fully embedded within the academic curriculum and the wider co-curricular programme. The role requires a balance between promoting broad participation and establishing pathways for high performance, enabling every pupil via the games model to engage meaningfully in sport at an appropriate level.
The Director of Sport will hold accountability for shaping and sustaining a culture where sports reflect Harrow’s values of Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship and enhances the school’s holistic educational vision, ensuring that strategic design and cultural alignment underpin all aspects of the programme.
Key Accountabilities
Strategic Leadership and Management Responsibility:
-
Develop and deliver a clear vision for sport that reflects Harrow’s ethos and long-term goals.
-
Lead the strategic planning, development, and evaluation of the school’s sporting provision across all year groups.
-
Embed strategic design principles into the planning and delivery of all sports initiatives, ensuring coherence with Harrow’s long-term vision.
-
Promote high standards of performance and participation in all School sports.
-
Ensure that students, staff, parents, prospective students, and all other contributing parties understand the School’s Coaching Philosophy and Vision for Sport.
-
Encourage the sharing of best practice across all sports.
-
Keep the Head Master and respective school leadership team informed of national initiatives in sport with potential impact on Harrow, and advise them on the potential future development of sport at the School
-
Manage departmental budgets, facilities, and resources efficiently.
-
Take accountability for the cultivation of a positive sporting culture that champions inclusivity, resilience, and character development.
-
Promote Harrow’s reputation for culture of excellence, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Programme Development and Delivery:
-
Design and implement a broad and inclusive sports curriculum that encourages lifelong engagement and implement a progressive, age-appropriate curriculum that supports skill development, physical literacy, and a love for sport across all year groups.
-
Establish effective systems of monitoring, assessment, and reporting of student progress and participation.
-
Establish high-performance pathways for talented athletes while ensuring opportunities for all students.
-
Organise competitive fixtures, tournaments, and participation in local, regional, and international competitions.
-
Ensure strong integration of health, wellbeing, and physical fitness initiatives within the wider curriculum.
Team Leadership and Development:
-
Play a role in the appointment of staff and interview potential candidates.
-
Lead, inspire, and manage the Sports Department staff to deliver outstanding teaching and coaching.
-
Mentor and support the professional growth of the sports staff, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality training sessions and competitive fixtures.
-
Oversee professional development, appraisal, and succession planning within the department.
-
Model and reinforce the cultural expectations of Harrow, holding staff accountable for upholding the School’s values in all sporting contexts.
Community and Engagement:
-
Build strong partnerships with parents, local clubs, governing bodies, and international sporting organisations.
-
Foster links with prep, primary and secondary schools by, for example hosting events, visiting schools and coaching CPD workshops.
-
Promote Harrow sport as a vehicle for community engagement and international recognition.
-
Contribute to the wider co-curricular and where applicable the boarding life of the school.
Health, Safety and Safeguarding:
-
Ensure all activities comply with safeguarding, health, and safety requirements.
-
Ensure that appropriate level of medical and first aid support is available on match days.
Skills Description
Qualifications and Experience
-
Ability to think on a whole-school scale and across the full spectrum of sports
-
A clear understanding of safeguarding, health and safety, and risk management in a school sports context.
-
Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across the school and wider community.
-
Active engagement with external organisations and professionals in the field of sport
-
Skilled at managing resources, timetables and strategic planning.
Essential
-
A degree in Sports Science, Physical Education, or related discipline.
-
Significant experience of leadership within a high-performing sports department, in a British independent or international school.
-
Demonstrated success in developing and delivering elite and inclusive sports programmes.
-
A demonstrable record of achievement within their sporting discipline — for example, having represented their country, coached elite teams, or led successful sports programmes across multiple schools.
-
Strong subject knowledge in academic PE and Sports Science.
Leadership and Personal Qualities
-
Inspirational leadership with the ability to articulate and deliver a strategic vision.
-
A genuine love of working with young people and commitment to their holistic development.
-
Solutions-focused, with the highest levels of professionalism.
-
Collaborative, resilient and innovative in approach.
-
Passionate about sport as a vehicle for character development and lifelong wellbeing.
-
Willingness to embrace Harrow’s broad environment and approach to all-round education.
School Values and Behaviours
All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the school’s values which are: Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.
COURAGE
- We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
- We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
- We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
- We are open to new ideas, and seek fresh challenges.
HONOUR
- We keep our promises.
- We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
- We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.
HUMILITY
- We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
- We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
- We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part.
FELLOWSHIP
- We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
- We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
- We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that are important to us at Taaleem. We believe in diversity of thought and actively welcome everyone regardless of their background to bring their valuable and relevant skills to our community.
Note: It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
This advertisement is posted on behalf of Harrow International School Abu Dhabi which is part of the group owned by Taaleem Holdings PJSC and independently operated under a licence to use the Harrow School brand. For further details of the relationship, please see the relationship statement on the harrowdubai.ae website. Accordingly, applicants should be aware that the employer will be part of Taaleem Holdings PJSC’s group and under its control and not Harrow School.
Job Details
Job Title
Director of Sport - August 2027
Job Vacancy
Director of Sport
Job Country
United Arab Emirates
Job City
Abu Dhabi
Job Role
Teaching and Academics
Preferred Candidate
Career Level
Management
Harrow International School Abu Dhabi
In 2024, Harrow School entered into a landmark agreement with Taaleem, enabling the establishment of two new Harrow International Schools in the United Arab Emirates. This exciting partnership combines Harrow’s 450-year legacy of exceptional pedagogy with Taaleem’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standards of education. The Harrow International Schools UAE will offer world-class education rooted in the Harrow values of courage, honour, humility and fellowship, with a strong focus on preparing students for entry to world-class universities.
With a history dating back to 1572, Harrow’s heritage enriches the daily life of the School’s entire community, developing in pupils, staff, and parents a strong corporate spirit and a shared sense of belonging to something that transcends generations. Equally, Harrow Schools aim to be at the forefront of educational development in the 21st century, using inspiring teaching and coaching techniques, the most up-to-date technology, and top-class facilities and resources. The essence of Harrow is this balance between tradition and innovation, between continuity and change, between the old and the new.
The Harrow International Schools use Harrow School’s Name and Badge under a sub-licence granted by Harrow International Schools Limited (HISL), a trading subsidiary of the charity registered in England and Wales with charity number 310033 which owns Harrow School and its trademarks, in return for a fee. The educational, administrative, financial and other operational responsibilities of the Harrow International Schools are separate from those of Harrow School and rest with their owners and operators. The schools' fees are paid to their owners and operators and not to Harrow School or HISL. Under the sub-licence, the schools are required to reflect Harrow School’s educational purpose, practice, strategy and philosophy and each is regularly evaluated by representatives of HISL.