The posting
Confidential Search | Leading International School | Southeast Asia
Our client is a flagship international school renowned for academic excellence, IB programmes, and student-centered innovation. As part of their strategic growth, they are now appointing a Deputy Head of School (Academic) to join the Senior Leadership Team and report directly to the Head of School.
This is a career-defining opportunity for a visionary academic leader who wants to shape whole-school learning at scale.
The Opportunity
You will be the driving force behind teaching quality, student progress, and academic culture across the entire school. Working in close partnership with the Head of School, Principals, and SLT, you'll translate strategy into classroom impact — ensuring all practice aligns with the School's Strategic Plan and Cognita's Teaching for Impactful Learning and Progress (TILP) framework.
This isn't an operational role. It's a mandate to elevate standards, develop people, and future-proof learning.
Key Leadership Areas
Academic Strategy & Excellence
- Partner with SLT to embed the School's mission into daily academic life
- Lead whole-school evaluation of teaching and learning, ensuring Primary and Secondary teams deliver consistent, high-impact practice
- Champion TILP-aligned pedagogy and use assessment data, including MAP, to drive measurable improvement
- Own accreditation, IB programme evaluation, and compliance with local Ministry requirements
Faculty Leadership & Growth
- Drive workforce planning, recruitment, and leadership appointments to build a world-class academic team
- Set clear expectations through role clarity and consistent standards across all faculty
- Design and lead professional development that genuinely shifts practice
- Evolve the teacher appraisal framework and embed meaningful goal-setting and performance review cycles
Student Achievement & Experience
- Oversee rigorous, values-aligned admissions assessment processes
- Leverage Voice of the Learner to evaluate academic provision and close the feedback loop with real change
- Monitor school-wide student progress and lead targeted interventions where needed
- Strengthen welfare and discipline frameworks that enable learning
- Build 21st-century competencies so graduates leave ready to lead
Curriculum & Innovation
- Co-lead curriculum design, implementation, and review with the Head of School and Principals
- Keep the School at the leading edge of educational innovation and best practice
- Manage IB relationships, staff development as workshop leaders, and regional engagement with IB Asia Pacific
- Coordinate self-studies and accreditation visits with precision
Strategic Stewardship
- Align academic budgets to strategic priorities and ensure disciplined financial management
- Provide sharp, data-driven reporting to the Head of School
- Communicate with credibility across staff, parents, and the wider community
- Represent the School in key internal and external forums, and deputise for the Head of School as required
Candidate Profile
Our client seeks a proven academic leader who brings:
- Senior leadership experience in a high-performing international or IB school
- Demonstrated success raising teaching quality and student outcomes through data and coaching
- Expertise in accreditation, curriculum leadership, and TILP or similar frameworks
- Strong people leadership — you build trust, develop leaders, and manage accountability with integrity
- Commercial acumen to link budget decisions to learning impact
- Cultural fluency and the ability to inspire a diverse school community
Why Consider This Role
You'll join a well-resourced, ambitious school with a clear strategic plan and backing from Cognita, one of the world's leading school groups. The role offers significant autonomy, board-level visibility, and the chance to influence thousands of student journeys.
For a confidential discussion, please reach out. Our client is moving quickly to secure the right leader for the new academic year.
