School Principal

Organization: Silverleaf Academy Ltd, Tanzania

Silverleaf Academy is a chain of affordable private pre-primary and primary schools in Tanzania educating children aged 2-14. Our mission is to provide lower-middle-income families in Tanzania with highest quality learning at the most affordable levels. Using the national Tanzanian curriculum, Silverleaf schools deploy an inclusive, tech-supported curriculum inside every classroom, and adopt an innovative team-teaching approach and in-service training program. Our schools are specifically designed to build both student academic competencies and wider life, leadership and learning skills. It is our promise to our students and their parents that Silverleaf students will not leave school without full mastery of the basic skills of writing, reading and math, while also being prepared for a world where critical thinking, team collaboration, and entrepreneurship are paramount. Silverleaf currently has one fully operational campus in Usa River serving approximately 600 pre-primary to standard 7 students. By January 2025, the target is to grow the Usa River campus to over 1,000 daycare up to standard 7 students.

Overview of the Role

The primary responsibility of the School Principal is to transform the Silverleaf Usa River campus into the leading and most highly-performing school in the region. The School Principal will oversee and is accountable for a thriving and positive school culture, campus enrollment and retention, health and safety, team growth and development, all educational activities on campus, community relations, ensuring the school’s success both academically and as a sustainable private business.

The goal is for students to graduate not only with outstanding academic achievements but as purpose driven entrepreneurs who have essential life, leadership, and learning skills to prepare them for secondary education. The School Principal will play a crucial role in leading the academic programs and other school-related activities. They will head the school management structure, providing expert leadership, guidance, and support to the school management team to deliver exceptional educational and co-curricular outcomes.

Key Responsibilities and Activities of the Role

School Culture and Team Development

• Creating, communicating and implementing a yearly culture vision and plan for the school.
• Creating a yearly and measurable plan to ensure that teammates are understanding, developed and adhering to the values of Silverleaf.
• Creating and leading cultural activities and rituals.
• Modeling and building a culture of self-awareness where teammates value personal and professional development and are invested in feedback and growth.
• In partnership with the Director of Schools and Senior Manager of Talent Academy, creating a yearly professional development vision for the school, yearly development calendar, weekly coaching and development experience of teammates, and ensuring a strong performance appraisal system.
• Conducting weekly cultural, academic, and tech walkthroughs and observations.
• Leading the team in weekly data meetings and creating impactful action plans.
• Hosting weekly feedback meetings and post-observation conferences.
• Hosting weekly professional developments.
• Observation of teammates leading coaching meetings and development and providing feedback.

Student Experience: Academic Performance, Student Development, Behavior and Co-curriculars

• Creating, communicating and implementing a yearly student experience vision and plan for the school.
• Creating a yearly and measurable plan to ensure that students are being developed academically, socially and emotionally and in their co-curriculars experience.
• Ensure classrooms are well-resourced and conducive to focused learning.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools and the Head Teacher to set targets for all academic metrics by grade level and by student.
• Conducting monthly academic data meetings to ensure that the academic targets are being met.
• Conduct academic data meetings to oversee the academic performance of students by analyzing assessment data, identifying areas for improvement, and collaborating with Head teacher and head of sections to implement strategies that ensure continuous academic growth.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools and the Head Teacher to problem solve and action plan if academic targets are not on track to be met.
• Develop targeted intervention programs for struggling students.
• Organize parent-teacher meetings to discuss student progress and set goals.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools to consult on practices of teaching and learning and curriculum and assessment.
• Ensuring implementation of the agreed upon strategies for teaching and learning and curriculum assessment.
• Ensuring the implementation of the agreed upon SEL curriculum.
• Integrate health and wellness programs for physical and mental well-being.
• Facilitate student leadership opportunities, such as student councils.
• Establish mentorship programs for student guidance.
• Conducting biweekly Student Leaders meeting to ensure that student voice is guiding decision making and development.
• Ensuring that the child protection policy and child wellness policies are followed and leading the campus AAR as needed.
• Conduct monthly audits to ensure that the child protection protection policy and child wellness policies are followed.
• Ensuring that positive behavior practices are implemented.
• Ensuring use of Class Dojo to reinforce behavior management.
• Ensuring and conducting developments for teammates on practices of positive behavior management.
• Ensuring all issues of behavior concerns are addressed and resolved within 48 hours.
• Ensuring the boarding school program is safe and enriching.
• Conducting weekly walkthroughs of the boarding school program to ensure a high standard.
• Ensure execution of co-curricular activities by coordinating with co-curricular co-ordinator and external partners, and ensuring activities are diverse, engaging, and aligned with development goals. Ensure a well-rounded club and sports program.
• Conducting weekly audits of the co-curricular program.
• Support participation in extracurricular competitions.
• Allocate resources and budget for student development and co-curricular activities.
• Organize events like academic fairs, sports days, and art festivals.
• Create feedback channels for students on academic and co-curricular experiences.
• Ensuring that the co-curricular program has clear ties to Project Based Learning.
• Collaborate with academic and extracurricular coordinators for integrated experiences.

