Vice Principal

Whole-school role · EY1 to Grade 12 · Abu Dhabi, UAE
Starting January 2027, no later than March 2027

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, 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. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks.

Key Responsibilities: 

Six areas make up the working week. They are held alongside the Principal, the Head of Primary and the Head of Secondary, and in close partnership with HR and Operations.

Safeguarding and child protection

• Hold the designated safeguarding lead function for the whole school: policy, procedures, records and case management.
• Own safeguarding training, reporting routes and referral relationships with external
  agencies.

School improvement

• Collaborate on improvement systems and structures: community input, writing, implementation and review.
• Turn evidence into priorities the whole school can act on.
• Monitor progress against the school improvement plan and report to the Principal
  and Taaleem.

Wellbeing and student experience

• Share leadership of student and staff wellbeing, attendance, punctuality and behaviour.
• Hold accountability for before- and afterschool programmes.
• Provide strategic oversight of inclusion, ECPs, arts, sport, student leadership, sustainability and buses.

Compliance and accreditation

• Maintain the integrity of the Taaleem, ADEK and Raha policy suite through scheduled review and version control.
• Lead inspection and accreditation documentation.
• Chair the Cultural Compliance Consideration Committee and liaise with regulatory and
  government entities.

Professional learning and appraisal

• Own the appraisal and development cycle, including BlueSky administration and
  moderation of quality.
• Lead the design of the CPD offer, leadership programming and the coaching programme.
• Lead induction and onboarding of new staff; manage educational subscriptions and their value.

Safety, operations and deputising

• Lead Occupational Safety and Health and the Emergency Response Team.
• Work as a visible senior leader across both primary and secondary phases.
• Deputise for the Principal as required.

Essential:

• Five or more years of relevant senior leadership experience at an accredited international school.
• Ten or more years of experience in international schools, and a working knowledge of diverse international school systems.
• Substantial International Baccalaureate experience.
• Prior designation as Child Protection Officer or Designated Safeguarding Lead, with significant safeguarding experience.
• Experience of Occupational Safety and Health and of leading an Emergency Response Team.
• Experience of working in a large school context, ideally 1,500 students or more.
• A record of school improvement across all aspects of strategic planning — from community input, to writing, to implementation.
• Experience developing ongoing professional learning and appraisal programmes.
• Experience maintaining the integrity of school policies through regular review and compliance requirements.
• Experience of working with regulatory bodies, accreditation systems and governmental entities.
• Alignment with the Raha Gardens mission and values, and with Taaleem values.

Desirable

• UAE experience, including ADEK/KHDA requirements.
• IB continuum experience across PYP, MYP, DP and CP.
• Leading a CIS or IB self-study and evaluation cycle.
• Familiarity with appraisal platforms such as BlueSky.
• Coaching qualifications or experience of building a leadership pipeline.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or NPQH, and a recognised teaching certification.
• Knowledge of international accreditation, inspection and evaluation frameworks; strategic planning, child protection, and health and safety; financial acumen; and the
  management of human and physical resources.
• All appointments are subject to ADEK equivalency and attestation of certificates,
  and to satisfactory child protection screening.

What to submit

• A letter of application addressed to the Principal, of no more than one page, setting out why this role and this school.
• A curriculum vitae of no more than two pages.
• A one-page statement of your leadership philosophy, including your approach to safeguarding and to staff wellbeing.
• Names and contact details of three professional referees, one of whom must be your current line manager.
• Referees are contacted only with your consent.