Director of Education

• Job Description: Director of Education
• Location: Flying Kites Campus – Njabini, South Kinangop Sub-County, Kenya
• Office Hours: Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
• Position Status: Management-level, exempt from overtime
• Organisational Relationship: Reports to the Executive Director
• Responsible for: Flying Kites Academy Teachers, Division Heads, and School Administrator

About us:

At Flying Kites, we partner with teachers in rural Kenya to transform schools so that girls can thrive. Our integrative approach seeks to remove barriers to learning for all students and ensure that girls in particular have access to the knowledge, resources and support they need to stay in school and make informed choices about their bodies, their education, and their futures. By introducing programs and resources across our growing Network of public primary and junior schools, we are removing barriers to education and catalyzing systemic change across South Kinangop sub-county, with an ambition to reach 47 schools and 22,000+ students by 2028.

Centered in the community served by our work – in the foothills of the Aberdare ranges just outside the town of Njabini – the heart and soul of our campus is Flying Kites Academy (FKA), a small private school delivering quality, holistic education for Early Learning, Primary, and Junior School students. The teachers and students of FKA play a critical role inspiring and piloting interventions to scale our impact beyond the gates of our campus to benefit the Flying Kites School Network.

We need a motivated and experienced Director of Education to develop and lead a team of high-performing teachers and transform our Academy (Grades PP1-9) into a model school for Gender Transformative Education. Our ideal candidate is a strategic leader with a deep understanding of Kenya’s competency-based education, expertise in gender equity, and experience designing and implementing programs that address barriers to education for girls.

Position Summary:

The Director of Education is responsible for developing, leading, and executing the mission and strategic goals of our Flying Kites Academy (“FKA”), and positioning FKA as a co-ed model school for Gender Transformative Education from which we design, pilot, and scale interventions that address barriers to learning across our network of public primary schools in South Kinangop Sub-County (“School Network”). In this role, he/she is responsible for designing and managing programs that achieve measurable improvements aligned with FK strategic goals, including in gender equitable teaching practices, life skills education, literacy, and differentiated instruction strategies. Importantly, the Director of Education is responsible for the development, leadership, and management of FKA teachers (including school Division Heads), aligned with clearly-articulated standards, and accountability metrics. The role further requires ownership over the effective day-to-day operations of FKA, including policy development and enforcement, admissions procedures, budget management, documentation and knowledge management, campus and student safety, and strategies for stakeholder engagement with parents, alumni, and the larger community. Finally, as a member of the Leadership Team, the Director of Education contributes to the larger organizational strategy and culture and, in particular, collaborates closely with the Director of Programs to develop and facilitate training programs for teachers across our School Network.

Duties are fulfilled using his/her expertise and experience developing and managing education programs in a school and/or education-focused NGO environment using program planning and management strategies, curriculum development and teacher training skills, program evaluation and impact metrics underpinned by logical frameworks, and learning methodologies that promote gender equity. The role requires exceptional written and oral communication skills, superior responsiveness, ethics, and professional integrity, and an ability to engage colleagues, partners, and stakeholders at all levels to ensure clarity and alignment with the organisation’s vision and mission.

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• Develop and execute the FKA model school strategy, including an articulated logical framework, workplans, and tools for measuring and documenting impact toward target outcomes.
• Establish and introduce FKA teaching standards with key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and measure teacher capacity aligned with target goals, particularly in areas of literacy, gender equity and inclusion, and differentiated learning.
• Develop, implement, and execute a professional development strategy for teachers aligned with identified needs, Ministry of Education requirements, and organizational goals, including the design and facilitation of in-house workshops, coaching/mentoring practices, digital resources, and engagement with outside experts.
• Oversee the performance management process of teachers based on achievement of established KPIs and quantifiable professional development goals.
• Establish KPIs and provide guidance and direction to the Heads of Early learning, Primary and Junior school in support of the effective day-to-day management of FKA, ensuring that all programs (curricular and extracurricular) achieve clearly stated objectives, are implemented on time, and comply with organizational policies, procedures, and priorities.
• Establish, communicate, and institutionalize FKA policies, practices, and procedures to ensure compliance with Ministry of Education standards and alignment with core organizational mission, priorities, and objectives.
• Collaborate with the Finance Department and the School Administrator to develop and manage the FKA operating budget while identifying strategies to optimize costs aligned with goals to enrich the quality of programs and resources.
• Serve as a member of the Global Leadership Team by upholding and modeling the value-driven culture of the organization, participating in calls and meetings with the larger Leadership Team, and sharing/cascading information to teachers and the FKA community.
• Stakeholder engagement; liaise and build partnerships with government education authorities, school PTA, community stakeholder, Flying Kites School Network. Represent the organisation in education networks and forums
• Prepare and communicate termly and annual impact reports for circulation to the wider leadership team, including quantitative and qualitative data aligned with target outcomes for identified priority areas.
• Support fundraising and development initiatives in collaboration with the Chief Development Officer and the Executive Director.
• Continually manage risks, assess, identify, and address gaps and weaknesses to improve programmatic and operational performance, efficiency, and effectiveness
• Stay abreast with global trends in education, innovate and integrate evidence based practices in FKA activities.

