UWCSEA East has a vacancy for a Head of High School IBDP Global Politics.
The appointee will lead learning for this area of the curriculum. He/she/they will ensure that the values which underpin the College's Mission Statement are reflected in the intended learnings, and they will lead colleagues in the development, teaching and administration of the curriculum. He/she/they will identify and address professional development needs as they arise in consultation with the Vice Principal Curriculum and the Vice Principal IBDP Coordinator.
The Head of High School IBDP Global Politics must provide active and dynamic leadership and support in our efforts to develop a positive culture of learning and further concept based teaching and learning practices.
The successful candidate will teach, and have experience in, a range of courses within this subject area including Global Politics, and will be required to teach the UWC Perspectives course. An ability to teach TOK would be an advantage.
Main Responsibilities
Leaders as teachers:
- Teachers should be willing to contribute positively to the collaborative culture of the Global Politics department, Humanities Faculty, and broader High School teams.
- Teachers construct learning experiences that challenge and inspire students, support the diversity of learners, and demonstrate a strong commitment to concept-based teaching and learning.
- Teachers ensure assessments support ongoing learning and provide timely, relevant, and appropriate feedback to students on formative and summative assessments.
- Teachers demonstrate effective classroom management that shows an understanding of the academic, social, and emotional dimensions of learning.
- Teachers keep parents informed about the learning of their children, and be proactive in communication with parents.
Effective Leadership – Leading across all five areas of the learning programme
- Puts student learning at the forefront of all decisions and planning.
- Has a clear vision for the department and translates this into practical and achievable plans.
- Ensures that the learning programme in the department is consistent with the UWCSEA Mission, the UWCSEA Learning Principles, the UWCSEA Profile and with the strategic goals of the school, campus and College.
- Ensures that the learning programme in the department develops and changes as necessary to match developments in technology and educational practice.
Professional Development – Supporting the professional development of staff they lead
- Identifies and utilizes the full potential of staff in the department by being alert to their professional development needs.
- Mentors staff within the Professional Learning Programme, and coaches where appropriate so to realise staff potential.
- Organises and/or runs informal/formal Professional Development opportunities for the department as individuals or as a whole.
Collaboration – working collaboratively within teams
- Enthuses and motivates staff and fosters an environment where creativity and collaboration flourish.
- Involves people in decisions and delegates interesting and challenging tasks.
- Gives, expects and acts upon constructive feedback, acknowledging error when necessary.
- Assumes shared and individual responsibility for successes and problems and is willing to be accountable for the outcomes.
- Sets clear boundaries and expectations, providing freedom for the team to work effectively.
- Acts and leads ethically and with integrity.
Communication – communicates effectively within and beyond their team
- Relates well to individuals and deals sensitively with potentially challenging situations with colleagues/students/parents and has an ability to effectively undertake sensitive or difficult conversations.
- Chairs meetings effectively and ensures opportunities for more informal communication and collaboration to take place within the department.
- Is clear and articulate in both spoken and written communications with students, colleagues, parents and the wider community.
- Is proactive in making appropriate information available to colleagues, pastoral teams, parents and the College community.
Expectations and Standards
- Follow the UWCSEA Professional Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
- Lead in line with UWCSEA Leadership Standards
- Teach in line with the UWCSEA Teacher Standards
Person Specifications
- A degree in Global Politics or a closely related discipline and a recognized teaching qualification or certification.
- An ability to develop pedagogy, and support staff in the Department with this endeavour, to meet the needs of our learners.
- Broad experience of curriculum development.
- ParticipatIon in the five key elements of a UWCSEA education: Academics; Activities; Outdoor Education; Personal and Social Education and Service
- Enthusiastic participation in Professional Learning initiatives.
- Leadership of a mentor group.
- An annual contribution of two sessions per week to our Activities and/or Service programmes.
- Participation in Outdoor Education experiences where relevant/logistically possible.
- The ability to engage with students and to engender enthusiasm for learning is a prerequisite for teaching at UWCSEA.
- A commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential, alongside a willingness to adapt and develop pedagogy to meet the needs of our learners.
- Applicants should be enthusiastic about teaching within a multicultural environment.
- Flexibility of approach and a collaborative style are essential.
Applications
The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. We are committed to creating a community in which all members feel safe and secure, and know that their authentic selves and individual differences are accepted with respect and care. At UWCSEA, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) is an ongoing and evolving process and strive to create and sustain a sense of belonging for all members of our community, past, present and future. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as a part of marginalized group(s) and individuals with (dis)abilities are all encouraged to apply. Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices and all appointments are subject to interview, satisfactory references, identity and criminal record checks.
