About the job

As we bring Sankoré International School to life, the Founding Head of School will play an essential role in ensuring we create a joyful, rigorous, and relevant learning environment for learners, families, and Sankoré staff. As the Founding Head of School, you will shape what Sankoré is and will be. You will support and lead an executive leadership team—including the Heads of Learning & Innovation, Inclusion, and Operations—and ensure our school delivers on its promise to be a “center of excellence for changemakers, by changemakers”. We aren't walking into a school – we're building one together. The work will be hard, and it will be worth it!

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Co-create and steward a compelling vision with SHOFCO, staff, families, and learners
• Translate vision into measurable goals across organizational domains
• Communicate and collaborate with the Governing Board, founders, and relevant SHOFCO team members, including creation of structures for regular reporting, meeting, etc.
• Oversee and manage growth of one grade per year until campus serves Prek-Grade 12 learners and families
• Uphold the school’s mission in daily decisions, especially when challenging
• Use data and evidence of learning to drive schoolwide reflection
• Champion innovation while maintaining coherence and rigor
• Create norms and rhythms for team and school life
• Hold coherence across different parts of the school ecosystem
• Adapt based on feedback, knowing when to shift and when to stay the course
• Transition Sankoré from start-up to a self-sustaining institution

Culture Building & Community

• Foster a joyful, inclusive, values-driven school culture
• Model learner agency, cultural responsiveness, and shared ownership
• Facilitate meaningful family engagement and partnership, including regular family workshops, events, and effective conflict management when necessary
• Build belonging and integration across our diverse families (and track their perceptions and feedback through surveys, regular meetings etc)
• Engage local and global community partners
• Represent the school publicly at events, with donors, at conferences, etc.
• Tell the story of the school—build a narrative that attracts, retains, and inspires all stakeholders

Team Management and Development

• Hire, develop, and support a high-performing team of Learning Guides, operational and administrative staff, and leaders
• Cultivate a culture of distributed leadership, trust, and psychological safety
• Model and protect work-life balance through reasonable expectations, schedules, and communication norms
• Design and implement systems for observation, feedback, coaching, evaluation, and growth aligned with Sankoré’s values
• Listen regularly and act on staff feedback via surveys, 1:1s, etc
• Support staff through life transitions, offering flexibility when possible (e.g., parenting, illness, grief)
• Handle performance and difficult conversations with clarity and care
• Work with the Head of Operations to ensure smooth, safe, beautiful campus life
• Work with the Head of Inclusion to create sustainable center for inclusion, learning support, and counseling services
• Work with the Head of Learning and Innovation to ensure curriculum and pedagogy align with Sankoré learning vision and that learners meet competencies and character growth goals

Learner Champion

• Be a visible presence for learners—lunch, recess, assemblies, performances
• Ensure student voice and agency are alive and growing
• Celebrate learning and growth publicly—recognition, exhibitions, showcases
• Set and enforce behavioral norms grounded in restorative practice
• Support wellbeing and child protection with clear policies and relational care

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure accreditation, licensing, and compliance with Kenyan and international standards
• Collaborate with Head of Operations and School Director on budgeting, fundraising, and strategic planning and ensure school operates with excellence and within budget
• Steward resources wisely help shape and uphold the school budget
• Represent Sankoré to stakeholders, including government, donors, and peers
• Manage risk across safety, security, and liability

In the founding stage, work with the Sankoré leadership team to manage construction timelines and communication with families and set up school-wide systems: admissions, assessment, evaluation, policies, handbooks, schedules, culture norms.

About You

You are an ethical and entrepreneurial leader with a track record of operational and pedagogical excellence.

You have the following experience:

• 10+ years in education, with significant leadership (Head of School, Executive Director, etc.)
• Founded or significantly scaled a school or learning organization
• Experience leading senior leaders across academic, operations, and inclusion domains
• Familiar with progressive, inquiry-focused curricula (e.g. PYP, Reggio, Montessori, Waldorf, Kenyan Competency-Based Curriculum)
• Knowledge of Kenyan/international accreditation and regulatory requirements

You demonstrate the following strengths:

• Strategic vision paired with operational discipline
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and relational skills
• Exceptional emotional intelligence and cultural humility
• Courageous leadership, rooted in care and integrity
• Dedication to equity, inclusion, and decolonizing education
• Lifelong learner with a deep belief in the power of community
• Deep trust in and respect for children as people who are capable of carving out their own path of learning.
• The ability to see the best in each student/team/community member and bring that forth in them.
• The aptitude to embrace uncertainty and failure as learning opportunities and adapt and evolve.
• The highest degree of integrity and self-awareness and the humility to openly acknowledge your own mistake.