We are looking for:

• An experienced educator, inspiring and creative thinker who is deeply passionate and knowledgeable about gender equity
• A results-oriented and community-centered leader with a commitment to working and living in rural Kenya.
• Familiarity and experience with the objectives and target outcomes associated with Kenya’s competency-based curriculum (CBC) at the primary and junior school levels
• Knowledge and understanding of Gender Transformative Education concepts and implementation strategies, particularly for students in very young adolescence
• Highly developed program/project management skills, including design and application of logical frameworks and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) methodologies.
• Ability to develop and deliver professional development training to teachers and other adult learners
• Mature and professional interpersonal skills; ability to interact effectively in a multicultural environment with stakeholders and colleagues at all organizational levels
• Exceptional written, oral, and presentation skills in English and Kiswahili
• Knowledge and high proficiency in computer applications
• Self-reliant and results-oriented with the flexibility to live and work in a rural community
• Excellent judgment, integrity, and problem-solving skills
• Strong mentoring experience to inspire and develop teams with diverse levels of expertise
• Entrepreneurial team player who can multitask, prioritize effectively, and adhere to deadlines
• Exceptional analytical skills to effectively assess, monitor, and communicate data

Education and work experience:

• Master’s degree in Education or Bachelor’s degree with significant experience in educational leadership.
• 7+ years leadership experience at a school or non-governmental organization in Kenya
• Advanced education, certified skills, and/or professional experience in the area of gender equity, including knowledge of Gender Transformative Education goals and practices

Additional requirements:

• Ability to manage and be accountable for the handling of confidential and sensitive information
• Ability to respond quickly and maintain composure in situations that impact the safety and security of children
• An incident-free Children’s Check and National Police Check (Certificate of Good Conduct) is a strict condition of employment and must be provided at time of hire and updated on request
• Consistent with the leadership level of this position and the need to effectively communicate with US-based colleagues, periodic weekend and after-hours work is expected and required to meet organizational priorities
• Occasional travel based on organizational priorities
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned to support coverage for management-level and other colleagues who are absent, on holiday, or personal leave

Our unique culture and workplace:

While we operate as a global team, including colleagues in the US and UAE, the heart and soul of our work is developed and achieved from the gorgeous surroundings of our Flying Kites Campus, located in the foothills of the Aberdares mountains in Njabini, Kenya.

• Winning Moves
  • We accompany our community – we give preference to their needs.
  • We are accountable — we use data and evidence to make decisions.
  • We start at home — we develop and test interventions at our own Academy, then adapt and share them across our School Network.

• TEAM FK Values
  • Transparent – we are committed to open, honest, and immediate communication.
  • Engaged – we prioritize high levels of engagement with colleagues, responsibilities, and objectives.
  • Ambassadors – we act as role models and representatives of our organization.
  • Mission-centered – we remain mindful of both the task at hand and the larger “big picture” goals of our organization.
  • Flexible – we nurture a growth mindset that embraces feedback and serves the changing needs of our organization.
  • Kind – we approach each interaction with a commitment to kindness, respect, and the presumption of good intent.

Other Information

• The Director of Education collaborates as a member of the Flying Kites Global Leadership Team alongside the Kenya-based Director of Operations & Administration and the Director of Programs
• The position is based in the Flying Kites Campus in Njabini, South Kinangop Sub-County, Kenya.
• Contracted work hours are 52 hours per week, inclusive of work on Saturdays as may be needed to successfully fulfill responsibilities. A significant (8 hour) time difference is acknowledged and generally accommodated for scheduled and unscheduled communications with colleagues in the United States.
• The Kenya office is subject to occasional interruptions in power and/or Internet access.
• All of our programs and objectives serve children from preschool through young adults. Our workplace is thus regularly accessed and impacted by children.

The statements contained in this job description are not necessarily all-inclusive; additional duties may be assigned and requirements may vary at the discretion of the organizational leadership.

Please email your resume to Nyambura@flyingkites.org to apply for this role.