Associate Dean of Students (Athi River School) at Nova Pioneer

ABOUT THE ROLE

Key responsibilities of the role are:

In partnership and under the guidance of the Deputy School Leader, you shall hold the following responsibilities: 

Vision and Administration for the Student Affairs Program

• Create, refine, manage and monitor a vision, action plan and monitoring plan for Student Affairs.
• Develop and maintain the student affairs department’s strategic plan, ensuring alignment with the overall institutional strategic planning efforts in fulfillment of the Nova Pioneer mission. 
• Using past and current data, oversee the vision and implementation of a Student Life strategy and provide oversight to ensure effective and efficient use of all resources assigned to student life (financial, human, etc.)
• Implementing and monitoring ongoing benchmarking, assessment, and innovative improvements for all Student Affairs areas to improve the student experience.
• Appraising performance, rewarding accomplishments, addressing inappropriate behavior, addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Making and implementing schedules of clubs, sports, after school and weekend programming. 
• Manages the school’s clubs and house programmes including club scheduling & sign up, patron/vendor management, club reports, club activities; and all house programmes. 
• Conducting clubs and sports walkthroughs and providing feedback.
• Ensuring that all students and their parents have signed the student/parent handbook and keeping the signed handbook in record. 
• Ensuring the management, development, coaching, growth and accountability of direct reports.
• Is the student data champion on the school enrolment register, Ed-Admin, Class Dojo, and other student data systems. 
• Be a culture champion for our School by spearheading school student culture events within the school's vision and annual theme.
• Works with the Admissions team to track enrolment and student class and house allocation.
• Coordinates the school’s daily routine, ensuring all schedules are clearly mapped out and implemented. 

Student Affairs, Behavior, Culture and Programming

• Loves students and understands how to provide Socio Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Executing and monitoring behaviour systems and structures ensuring strong implementation of  both student culture and behaviour policies.
• Ensuring that the School’s behavior policy is implemented consistently and effectively. Working in collaboration with the leadership team and behavior committee to ensure fair proceedings. 
• Executing, analyzing and monitoring systems and structures for positive behavior systems for students that are used with fidelity by students, teammates and parents. 
• Provides safe channels for students to share feedback/ideas and address their concerns
• Executing, analyzing and monitoring systems and structures for a thriving house system that serves as the cornerstone for the positive behavior system.
• Execute, analyze and monitor systems and structures for culture and behavior trend data.
• Execute, analyze and monitor systems and structures for end to end addressing and documenting all infractions.
• Support students in managing behaviour expectations using a restorative justice approach.
• Ensuring that the highest standards of discipline are maintained. You will work closely with the Deputy School Leader to ensure that incidents are dealt with in the most appropriate way in order that the School’s behaviour policy is implemented consistently and effectively.
• Provides structures for celebrating students who are living and leading NP Culture.
• Leads student mentorship/buddy programmes to strengthen student relationships. 
• Manages the student happiness survey process (scheduling, administration, data analysis and leveraging data to improve students’ experience).
• Participating in the school based discipline committee.
• Manages the students’ government programmes including elections, induction, training, activities and offboarding.
• Coordinates student onboarding. Onboard new students and orient continuing students to new expectations as they progress from one level to the next.

Parent Engagement

• Implementing an inspiring vision for parent partnership that ensures parents are pulled in as active partners and advocates of the school who are involved in their childrens’ learning, character and holistic growth.
• Implementing an inspiring vision for parent partnership that ensures parents are engaged as active partners and advocates of the school with regular parent feedback cycles on their childrens’ learning progress, welfare and behaviour as well as school environment at every major occurrence or data release. 
• Leading in systems and structures to provide weekly updates to parents regarding student instruction and academic programmes, student well-being, affairs and co-curricular programmes, and relevant teammate news.
• Co-facilitate parent events, fora, seminars, orientations and open days.
• Facilitate 1:1  and group parent meetings aimed at improving student behaviour and community culture.

• Conduct orientation at the start of the new year and for new joiners. 

Teammate Development 

• Coaches teachers on managing student behaviour and building student character.
• Is the primary owner of Student Leadership Development: Creates plans and systems for teaching student leadership development to Novaneers, including supporting rollout with teachers, training and development for teachers, and observation and feedback on implementation.
• Coaches, develops, manages and holds accountable swimming coaches, clubs vendors and sports vendors.
• Works with the School Counsellors and teachers to create individual student behaviour plans and student support plans.
• Coordinates school duty rotas and other relevant student life experiences (non-academic) e.g. health and safety; school culture e.g. transitions; safety drills e.g. fire drills, etc.

Communication 

• Execute and monitor vision for and roll out effective communication systems with students, team, parents and the wider community, in collaboration with the external relations team.
• Ensure clear systems and structures for communication and clarity in all matters student affairs.
• Ensure timely updates on student affairs to the Deputy School Leader and School Leader.
• Collaboratively engage the parent body on key student affairs programs by being part of any PTA-related meeting from time to time.
• Ensuring a response time of no more than 48 hours on all matters students affairs to stakeholders. 

Operations, Health and Safety 

• Creating a plan for student health and safety emergency preparedness.
• In partnership with the Deputy School Leader and school leadership team daily participate in operational walkthroughs of campus to ensure high standards of functionality.
• Conducting monthly safety drills, health and safety and risk committee meetings.

Events and After-School Programming

• Plan, coordinate and execute engaging after school and weekend activities that promote student social and personal development.
• Creating weekly and monthly events to foster the students 6 Culture Principles, 3Cs, Leadership and Innovation.
• Lead in and participate in event After Action Reviews (AARs). 
• Trains, manages and oversees peer mentors.

ABOUT YOU

• You have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and you are TSC certified
• Masters degree in education/ social sciences is not compulsory but will be an added advantage.
• You have excellent interpersonal and leadership skills that encompass trust and respect.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You have strong coaching and people management skills.
• You have a proven track record of success in leading team(s) at the entry or mid-level.
• You have very strong planning and organisation skills (will be required to send parent surveys, organise student lists and teacher lists for school events, etc).
• You have experience using tech. 
• You are a critical thinker, flexible, adaptable, innovative and creative. 
• You understand the complexities of working in a multi-faceted, fast-paced organisation.
• You are passionate about building strong relationships with students and parents. 
• You have high energy levels and can work in a highly confidential setting. 
• You have experience working with parents.