Careers

Executive Principal

Are you a dynamic and enthusiastic Headteacher or Principal , with experience delivering the English National Curriculum and seeking an exciting opportunity to lead a flagship school through the next stage of development? If so, you will be interested in this fantastic opportunity to join Oryx International School, Qatar as Executive Principal.


About the School
Oryx International School https://oryxschool.qa/ is a unique project conceptualised by Qatar Airways and Orbital Education https://orbitaled.com/ creating a joint venture between a world-renowned, 5- star airline and a prestigious group of international schools. This £70 million project supports the demand for premium quality British-style education for the children of local and expatriate employees of Qatar Airways in Doha.

The aim of Oryx International School is to provide the employees of the world’s five-star airline and their children access to a five-star education. The new, bespoke, built-to-specification school offers state-of-the-art facilities and education technology to enrich teaching and learning experiences for our students. The school aspires to foster an ethos of global citizenship, the celebration of cultural diversity and a wide international perspective to equip students with the skills and aspirations to become future leaders across the world.

The facilities offered at the school site combined with our creative approach which incorporates a full English National curriculum enhanced by local Qatari identity, history, culture and tradition, allows Oryx International School to offer the highest standards of Education.

About you
This is a high-profile opportunity for an intelligent, ambitious, and experienced Headteacher or Principal to impact and shape international education and its delivery, by leading this first-class school through its next phase of development.

You should have a demonstrable track record of outstanding senior educational leadership, preferably with experience in British style international schools, and in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC). You should be a visionary, strategic leader and a committed team player, able to demonstrate a collaborative approach to working with others. You should have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop and maintain strong and positive relationships with all school stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:

  • Experience leading a large growing school.
  • A proven track record of achievement in senior leadership positions at an all through/ K12 UK curriculum school.
  • Substantial experience of working in a British international school environment outside the UK in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural setting.
  • Experience of working within the GCC and understanding of Islamic and Arab culture.
  • Comfortable interacting at a corporate and board level with the ability to lead change and achieve sustained improvements through engagement with key stakeholders.


Benefits of working at an Orbital Education School

Orbital Education focuses on delivering quality education to its students around the globe. We educate more than 7,000 young people from 128 nationalities, sending them on to high quality universities. We are an expanding group with schools already in Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Albania, China, Mexico, Ecuador and the Middle East, with exciting plans to develop new schools across the globe.

Working closely with Orbital Education colleagues, you will be provided with opportunities develop your expertise and exert influence at a senior level. This is an exciting opportunity to:

  • Be part of a global community, and colleagues with a wide range of expertise in both the international school market and business operations.
  • Travel and engage with colleagues, business contacts, and networks of influential leaders across the globe.
  • Benefit from opportunities for professional growth and continuous improvement in practice.


Living and working in Qatar

Doha, the peninsula’s capital city of over 2.7 million residents, has a huge international community that choose to live and work here. In Doha you will find an extremely safe and vibrant city, an excellent lifestyle with combination of cultures and varied opportunities; to explore the desert, walk along the Corniche, visit museums, shopping malls, beaches, attend sporting events, music festivals, and much more. There are excellent education transportation and other amenities across the city, including a new metro system.


The Process and how to apply

If this opportunity excites you, and you would be enthused by the opportunity to lead and develop our school, we would welcome an application from you.

Your application should be submitted by email, and in the first instance include a CV and a letter of application detailing how you feel your skills and experience meet those contained within the role profile. You should also include the names and email contacts of three referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Final stage candidates will be asked to complete a full application form ahead of Final Interview, to support the final selection process and safer recruitment best practice. Applications should be submitted to recruitment@orbitaled.com

Closing date – Early applications are requested as selection will take place on a rolling. We anticipate significant interest in this position and anticipate the advert may close prior to the formal closing date once a strong final shortlist of candidates has been identified.

Due to anticipated levels of interest, we regret that we will not be able to feedback to all candidates. Therefore, if you have not heard from us prior to 22nd November 2024 please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful.


Orbital Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS/ ICPC checks or police vetting will be required for this post.

Share this opportunity

  • Start Date 1st August, 2025
  • Contract Date Full Time
  • Contract Term Permanent
  • Closes 15th November, 2024
Discover

Oryx International School, Doha

Oryx International School is an independent school exclusively for the children of employees of Qatar Airways and its approved subsidiaries.

Owned by Qatar Airways and managed by the Orbital Group, a UK international schools group. Oryx provides the high-standard facilities that you would expect from Qatar Airways coupled with the best of British education from our expert teaching and support team.

Parents choose Oryx for their children due to their strong pedagogical approach to personalised learning, their inclusive ethos, pride of belonging and purpose-built five-star facilities. The curriculum supports all academic subjects, and a wide range of enrichment programmes and activities such as eSTEM, the arts, sport and student well-being.

Derek Laidlaw
Principal
Nationalities
90
Age Range
3 - 18
Assessments
IGCSE / A-Levels
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