Middle School Principal – Search Associates – Qatar

Position PostedOct 1, 21

DeadlineNov 5, 21

The American School of Doha (ASD) is an English-language day school offering an American curriculum, pre-kindergarten to grade 12, for expatriate families and Qatari nationals who seek a comprehensive, caring, American standards-based curriculum program in an international setting. ASD is an independent, non-profit, coeducational day school operating under the policies and by-laws of a twelve- member Board of Directors and a nine-member Board of Trustees, which is chaired by the U.S. Ambassador.

The American School of Doha was founded in 1988 and opened in a villa to serve a small number of expatriate families. With increasing demand for high quality education in Qatar, a new campus was opened to house six hundred students in 1998-99, and with the explosive growth of Qatar in 2005, a new expansion project was undertaken that resulted in a new middle and high school on adjoining land and a complete renovation and expansion of the old campus for the elementary school. From 2013-2017, ASD underwent a $35M Campus Improvement Project to increase capacity and improve facilities across the entire school. This Campus Improvement Project has maximized the school footprint to allow for enrollment of up to 2288 students from pre-K to grade 12.

The surge of growth in ASD has resulted in the creation of a progressive school with an impressive and varied program that serves students from over 75 countries, including approximately 50% from North America and 12% from the host country of Qatar. The academic program has been a forerunner in professional learning and curriculum development, and the school enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence. Elementary and middle School students follow a U. S. standards-based curriculum in a comprehensive school setting. High school students can choose from the Advanced Placement program and the IB Diploma program as part of their American high school diploma. ASD is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and a certified IB Diploma School.

Mission, Vision, and Core Values

The ASD community is constantly renewing and challenging itself through an active strategic planning process, which establishes the vision, mission, and core values of the school. This is a community-wide process and involves parents, students, teachers, administrators, and board members.

ASD Mission

The American School of Doha is committed to the intellectual and personal development of our students, inspiring and empowering them to become positive, active global citizens.

ASD Vision

ASD is a future-focused community where learning is… Collaborative

Fun and engaging Extended beyond walls

Creative to foster innovation Sustained by responsible practices Data-informed and evidence-based Authentic, solving real-world problems

Encouraged in a technology enhanced environment

ASD is…where students are encouraged to extend their own learning.

ASD Values

The core values of ASD set the guidelines for how we live and work together to create an ethos at ASD where everyone is valued. All our disciplinary procedures are based on learning and helping students understand the importance of our core values in the life of the school. These values are:

Honesty Respect Responsibility Compassion

School Overview

The American School of Doha is characterized by a shared vision of learning that is supported by a strong practice of collaboration and a genuine commitment to professional growth and learning. This shared vision for student learning is supported by three key elements:

Our Students

Although over fifty percent of our students are North Americans (43% U.S. citizens & 11% Canadians), diversity is viewed as a strength of the school and is one of the experiences that our students refer to most when reflecting on their education at ASD.

The majority of our students attend colleges and universities in North America, and many of our Qatari students are opting to attend one of six prestigious American universities at Education City in Doha. Ninety-eight percent of our students continue their education after high school in North America, Qatar and in more than 20 countries around the globe.

The Community

Qatar is a leading center for the development and production of LNG (liquefied natural gas). The expatriate community has grown rapidly over the past several years because of the many projects associated with the gas and oil industry in Qatar. However, other initiatives by the Qatar government, especially in the areas of education, sports, and health services have widened the array of expatriates moving to Qatar. This, along with ancillary services in banking and construction, has made Qatar one of the great stories of the early part of the 21st century.

In recent years, Qatar has taken on a multitude of impressive construction projects, including a new skyline in the city as large-scale buildings are erected. The Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art on the corniche, a new airport, and the sporting facilities erected for international competition are some of the best in the world. In 2022, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup. Doha continues to invest heavily in infrastructure and cultural development to ensure its place on the world stage. Safe and modern, Doha is both an exciting and an easy place to live and work.

The Faculty

The ASD faculty consists of 215 teachers who are primarily from North America. In recent years, the staff has become more diverse, with the addition of teachers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and further afield. Approximately sixty percent of the faculty has advanced degrees. The middle school is led by the principal, who, along with a full-time associate principal, three counselors and one librarian, provide great experiences and guidance for our more than 500 middle school students.

The faculty is housed in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built family compound with resort-like facilities, including pool, tennis/squash courts, sauna, fitness center, restaurant and all the amenities needed to live comfortably. The school provides busing to and from the compound for staff (and children of staff) as part of the compensation package.

The School Facility

The American School of Doha, with its contemporary glass design and geometric canopies, is a work of art in itself. The lush campus of twenty acres is one of the greenest and most enjoyable in all of Doha. The campus currently provides state-of-the art facilities, including a new elementary library with a new “maker space”, a new learner’s pool, an enclosed early childhood play courtyard, a greenhouse, two 25m swimming pools (one outdoor and one indoor), a full-sized soccer pitch, a smaller soccer field for elementary, the only baseball diamond in Qatar, a 400 meter track, an indoor climbing wall, a theater for 630 people, four elementary music rooms, seven purpose-built art rooms, three computer labs, two cafeterias, a middle/high school library, three presentation rooms, ten science labs, a central office complex, a drama room, two tennis courts, three covered playgrounds, and an extensive fitness center. This school year has seen the creation of our new Pre-K 3 program which provides a rich learning experience, centered around exploration and play, supported by dedicated and experienced early childhood educators.

