Academy Founding Head - IB Boarding School

About the role

The Foundation is building a new selective, co-educational IB boarding school for Grades 6 to 12 (ages 11 to 18) on the Akuapem Ridge, about 80 minutes from Accra, opening in September 2028. As Founding Head you arrive a year before the first students and set the culture, team and standards from day one. This is a long-term commitment of seven to ten years or more; the initial term is five years and renewable.

Key responsibilities

• Before opening (from July 2027): define the school's culture around six values, lead IB candidacy and authorisation for MYP (2028) and DP (2029), write the teaching and learning framework and the policy set including safeguarding, recruit the senior team and founding IB teachers and design a pathway to train Ghanaian graduates into qualified IB teachers.
• Set admissions policy for entry at Grades 6 and 9 and act as the public face of the school to families in Ghana, West Africa and the diaspora.
• Hold sign-off on educational input to the campus design (labs, workshops, arts spaces, boarding houses).
• From opening (September 2028): run the whole school, hold ultimate responsibility for safeguarding and student welfare, take the first cohorts through to their first Diploma results, grow the roll from around 80 toward 660 without compromising quality, and report quarterly to the Foundation's Board.

Required profile

• Previous experience as Head or Principal, accountable for results, staff, safeguarding and budget.
• Strong record of safeguarding, including residential settings, and of developing teachers, including early-career staff.
• Proven record of shaping school culture and alignment with the school's values, including leading a Christian-ethos, multi-faith community.
• Willingness to live on campus in Amanokrom.
• Desirable: boarding leadership experience, start-up or IB authorisation experience, experience in West Africa or Ghana, experience with mixed fee-paying and scholarship intakes, Twi, French or another relevant language, and a postgraduate qualification in education or educational leadership.

What we offer

• A competitive package in line with headships at leading IB boarding schools in West Africa.
• On-campus accommodation, medical cover, flights, relocation and a pension or gratuity arrangement.
• Real authority over the school and the chance to shape it from its first day.

To apply, send your CV and a letter outlining your interest by 1 December 2026. First-round interviews will be online before the end of 2026, and final interviews will be in person in Accra in January 2027.