School Sustainability and Operations: Enrollment, Operational Efficiencies and Finance

• Having a weekly meeting with the Operations department to review and resolve any issues.
• Creating the student retention strategy for the school and implementing it with fidelity.
• Ensuring the fidelity and efficiency of the admissions process to ensure that students and parents have a positive experience.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools and the Marketing Associate Manager to ensure that the school is on track with enrollment expectations and implement campus enrollment activities.
• Having a weekly meeting with the Director of Schools and Marketing department to review and resolve any issues.
• Budget Management: Adherence to the campus budget and financial targets.
• Partnering with the Finance department to ensure that fees are paid and all balances are cleared.
• Partnering with the Operations department to ensure that campus procurements list are submitted for the next school year by the end of Quarter 3.
• Partnering with the Operations department to conduct a monthly review of opex and capex items and request more if needed.
• Resource Utilization: Efficient use of school resources, such as facilities, learning materials, and technology.

Community Engagement: Parents, Community Members, Partner Organizations and Stakeholders

• Creating and implementing a parent engagement strategy.
• Being the direct point of contact for all parent activities, feedback and follow on all matters non-academic.
• Organize parents workshops, one every quarter to educate parents on topics like child development, supporting learning at home, and navigating the school’s educational tools such as Class Dojo or parent portals such as power school.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools and Head teacher to establish parent advisory committees to involve parents in decision-making processes and provide feedback on school initiatives, policies, and programs.
• Develop and implement a communication strategy to keep parents informed through newsletters, emails, parent WhatsApp groups, and parents meetings.
• Organize and host community events like open houses, educational workshops, and cultural festivals to promote the school and strengthen ties with the local community.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools to manage and implement programming with partners including NGO’s, local businesses, community organizations, and government bodies to create mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Implement regular feedback mechanisms for all stakeholders, including parents, community members, and partners.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools to establish connections with other competitor schools and educational institutions for exchange programs, resource sharing, and professional development opportunities.
• Stay informed on educational policies and regulations that impact the school, and engage in advocacy efforts to ensure the school’s interests are represented at local and national levels.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools to build strong relationships with local leaders such as government officials, religious leaders, and influential community members to gain support for school initiatives.
• Plan community engagement and volunteer work activities.

Compliance and Legal

• Create and enforce systems and structures for documenting and reporting any legal or compliance breaches, safety incidents, or potential hazards, ensuring swift corrective actions are taken.
• Ensure the school strictly adheres to child protection policies and safeguarding laws, including regular staff training on recognizing and reporting potential child safety risks.
• Partnering with the Director of Schools to maintain up-to-date registration with education authorities and other necessary regulatory bodies. Ensure the school holds all required licenses for operations.
• Partner with the Legal unit to ensure the school is in compliance with all legal and compliance requirements.
• Regularly update the Director of Schools on any potential or emerging legal issues, ensuring swift action is taken to mitigate risks and resolve concerns.
• Ensure all staff members are regularly trained on compliance-related matters, such as health and safety protocols, HR obligations, child protection, and safeguarding.
• Manage risk assessments for school activities and implement mitigation strategies

Education and Experience Requirements

• Education: A degree in education, school administration, or a related field
• Leadership Experience: At least 2-5 years of experience in a leadership role within a school setting.
• Operational Efficiency: Proven track record of managing school operations efficiently, including budgeting and resource allocation.
• Academic Oversight: Experience in overseeing curriculum implementation and improving academic outcomes.
• Staff and Team Management: Experience in leading teams, managing staff, and driving performance.
• Community Engagement: Prior involvement in fostering parent and community relationships.
• Experience with School Growth: Demonstrated ability to support school enrollment growth and student retention.
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with educational technologies and administrative software.
• Legal and Regulatory Knowledge: Awareness of educational laws, safety regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili.

Values

An essential part of the Silverleaf model is adherence to the core values of the organization. These values are ingrained in our approach and extend to staff, students, parents and partners. For staff, adherence to these values is mandatory and forms the cornerstone of performance reviews.

• Lead the Way – Demonstrate the principles of servant leadership by practicing empathy, considering needs of others, and setting a good example for peers in your community.
• Speak, Listen, and Learn – Work together by sharing your ideas in an organized way, listening to the views of others, and considering different perspectives and angles.
• Ask Why and Why Not – Think critically and use evidence to support your decisions, to find proactive ways to challenge what is possible and to innovate for positive changes.
• Build for the Future – Look beyond today and equip yourself with the skills, attitudes and tools required to be a socially responsible global citizen in the world of tomorrow.
• Unwavering Mission Focus – Set clear goals and be disciplined, diligent and determined in achieving them to the very best of your ability, regardless of the obstacles that may arise.

To apply for this role: Send your CV and cover letter to jobs@silverleaf.co.tz and copy in hr@silverleaf.co.tz kindly include the job title in the subject line of your email.