Position Overview

The Middle School Principal is the learning leader in the middle school and a member of the school’s Leadership Team, reporting directly to the School Director, Mr. Steve Razidlo. Collaborating with the Middle School Principal and Director on the leadership team are the Director of Finance and Operations; divisional Principals and Associate Principals; a Director of Student Support Services; an IT Director; a Director of Teaching and Learning; a Director of Human Resources; a Director of Activities and Athletics; a Director of Safety and Security; and a Director of Admissions.

The Middle School Principal is charged with managing the daily operations of the middle school division, providing leadership in assessment, and development of the instructional program. The Middle School Principal is responsible for developing a collaborative, innovative, and nurturing environment for employees and students; providing leadership in student safeguarding and all matters of child protection; promoting respect among employees, students, and parents; assigning, scheduling, supervising, and evaluating approximately 60 middle school faculty and staff; and representing the school positively within the broader school community. The successful candidate must be energetic, well versed in educational pedagogy, experienced with and supportive of standards-based curricular programs, able to inspire confidence in his or her faculty, and fulfilled by working closely with students in their activities and day-to-day life at ASD.

Of note, the incumbent Middle School Principal will serve his final year of leadership during the school year 2022-2023. This will afford opportunity for the incoming Principal to collaborate with and work alongside the incumbent as means of succession planning. A well-defined leadership transition plan will be incorporated into this collaboration allowing both Principals to partner with one another.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Leadership for Learning

• Champions the implementation of the strategic plan and middle school initiatives
• Directs the middle school curricular objectives and professional learning goals
• Establishes and assesses yearly middle school goals
• Represents the middle school on the Leadership Team along with an associate principal
• Understands and knows standard based curricula and can assist in the implementation of the curriculum in collaboration with the Director of Teaching and Learning
• Manages change and encourages innovation, communication and healthy risk-taking

2. Staff Development

• Collaborates with teachers on individual goals and provides timely and thorough analysis of teacher performance through implementation of the school’s performance evaluation system
• Recruits, hires, evaluates, and develops high quality, committed faculty and staff
• Establishes middle school professional development needs within the strategic plan and middle school goals

3. Communication

• Communicates effectively with the divisional staff to ensure alignment and collaborative decision making
• Liaises between Board of Directors, Director, Leadership Team, parents, staff, and students
• Maintains regular written communication with faculty, parents, and students
• Articulates the middle school program and initiatives through open houses, Parent Advisory Forum, parent conferences and other venues as needed
• Understands and effectively articulates the school’s values, strategic plan, board policy, and established procedures
• Oversees procedures for reporting student progress to students and parents on a regular basis

4. Management

• Plans and implements a master schedule which ensures that each student receives the full benefit of the program (both curricular and co-curricular)
• Plans, organizes, and oversees the development and implementation of middle school emergency procedures in coordination with the other divisions and Director of Safety and Security
• Leads divisional strategy to embed a culture of equity, diversity and social justice that supports our commitment to engage voices and honor the dignity of all

5. Child Protection and Safeguarding

• Leads divisional commitment to safeguarding students as a priority
• Develops, communicates, oversees, and complies with relevant policies and procedures including but not limited to: – Child protection, – Code of conduct
• Collaborates at leadership team level to further develop school wide child protection and safeguarding
• Designation as a member of the divisional Child Protection Team

Skills and Attributes Desired

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of MA or MED or equivalent in Educational Administration/Policy, Educational Leadership, or similar field, with principal certification required within two years of appointment
• Successful experience as Principal or Associate Principal in a middle or secondary school setting
• Demonstrated excellence in leading people, managing processes, and improving learning
• Demonstrated experience leading faculty in a PLC environment to set and reach SMART, learner leading goals
• Exceptional knowledge of best practices in curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, and data driven decision-making
• Five or more years of successful teaching at the middle or secondary school level
• Experience in an international and/or multi-cultural environment

ASD offers a highly competitive compensation package for this position in a country with no income tax. This position will begin August 2022. Retained as consultant for this search is Search Associates.

Aligned with the recommendation of the International Task Force on Child Protection, the successful applicant will complete a global background check as part of the hiring process.

ASD actively seeks to employ a diverse workforce. We are committed to the recruitment of leadership which better balances equity and diversity across our school.

To Apply

The American School of Doha has selected Search Associates as its partner in the search for the Middle School Principal with Dr. Brent Mutsch and Dr. Norma Hudson serving as the lead consultants. The deadline for applications for the position is November 5, 2021. Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials listed below as early as possible as The American School of Doha 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 one page, explaining why you are interested in this leadership position.
• A current resume not to exceed two pages.
• A personal statement of educational philosophy not to exceed two pages.
• A list of references who have served as an immediate supervisor to include current email addresses and telephone numbers.
• A maximum of three letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.

Please note that all application materials must be scanned into a single pdf attachment of 4MB or less and sent to both [email protected] and [email protected].

The review of applications will begin as soon as applications are received. Qualified candidates will be interviewed and potentially forwarded to The American School of Doha for further review. Finalist candidates (with spouses, if applicable) will be invited to the campus to see the school in operation and to meet with members of the school community for further interviews. The new Middle School Principal will be selected following the campus visit, finalist interviews, and reference checks and will likely be appointed in advance of the 2021 winter break.

Dr. Brent Mutsch Tel: 970-368-6879 USA- Mountain Time Zone

Skype: brentmutsch Email: [email protected]

Dr. Norma Hudson Tel: 970-389-1906 USA- Mountain Time Zone

Skype: normajhudson Email: [email protected]