Head of Business and Economics

Safeguarding Commitment

Dubai British School Jumeirah Park is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting student welfare. All staff are expected to uphold high standards of child protection practices, and all successful applicants will undergo comprehensive background checks.

Job Purpose

The Head of the Business and Economics Department is responsible for delivering an outstanding academic programme aligned with the KHDA and BSO framework for Outstanding education, requiring strong subject expertise and strategic leadership to foster a culture of high expectations, innovation, and inclusive teaching that drives academic excellence. This role demands modelling exemplary practice and continuously raising standards within the department to support the school’s vision for outstanding teaching and learning, while leading on rigorous quality assurance, data-informed decision-making, curriculum innovation, and the development of impactful learning experiences that prepare students for further study and the evolving global economy. Central to the role is embedding real-world relevance into Business and Economics education, with a particular emphasis on Dubai’s economic landscape, government initiatives, entrepreneurial ecosystem, and strategic growth sectors, ensuring the curriculum reflects global economic trends while highlighting the UAE’s economic diversification, business environment, and future-focused national vision, enabling students to connect meaningfully with both local and international contexts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yngvF4SF4LY

Key Responsibilities

1. Curriculum and Instructional Leadership

• Stay up to date with curriculum developments, best practices in international business and economics education, and advances in economic and business research, bringing these into the department where relevant.
• Plan, implement, and review the Business and Economics curriculum in alignment with the school’s aims and objectives, ensuring relevance to global and local geographical contexts, including Dubai’s urban development and environmental sustainability initiatives.
• Develop detailed schemes of work that reflect best practices in pedagogy, fostering critical thinking and communication skills across all levels.
• Develop cross-curricular links with other subjects, particularly in areas such as sustainability, social responsibility, STEM, and global development, to enhance student learning.
• Monitor curriculum implementation, adapting instructional strategies to meet KHDA’s outstanding criteria.

2. Data-Informed Student Progress and Attainment

• Analyse and use departmental data to inform targeted improvement plans, ensuring all students demonstrate measurable progress and achieve outstanding standards in Business and Economics.
• Establish systems for regular purposeful student assessment and feedback, standardise assessments, and use evidence-based evaluation practices to enhance learning outcomes.

3. Staff Development and Collaboration

• Mentor and coach Business and Economics department staff, promoting continuous improvement in teaching practices and supporting their professional growth through purposeful execution of the school's appraisal systems.
• Oversee the department’s appraisal process, ensuring all individual targets are strategically aligned with both departmental and whole-school improvement priorities.
• Establish clear performance metrics to hold staff accountable and drive measurable outcomes.
• Lead departmental training, aligning with National, Departmental, Whole school improvement plans for outstanding teaching and learning.
• Foster a culture of collaborative learning through team meetings and professional development, shared improvement, and evidence-based instructional practices.
• Strengthen collaboration with other Heads of Department in Secondary and other counterparts across the school to ensure that the subject curriculum builds progressively and coherently across all key stages supporting seamless transitions for students.
• Ensure staff create Business and Economics classrooms and learning environments that are dynamic and engaging,
  reflecting the subject’s real-world relevance and the latest geographical research.

4. Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Oversee the quality of teaching within the department by conducting lesson observations and learning walks, monitoring marking and assessment practices and feedback loops, and aligning teaching with improvement priorities.
• Conduct regular reviews and updates of departmental policies, ensuring consistency in lesson planning, marking, and assessment in line with the DBSJP approach and KHDA framework.

5. Operational Management

• Efficiently manage resources, overseeing the ordering, maintenance, and distribution of materials and equipment within the allocated budget.
• Work with the timetable on staff assignments, teaching group organisation, and room allocation to maximise learning opportunities.
• Ensure the department’s teaching spaces are safe, inspiring, and conducive to learning.

6. Community and Communication

• Liaise with parents and external stakeholders, fostering strong home-school partnerships and communicating effectively on departmental achievements and areas for development.
• Encourage student leadership and voice within the department, building a community where students are enthusiastic about Business and Economics.
• Represent the department in whole-school forums, contributing to curriculum planning, timetabling, and strategic development. Ensure that DBSJP is represented in the wider networks of the UAE such as BSME.

7. Departmental Planning and Review

• Create an improvement plan to drive department improvement, aligning with the KHDA and BSO outstanding criteria, the School Development Plan and ensuring strategic objectives are set and reviewed regularly.
• Document and provide qualitative and quantitative evidence demonstrating alignment with the above and any applicable inspection/accreditation frameworks.

8. Examination and NEA Requirements

• Oversee the planning, administration, and quality assurance of all examination and NEA (Non-Exam Assessment) requirements, ensuring alignment with exam board specifications and adherence to all relevant policies and deadlines.
• Ensure that all assessment practices meet the highest standards, with accurate and transparent tracking of students’ progress from formative assessments through to final examinations.
• Coordinate and support staff in understanding and implementing BTEC assessment frameworks at Level 2 and 3, providing training where necessary to ensure assessments are both fair and rigorous.
• Develop strategies for analysing and utilising attainment and progress data within the department, using insights to drive outstanding student outcomes.
• Regularly monitor student progress data, identifying trends, celebrating successes, and implementing targeted interventions to ensure that attainment and progress reflect the school's outstanding standards.

9. Standards

• Act as a model for outstanding teaching and uphold a culture of excellence in learning.
• Keep updated with curriculum advancements and best practices, particularly within international schools through organisations like BSME and KHDA-inspected schools.
• Ensure that students receive the best possible preparation for internal and external assessments.

Person Specification

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics or a related subject, along with a recognised teaching qualification or license.

Experience:  A minimum of four years’ teaching experience, with previous middle leadership or Head of Department experience preferred.

Competencies:

Experience with international curricula (e.g., IGCSE, A-Level and BTEC) and working with inspection/accreditation bodies such as KHDA and BSO.

Strong data analysis skills to inform departmental strategies and planning.

Attributes:

Reflective, resilient, and able to inspire others toward outstanding standards.

Student-centered, with a commitment to inclusive practices and high expectations for all students.

Effective communicator, capable of engaging staff, students, and parents in the vision