Dean of Student Life at Ntare Louisenlund Community Benefit Company

Dean of Student Life

Ntare Louisenlund School is seeking a committed, experienced secondary school educator to serve as our Dean of Student Life. Can you imagine helping us to design the school of the future in Rwanda by promoting personalised learning, student agency, and twenty-first century skills? If so, please consider applying.

We’re looking to fill the position starting on 1st August 2024. The position is part-time (25% release time) and combinable with teaching one of more of the following subjects: English, German, Kinyarwanda, French, Integrated Humanities, Interdisciplinary Sciences, Mathematics, Visual Arts, Design, and PE. Please refer to our IB Middle Years Programme Teacher job description.

Who we are:

Ntare Louisenlund School (Rwanda) aspires to become the premier institution in Africa, dedicated to fostering excellence in education. Through the Rwanda plus-STEM program, the school aims to attract the finest talents in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology, serving as a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, and future-shaping endeavors. Situated on a sprawling 60-hectare campus in Rwanda's Bugesera District, a brief forty-five-minute drive from Kigali, the school is designed to accommodate up to 1,000 boarding students.

Ntare Louisenlund School is committed to delivering an exceptional international education, empowering students to seek scholarships at the world's leading universities. The student body will comprise two halves, with a portion selected through a rigorous assessment and funded by appropriate scholarships (plus-STEM stream), and the remainder consisting of students from across Africa pursuing the IB Diploma with their families financing the education. Seeking candidacy as an IB World School, Ntare Louisenlund School plans to offer the IB Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.

Operated and managed by Ntare Louisenlund CBC, in collaboration with Stiftung Louisenlund, a renowned institution with over 70 years of experience running a secondary boarding school in Germany, Ntare Louisenlund School strives for comparable excellence at both locations in Germany and Rwanda. A strategic partnership with the Rwandan government is envisioned to identify plus-STEM students eligible for government scholarships.

Your challenge and responsibilities:

The Deans of Student Life are responsible for accompanying and closely monitoring the personal development of students in the respective year group of the IB Middle Years Programme. Their students’ social and emotional learning and wellbeing are their top priorities in this role. With the inclusion of all possible sources of information and with the help of suitable measures, the education and care of the students is to be optimized in cooperation with the relevant caregivers and thus each individual student is to be supported and challenged in the best possible way according to their given potential.

In terms of holistic development, this includes all aspects of education and care, both in the classroom and in the co-curricular context of the boarding school. The Deans of Student Life report to the school principal of the IB World School. They are members of the pedagogical leadership team and follow the directives of both the respective principal and the Head of School.

In addition to his/her responsibility for the aforementioned areas, the Dean of Student Life is specifically accountable for the following areas:

• Supporting their students, in particular organizing individual learning and talent development, identifying and promoting special talents and determining support and development measures
• Shared responsibility for safety and the implementation of school and boarding school policies, rules, and regulations
• Collaboration in recruiting and marketing for new students, recommendations for admission and termination of student contracts to the Head of School and the respective principal.
• Working together with the SA/CAS Coordinator, the Director of Hospitality, and the Lead House Matron to support the co-curricular offerings for the school (CAS/SA experiences, boarding activities and events, weekend programme, educational partnerships, class trips, etc.)
• Supporting and guiding mentors according to the school’s mentoring concept
• Implementing the learner portfolio
• Designing and implementing SEL/wellbeing initiatives in the IB World School and developing a SEL/wellbeing concept
• Approving and overseeing students’ requests for special leaves of absence, and informing all necessary stakeholders
• Supporting students in taking advantage of Global Education opportunities
• Conducting disciplinary meetings with the students in a timely manner in coordination with matrons, house assistance, and if necessary, initiating required actions, and informing all necessary stakeholders
• Coordinating and managing activities to support children with special needs and creating Individualized Education Programmes (IEP) for them
• Helping to coordinate the school assembly with the Head of School, Principal and other members of the pedagogical leadership team
• Co-facilitating pedagogical team meetings (mentors and houseparents in a given year group).

Your profile:

• You have a teacher certification and/or experience working as a teacher (preferably in the IB Middle Years Programme or Diploma Programme).
• You have experience working in a boarding school and/or in planning and delivering co-curricular experiences or campus life activities.
• You are passionate about education and enthusiastic about working together with young people.
• You have experience with Social and Emotional Learning education and working to promote student wellbeing.
• You are interested in working to shape the Nature Louisenlund Pedagogy for the 21st century.
• You are willing to familiarize yourself with the unique pedagogical concept of Ntare Louisenlund and to take part in professional development workshops, as well as the school development process.
• You are passionate about and/or supportive of the school’s focus on excellence in holistic, STEM education.
• You speak and write English fluently and are competent in using English as a language of instruction (exceptions include foreign language courses).

We offer:

• a fully equipped school campus with excellent facilities in a beautiful natural setting in Bugesera.
• optional campus housing for international staff on a first-come-first-serve basis.
• an exceptional in-house professional development programme with travel opportunities for further IB professional development.
• small learning groups.
• an extensive and diverse co-curricular programme and the possibility of taking part in or offering co-curricular experiences for students.
• collaboration with an experienced, internationally recognized school in Germany.
• various partnerships with external educational partners.
• a committed, dedicated, and team-oriented faculty and boarding school staff.
• an attractive compensation package based on your level of experience. All staff salaries are paid in RWF.

Can you imagine working to help us design the school of the future? Then you should apply by 01/06/2024 to careers@ntare-louisenlund.org and share an updated CV, motivation letter and certified electronic copies of degrees and relevant certificates. CVs will be reviewed on a rolling basis and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Please indicate in the subject line while applying as “Dean of Student Life”.