Head / Pedagogical Director

ISR International School on the Rhine

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An outstanding opportunity for an experienced and dynamic leader to lead teaching and learning, as well as the day-to-day running, of a thriving Kindergarten of 110 pupils in a high-achieving, academically focused school.

ISR International School on the Rhine is very distinctive among European international schools. Within an inclusive and holistic education environment, it focuses strongly and boldly on academic achievement and preparing students for admission to top universities worldwide. ISR aims to produce multilingual students who have excellent academic results, are equipped with critical thinking and logical reasoning skills, and have a love of learning and a commitment to being active and responsible global citizens - 'We enable great minds and strong characters' is the guiding principle at ISR. Across all its programmes, ISR's results are well above the German and global averages.

ISR is located at the heart of the Düsseldorf-Neuss-Meerbusch region of North Rhine-Westphalia, with its main 140,000 square metre campus in the picturesque and historic city of Neuss. There are Kindergartens in Düsseldorf and Meerbusch, and an Elementary School campus will open in Düsseldorf in 2026. The school has more than 1,000 students from 60 nationalities and 200 staff - giving a whole-school staff-to-student ratio of 6:1. ISR is committed to this size - big enough to support a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities, small enough for the connections and relationships that help students to thrive.

The Proprietor, Peter Soliman, operates ISR with a lean leadership structure, effective decision-making, a fast-paced environment and resources focused on the continued development of teaching and learning, professional development and outstanding facilities.

• The incoming Head/Pedagogical Director will need to be able to provide the sort of strong and clear leadership that will enable the Kindergarten to maintain and build its profile in Düsseldorf. This will be essential for admissions to the Kindergarten, and until ISR's Düsseldorf campus opens, it will be the Kindergarten that 'flies the flag' for ISR in the city. This will require the Kindergarten to have an increasingly strong public image and a Head/Pedagogical Director who is enthusiastic about engaging more widely in the community. When the Düsseldorf school opens, the new challenge will be to ensure that the Kindergarten can provide a seamless transition into both elementary schools.

• ISR is seeking an Early Years specialist with maturity and commitment, a strong record of pedagogical leadership, and most likely with international experience (although candidates coming out of national systems, the UK in particular, may be appropriate if they can demonstrate the mindset and personality for a role in such an international environment). The successful candidate will be comfortable collaborating, inputting and, when necessary, compromising in a dynamic, proprietorial environment. As well as having expertise in Early Years leadership and pedagogy, the Head/Pedagogical Director will possess outstanding communication skills, be outward-facing, relish working closely with colleagues (including the CEO), and align strongly and enthusiastically with the overall ethos of ISR, including 'It's Cool to Be Good' and 'Great Minds - Strong Characters'.